Maple Cranberry Sauce

 

By now probably most of us are looking ahead to what Christmas dinner will look and taste like.   If your meal plans will include turkey, chicken, or pork, may I suggest a delightful (and easy) maple cranberry sauce?

This year I volunteered to make the whole berry cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving.  I knew my daughter had made a version free of refined sugar in recent years, and I asked her about it.  She directed me to this one: The Best Cranberry Sauce, from Two Peas and Their Pod.  And oh my!  It really is the best.  

It's made with pure maple syrup, the juice and zest of a large orange, a bit of water and a touch of cinnamon (1/4 t.)  When my daughter made this sauce for a church dinner earlier in November, she had forgotten to add the cinnamon and I thought it was delicious without it.  So when I made it for Thanksgiving, I was doubling the recipe and I decided to add just a whisper of cinnamon -- 1/8 tsp. for the double batch.  It was plenty, and I actually prefer it without any cinnamon at all.

Screenshot from TwoPeasandTheirPod

 
This sauce is so delicious that many people say they could eat it by the spoonful, all by itself.  I definitely suggest that you make a double batch.

I should add that it's not really a favorite with the kids in my life.  They say it's not sweet enough and prefer the jellied cranberry sauce that comes from a can.  (And if that describes your kids, then be sure to buy the Woodstock jellied cranberry sauce, which to my knowledge is the only brand that doesn't contain high fructose corn syrup.)

This is fast and easy to make.  The most difficult part is grating the orange zest -- and that's not hard.  I hope your family will enjoy this recipe if you try it!