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Thanksgiving Recipes: Cranberry Desserts

If your Thanksgiving Day feast is side dish heavy and you decide to pass on the traditional cranberry sauce, but you still want to get a healthy dose of Vitamin C, then consider the following recipes.

Both feature fresh cranberries in mouthwatering desserts. The tartness of the plump cranberries perfectly complements the sweetness of these Thanksgiving-themed treats.

If you decide to forgo these cranberry desserts on Turkey Day, save the recipes and make them on Christmas instead. The bright crimson berries bring a festive touch to any holiday buffet table.

CHILLED CRANBERRY DESSSERT

Ingredients:

3 cups fresh cranberries

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup water

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 cup flour

1/2 ground pecans

1/2 cup butter

2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened

1 cup powdered sugar

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon lemon rind

1 1/2 cups whipping cream, whipped

Whipped cream

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine cranberries, sugar, water and cornstarch in 2-quart saucepan. Bring to a boil; cook until cranberries pop, stirring constantly. Set aside.

Combine flour and pecans, cut in butter. Pat onto bottom of 9 by 13-inch pan.

Bake for 15 minutes. Cool.

Combine cream cheese, sugar and lemon juice, mixing until well blended. Blend in lemon rind; fold in whipped cream. Spread over crust. Top with cooked cranberry mixture. Chill several hours. Garnish with additional whipped cream prior to serving.

FRESH CRANBERRY CHEESECAKE WITH CREAM SAUCE

Ingredients:

2 large eggs

1 cup sugar

1 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 cups fresh cranberries

1 cup sliced almonds, toasted

1 3/4 cups flour, divided

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup (4 ounces) mascarpone cheese, softened

1 teaspoon orange zest

Cream Sauce Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 teaspoons water

8 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a mixing bowl, cream eggs and sugar. Add sour cream and vanilla. In a small bowl, combine cranberries, almonds and 2 tablespoons flour. Toss to coat.

In a separate bowl, combine remaining flour, baking soda and baking powder. Blend into sour cream mixture. Fold in cranberry mixture.

Spread batter into a greased and floured 9 by 13-inch pan.

In a small bowl, combine mascarpone and orange zest. Drop by spoonfuls over batter.

Bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool.

Directions for Sauce:

Combine sugar, cream and 2 teapoons of water in a medium saucepan. Boil for 2 minutes. Remove from heat, add vanilla and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in butter, one piece at a time until all of the butter has been incorporated into sauce.

Serve at room temperature over cake.

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This entry was posted in Holiday Foods and tagged , , , , by Michele Cheplic. Bookmark the permalink.

About Michele Cheplic

Michele Cheplic was born and raised in Hilo, Hawaii, but now lives in Wisconsin. Michele graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in Journalism. She spent the next ten years as a television anchor and reporter at various stations throughout the country (from the CBS affiliate in Honolulu to the NBC affiliate in Green Bay). She has won numerous honors including an Emmy Award and multiple Edward R. Murrow awards honoring outstanding achievements in broadcast journalism. In addition, she has received awards from the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association for her reports on air travel and the Wisconsin Education Association Council for her stories on education. Michele has since left television to concentrate on being a mom and freelance writer.