Spiced Cranberries

Always trying to up our game on Thanksgiving, I decided to investigate some new cranberry options. I am not doing this to replace anything – my mother’s cranberry-strawberry-Jell-O “salad” is everyone’s favorite, both during the Thanksgiving lunch and for days afterward, on top of cottage cheese or yogurt, or in a bowl by itself. These cranberries are just an addition, a more-tart, holiday-spiced, more-cranberry(?) version of cranberries.

With fresh, tart cranberries, some still whole and popping in your mouth, bits of apple, tangy orange juice, and just enough of our favorite spicy holiday spices, these Spiced Cranberries are just what I was hoping they would be. For anyone who thinks cranberries are just for turkey and dressing, I say try these. On their own, with yogurt or cottage cheese, alongside grilled meat, with cereal, over ice cream…the possibilities are endless.

A new Thanksgiving tradition? We will see. But I think this weekend, with two weeks to go, there is a wheel of brie calling for a date with these cranberries.

These Spiced Cranberries feature fresh, tart cranberries, bits of apple, tangy orange juice, and just enough of our favorite spicy holiday spices. (Photo: Andria Dilling)

Spiced Cranberries

2 12-ounce bags fresh cranberries
2 large red apples, peeled, cored, and chopped into ¼-inch cubes
1 ½ tablespoons orange zest
1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (from about 2 oranges)
½ teaspoon ground cardamom
2 cinnamon sticks
2 whole star anise
1 ½ cup sugar
½ teaspoon kosher salt

Place all the ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium-low, cover loosely, and cook for 10 minutes, or until the cranberries pop and the apples are softened. Let the cranberries cool, then remove the cinnamon stick and star anise. The cranberries will thicken as they cool, and then they will thicken more in the fridge. Store the cranberries in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 1 month.