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FALL AND THANKSGIVING · A LITTLE HOMEMADE HAPPINESS

Cranberry-orange sauce

A bright make-ahead Thanksgiving sauce with little bursts of cranberry and fresh orange zest. The cooling time is included so it can thicken before dinner.

140 min totalAbout 2 1/4 cups; 9 quarter-cup servingsAges 6+ helping with an adultEasy4 illustrated steps ↓

Prep 5 min · Cook 15 min · Cool / set 120 min

Plan 5 minutes of prep, 15 at the stove and about 2 hours to cool and chill. Berries may pop and splash; adults do all stovetop work.

Chunky red cranberry sauce with fine orange zest in a white bowl.
A serving suggestion for the finished dish.

A LITTLE INSPIRATION

Something good.
Made together.

See the finished dish, gather the ingredients and follow the four illustrated stages below. Use the written quantities, timings and doneness cues as you cook.

Gather your ingredients ↓Follow the steps ↓

Food and step images are AI-generated illustrations, not test-kitchen photographs. About our images

Let’s cook something good.

  1. Rinsed cranberries beside a grater and finely grated orange zest.

    Step 1: Rinse and zest

    Rinse the berries and discard damaged ones. An adult finely grates the orange skin, avoiding the bitter white layer.

  2. Cranberries added to clear sugar syrup in a saucepan.

    Step 2: Add berries

    An adult heats the sugar and water in the saucepan, stirring until dissolved. Once boiling, carefully add the berries.

  3. Burst cranberries forming thick red sauce in a saucepan.

    Step 3: Simmer

    Return to a gentle boil and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until many berries burst. Remove from the heat and stir in the zest.

  4. Cranberry sauce resting in a shallow glass storage dish.

    Step 4: Chill

    Transfer to a shallow heat-safe dish. Let steam subside for 20 minutes, then refrigerate for about 100 minutes until chilled and thickened. Cover once cold; allow longer if still warm.

A little help: This is refrigerator sauce, not shelf-stable preserves. Decorative jars still need refrigeration.

KEEP THE GOOD TIME GOING

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