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Easy Make-Ahead Cranberry Orange Sauce

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This simple, make-ahead cranberry orange sauce is the perfect stress-free addition to your Thanksgiving table. With bright orange flavor and a perfect balance of sweet and tart, it gets better after a day in the fridge.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 12 ounces fresh or frozen cranberries (one standard bag)
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup fresh orange juice (from about 2 large oranges)
  • 1/2 cup water
  • Zest of 1 large orange, divided
  • 1 cinnamon stick (optional, but highly recommended)
  • Pinch of salt

Instructions

  1. Zest and juice your oranges first. Wash your orange well, then zest it. Set half the zest aside for later. Juice the oranges until you have 1/2 cup of juice.
  2. Combine the base ingredients. In your medium saucepan, add the sugar, fresh orange juice, and water. Stir them together over medium heat until the sugar dissolves completely, about 2-3 minutes.
  3. Add the cranberries and aromatics. Once the sugar is dissolved, add the bag of cranberries, the cinnamon stick (if using), the first half of the orange zest, and a tiny pinch of salt. Give everything a good stir.
  4. Bring to a boil, then simmer. Turn the heat up to medium-high and bring the mixture to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to low and let it simmer gently, uncovered.
  5. Cook until thickened. Let the sauce simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes until most of the cranberries have burst and the sauce has thickened to a jammy consistency. It will still be a little loose but will firm up as it cools.
  6. Remove from heat and add the remaining zest. Take the pot off the stove. Fish out the cinnamon stick and discard it. Then, stir in the reserved half of the orange zest.
  7. Cool and store. Let the sauce cool in the pot for about 20 minutes. Transfer to a glass jar or airtight container. Let it come to room temperature completely before putting the lid on and moving it to the fridge.

Notes

The sauce needs at least 24 hours in the fridge to fully develop its flavor. It can be made up to two weeks in advance. Do not freeze if you want to keep the whole-berry texture. For a smoother sauce, use an immersion blender after cooling slightly.

Nutrition

Keywords: cranberry sauce, orange cranberry sauce, make-ahead cranberry sauce, Thanksgiving cranberry sauce, homemade cranberry sauce

Find it online: https://jollyfork.com/easy-make-ahead-cranberry-orange-sauce/