Try this Cranberry Butter recipe, or contribute your own.
- Carbohydrate 248.01268 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 0.38688 g
- Fiber 3.25719992804527 g
- Protein 0.71948 g
- Saturated Fat 0.0725 g
- Serving Size 1 1 (473g)
- Sodium 72.04 mg
- Sugar 244.755480071955 g
- Trans Fat 0.186452 g
- Calories 963 calories
Step-by-step
- Put all the ingredients in a crockpot and stir to combine well. Turn on high. Let it cook for about 2 hours or until the cranberries are soft.
- Remove the cinnamon stick and puree the mixture in a food processor. Do this in two batches. Be careful as the mixture is hot, I cover the top opening of the machine with a dish cloth. Let the machine run for a full minute to puree the cranberries very finely.
- Force the cranberry puree through a mesh sieve or strainer. Push forcefully with the back of a spoon to get as much cranberry puree as you can. Discard the solids.
- Pour the puree back into the crockpot. Turn the crockpot to high, and leave the lid ajar. Cook until thickened, approximately another 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
- Put the cranberry butter into clean jars with tight fitting lids and let cool. Store in the refrigerator and consume within a month.
- If you would like to can this recipe, spoon the hot mixture into sterile jars and boil in a water bath canner for 10 minutes.
- Makes about 2 cups.
Cranberries supply the natural pectin required to set this spread without the addition of commercial thickeners. Fresh berries contain high levels of both pectin and acid, which react with the brown sugar during the long cooking phase to create a gel-like consistency. Simmering the fruit with apple cider introduces secondary malic acid and concentrated sugars, driving the reduction forward much faster than water alone would. Whole cinnamon sticks infuse volatile aromatic oils into the simmering liquid, imparting warmth without introducing the gritty texture that ground spices leave behind.
Undercooking the initial reduction phase accounts for most failures in fruit spreads of this type. Letting the cranberries cook for a full two hours in the slow cooker ensures the cellular walls break down completely before any pureeing begins. Rushing this step leaves tough skins intact, which clogs the mesh sieve during the straining phase and lowers the final yield. Pushing the hot puree forcefully through a fine-mesh strainer removes residual fibrous seed hulls and creates the velvety, spreadable mouthfeel characteristic of proper fruit butter.
Processing hot liquids in an enclosed food processor creates extreme pressure hazards. Covering the feed tube opening with a folded dish towel allows steam to vent safely while preventing high-velocity splashes. Standard immersion blenders fail to break down tiny cranberry skins sufficiently, making a countertop food processor or a food mill mandatory for achieving the necessary smoothness. Working in two separate batches prevents overloading the motor and ensures an even vortex.
Properly reduced fruit butter achieves a thick, glossy appearance that coats the back of a spoon without running. Stored in clean glass jars with tight-fitting lids, the finished condiment keeps safely in the refrigerator for up to one month due to the high sugar concentration acting as a preservative. Extended preservation requires processing the filled jars in a boiling water bath for exactly ten minutes to eliminate spoilage vectors.
