Spices, Sugar, and Cranberry come together to make for two delicious easy to make recipes.
I love making homemade treats to give out as gifts at the holidays, and these two recipes work together to make two different easy to make treats that I can hand out to our family and friends. First, you make the spiced cranberry simple syrup and after you’re finished soaking the cranberries you remove them and turn them into a deliciously spiced cranberry jam.
Spiced Cranberry Simple Syrup
I love making flavored simple syrups, they just add such a wonderful punch to any drink. They go great in cocktails as well as mixed with club soda as a non alcoholic option. The spiced cranberry simple syrup has a beautiful pink color with a mix of tart, sweet and even a little spice from the cinnamon sticks.
- 3 Cups Water
- 3 Cups Sugar
- 3 Cups Cranberries
- 1 Cinnamon Stick
- 1/4 teaspoon Almond Extract
- 1/4 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon allspice
- In a large sauce pot add the water, sugar, cinnamon stick, almond extract, vanilla extract, nutmeg, and all spice.
- Cook over a medium-high heat unto the sugar dissolves and the mixture comes to a boil.
- Allow to boil for 5minutes, then pour into a heat safe bowl.
- Top with the cranberries and cover the bowl with foil and a hand towel.
- Allow the cranberries to soak for 12-24 hours.
- Remove cranberries and cinnamon sticks from mixture and transfer the simple syrup into sealable containers.
- I always keep my refrigerated, it helps it last longer.
- *If you are using fresh cranberries the mixture can sit right on the counter
- *If you are using frozen cranberries the mixture must sit in the refrigerator
Spiced Cranberry Jam
After you are finished soaking the cranberries in your simple syrup mixture, rather than just throwing them away why not transform them into a tart and spicy jam. Simply use a slotted spoon to remove all the cranberries from the simple syrup mixture and transfer them into a large pot. Then add a fourth of a cup of the simple syrup to the cranberries in the pot, add the sugar and cook it all over medium heat. Once the sugar liquifies with the cranberries, you run the entire mixture through the blender before returning it to the pot on the stove to resume cooking.
- 3 Cups Soaked Cranberries
- 2 1/4 Cup Sugar
- 1/4 Cup Cranberry Simple Syrup
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
- In a medium sauce pot add the cranberries that you had previously soaked in the simple syrup mixture along with the sugar, 1/4 cup of spiced cranberry simple syrup, and cinnamon.
- Cook over medium heat until all the sugar liquifies.
- Then transfer cranberries and liquid to a blender and blend until smooth.
- Return mixture to the sauce pot and resume cooking over a medium high heat.
- Cook for 15-20minutes until mixture thickens.
- Transfer to prepped mason jar and seal using the guidelines set by ball.
I love that this recipe has zero waste too. How very green and trendy, as well as delicious! 😉
I don’t know what I would have done with all of those cranberries if I would not have made jam!
I love simple syrup! It makes every cocktail better!! And since I use cranberry juice in just about all my favorite cocktails I think I need to make this instead!