Cranappleberry Sauce

A fruit-filled twist on traditional cranberry sauce with granny smith apples, fresh raspberries & blueberries, and warm fall spices. 

Thanksgiving is almost here...are you ready? ARE YOU READY? I can almost hear you saying, "not yet!" Well that's ok, there's still time! And to help you with your Thanksgiving prep, I am excited to share this unique & fruity twist on cranberry sauce. 

I was chatting with a few of my coworkers about Thanksgiving and I told them about my mom's cranberry sauce. Do you ever have one of those moments when you assume that the way your family does something is the norm, and then you realize that wait...maybe not? That's kind of what happened here! One coworker commented that she always has cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving, but no one really seems to like it all that much. I told her about how much I love my mom's recipe and another coworker started listening in, and then another...and before you know it I was sharing the recipe with a bunch of people. So now I am sharing it with a bunch MORE people!

The cranberries are classically tart, the apples give it texture and body, the berries add a bright freshness, and the spices bring the warm fall flavor home, for a distinctly different take on cranberry sauce...cranappleberry sauce! Plus, it's so easy to make, and it can be done way in advance - which is always a win when it comes to Thanksgiving prep.

Ok let me tell you how to make it!

Ingredients:

Bring the cranberries and water to a boil and simmer until their skins pop and they start to soften.

Add apples, brown sugar and juice, and continue to cook until the apples are tender.

Add dried cherries, vanilla and spices.

Taste and adjust for sweetness, depending how sweet your berries are, you may need to add more brown sugar.

It will still be pretty liquidy and the apples won’t be very red at this point (like in the picture above). Don’t worry! As it cools it will thicken and the apples will take on a redder color.

Let cool. Once the cranberry sauce has fully cooled, add fresh raspberries & blueberries and stir gently to combine. 

And that's it!

I have eaten this cranberry sauce at our family Thanksgiving more times than I can count, and it's so much fun to share it with friends too! We hosted Friendsgiving this year; I roasted my first turkey, made buttery creamy mashed potatoes, whipped up my mom's stuffing (except I couldn't find pre-shucked oysters to save my life, so I substituted some browned sweet Italian sausage in place of the oysters...adapt or die!) and obviously...made the cranappleberry sauce! All of that and guess what? I forgot to serve the cranappleberry sauce with dinner.

So we had it with dessert. Oh well! I know I'm not alone here, have you ever forgotten to serve something at a party?

Of course, our wonderful friends brought amazing dishes as well: a fancy charcuterie board, roasted brussels sprouts, creamy corn pudding, "world-famous" green bean casserole, homemade garlic knots, and chocolate caramel streusel bars. It was a FEAST! And so much freaking fun...I can't even tell you.

Happy Friendsgiving!

So many laughs, so much delicious food, so much wine, and so much love.

Yummy noises await you!

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Cranappleberry Sauce

A fruit-filled twist on traditional cranberry sauce with granny smith apples, fresh raspberries & blueberries, and warm fall spices.

Makes about 8 cups

Author YummyNoises.com

Ingredients

• 12 oz. fresh cranberries
• 1 cup water
• 2-3 granny smith apples (peeled, cored and diced)
• 1 ¾ cup packed brown sugar
• 8 oz. pomegranate or cherry juice
• 1 cup dried cherries
• 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
• 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp. ground cloves
• ½ tsp. ground allspice
• 6 oz. fresh raspberries
• 6 oz. fresh blueberries

Instructions

• In a medium to large pot, add the cranberries and water and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until their skins pop and they start to soften, about 3 minutes. Add apples, brown sugar and juice, and continue to cook over medium-low heat until the apples are tender, about 5 more minutes. Add dried cherries, vanilla and spices. Taste and adjust for sweetness, depending how sweet your berries are, you may need to add more brown sugar.
• Let cool. Once the cranberry sauce has fully cooled, add fresh raspberries & blueberries and stir gently to combine.