Cranberry Caramel Spread
Updated – December 2, 2020
This recipe for Cranberry Caramel Spread is a perfect preserve for the holidays. Drizzle it over ice cream, top a cheesecake with it, or add it to a cheese board. The preserve boasts a bright, beautiful color and is great preserve to gift this holiday season! The recipe is from Marisa McClellan, author and blogger of Food in Jars. If caramel sauce is your thing, she has another great recipe for pear vanilla caramel sauce on her blog.
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh cranberries
- 3 cups granulated sugar
Makes 4 half pints
Instructions
Place the cranberries in a small pot and add 2 1/2 cups water. Cover the pot, place over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until all the cranberries pop. Remove the pot from the heat and let the cranberries cool.
Pour the cranberries and their liquid into the blender and puree until smooth (if the blender struggles, add a bit more water). You should have about four cups of puree.
Prepare a boiling water bath canner and four half pint jars.
Combine sugar with 1 1/2 cups water in a sauce pan. Place over medium-high heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until the sugar reaches 300°F and darkens to the color of a tarnished copper penny. Do not stir the cooking syrup. Instead hold the handle and gently swirl the pot to move things around.
Once the syrup has reached 300°F, remove the pot from the heat and stir in the cranberry puree. It will bubble and spatter, so take care. Stir puree into the sugar and reduce the heat. Continue stirring and cooking, until the cranberry caramel reaches at least 216°F.
Remove caramel from heat and funnel into prepared jars. Wipe rims, apply lids and rings, and process in a boiling water bath canner for 10 minutes.
“Once the syrup has reached 300°F, remove the pot from the heat and stir in the cranberry puree. It will bubble and spatter, so take care. Stir puree into the sugar and reduce the pot to the heat. Continue stirring and cooking, until the cranberry caramel reaches at least 216°F.” Read quoted paragraph above – what does “stir puree into the sugar and reduce the pot to the heat” mean?
I appreciate the sharing of recipes and other tips using canning jars – thank you!
Hi Cynthai,
I think that was a typo, which is now fixed. After adding the puree to the sugar, you’ll want to reduce heat but continue stirring and cooking until it reaches at least 216°F.
Can you double or even triple this recipe?
Hi Mandi,
That recipe only has 2 ingredients…the cranberries and the sugar (and water). From a preserving/safety standpoint, I can’t think of any reason why you couldn’t multiply it.
If you’re multiplying it, I would stay with canning it in the same size jars (or smaller)…which would be perfect for gifting, and you could still be confident that the water bathing time would be sufficient.
Can dried cranberries be used?
Hi Kathy,
If you’re planning to swap dried for fresh cranberries, you may just have to tweak the cranberry measurements a bit or add a bit more water in order to replicate a comparable fruit puree before adding it to the sugar. I found this on Ocean Spray’s site : Yes, Craisins® Dried Cranberries work well in baked goods; however, there is a 1/4 cup difference in measurement. If a recipe calls for one cup of fresh or frozen cranberries you should use 3/4 cup of Craisins®. Craisins® should not be used in cooked sauces.
Since they are a dried fruit, they do not contain the pectin necessary for the sauce to gel. Since this product is meant to be pourable, the set shouldn’t be a concern. However, it is a helpful bit if information for other applications. 😊