I have had a bag of cranberries sitting in the freezer for a few months now. I bought them because they were featured in a big thanksgiving display in my local grocery store. You know I couldn't resist, thinking of many tasty and seasonal possibilities. But after I brought them home, inspiration never quite struck, and they stayed tucked away in my freezer.
This morning I was thinking about how much I love craisins, but I don't like how they are loaded with sugar. It got me to wondering if I could make them myself.
I figured why not? I really don't have anything to lose. Consequently, I dumped my cranberries onto a toaster pan and added 1 Tablespoon of coconut oil. I turned my toaster oven to 300F and baked the cranberries for about 2 hours. Between the first half hour to hour they started popping. I guess that is normal so don't be alarmed. As far as I can tell nothing exploded onto the toaster.
Here is a picture of the finished product. They turned out great, have a wonderful tart flavor, and great chewy texture. Just like they are supposed to taste like. A few cranberries got crispy, so keep a careful eye on them during the last little bit of baking so they don't burn. I don't think they need any sugar and I look forward to using them in pancakes, muffins, cookies, etc... I know these will pair great with my Coconut Dark Chocolate. Because they are not completely dried I would recommend storing them in the fridge or freezer to avoid any potential mold problems.
Two heaping cups of cranberries produced one cup of 'craisins'.
This post is linked to Simple Lives Thursday at GNOWFGLINS.
Yay! Thank you--this is just what I was looking for!
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