Cranberry Orange Pan Jam

Thanksgiving and Christmas are right around the corner. My love for recipes with cranberries is so great this time of year. One of my favorites is what we do at work. We top cupcakes with the sugared berries. It's just so pretty with the contrast of the deep berry color and the whiteness of the sugar. Definitely brings on that joyous feeling of winter.

During the summer, I made a few batches of pan jams using stone fruit. I thought it would be great to make a batch using cranberries. I love pan jams because they are so easy to make. Since there is no canning process required, they need to be kept refrigerated. They usually keep for about a week or two in the fridge and up to a year in the freezer.

Cranberry Orange Pan Jam 

Ingredients:

1 12oz bag of cranberries

1 orange - zest and juice

1/2 cup honey

2 tablespoons coconut sugar

2 stevia packets 

(If you don't use stevia, I would suggest adding more coconut sugar since the berries are so tart.)

1oz Grand Marnier (Optional)

To Make:

Rinse cranberries and place in large bowl.

Heat 3 cups water in a pot just until it starts to boil. 

Pour water over cranberries and let sit for 10 minutes.

During this time, zest the orange and set both zest and orange aside. 

You will need the juice from the orange in the next step.

Drain cranberries and place back in the pot along with zest, 

juice from the whole orange, honey, coconut sugar, and stevia. 

Turn heat to medium-high and stir gently to combine all ingredients. 

Continue to stir every few minutes.

After about 5 minutes cranberries will begin to burst. 

Use a wooden spoon or silicon spatula to mash berries down.  

Turn heat slightly lower after 5 more minutes and add 1oz Grand Marnier.

Cook for an additional 5 minutes or until jam looks thick.

Store jam in glass jars in the fridge or freezer. 

This jam makes a great topping for pancakes as well as oatmeal and ice cream. 

Gluten Free Banana Cranberry Peanut Butter Granola

It's been quite awhile since I've done anything with this blog but today I have a recipe worth sharing.  Banana Cranberry Peanut Butter Granola. Lately I've been making my own granola. It's so great. I always need something yummy and quick for breakfast or a snack. I must say, I did enjoy a bowl for dinner one night when I was too lazy to cook for myself. The last couple batches I've made have been free of gluten and sugar. In this batch, I'm using a flavored peanut butter which contains some sugar. To omit the sugar, use plain pb and add a little cinnamon. 

I just discovered this local peanut butter last week at the farmers market. They are based out of Ventura, CA and have some interesting flavors.

Gluten Free Banana Cranberry Peanut Butter Granola

Ingredients:

3 cups gluten free oats

2 tablespoons ground flax seed

1/4 cup peanut butter (I used Handsome Carver's cinnamon & honey. This stuff is yummy!)

2 medium bananas mashed

1/4 cup sugar free maple syrup

1 packet of stevia or more to make sweeter

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup dried cranberries

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. 

Grease a large baking sheet or use a silpat mat.

In a large bowl combine oats and flax seed.

In a medium bowl mash the two bananas and add in the maple syrup, peanut butter, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla extract, and stevia. 

Mix well to remove any lumps. Add mixture to oats and gently stir to combine.

Evenly spread mixture on baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes. Gently stir and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes.

After granola has been removed from oven, wait about 5 minutes or so to add cranberries. 

It tastes like banana bread. Enjoy :)