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Cranberry Marmalade + a Handmade Gift Guide | plant based magic via the sweet miscellany blog

This vegan cranberry marmalade has the loveliest ruby hue and it tastes and smells like the holidays! You can either can your marmalade for long term storage (instructions included in the recipe) or park it in the fridge if you plan to enjoy it within a month.

Every now and then I reminisce about the days when Sweet Miscellany wasn’t just this blog but also a small business selling vegan/gluten free baked goods and local fruit jams at a farmers market. I did everything myself. EVERYTHING. The good, the bad, and the ugly. The only reason I ended up making jams to begin with was the fact that my signature cookie was a thumbprint and I wanted to be able to make my own jams to fill it. I also wanted to be able to take advantage of local fruit when it was in season so canning made sense logically.

I went about canning like I do most new things: I read as much as I can and take copious notes. The first jam I made was a blood orange marmalade to be used exclusively for my thumbprint cookies. It’s the MOST labor intensive of any of the jams I’ve made because it’s a tedious process that spans two days. But the result is SO WORTH IT. It has the most brilliant burnt orange hue and the perfect balance of tart, bitter, and sweet.

Over my time at the market I created nearly 30 different jam, marmalade, and fruit butter recipes. My absolute favorite ended up being the cranberry marmalade I’m sharing with you today. It tastes and smells like the holidays. Since it’s been formulated to be shelf stable once canned, it’s made with cane sugar instead of the usual maple syrup that I reach for these days. You can use any orange you like here. For this batch I used cara cara oranges but originally I would make it with navel oranges.

Once canned, the marmalade is shelf stable for up to a year. This makes it perfect for gifting because it doesn’t require refrigeration! Since I’m a fan of handmade gifts (and baked goods), I’ve included a list below of my favorite gift-able items from the blog archives. And, I’ve paired them with suggestions for packaging and gifting!

Homemade Gift Guide

+ b a k e d g o o d s +

For a waste-free option, package cookies in wide-mouthed jars that can be used for storage once the cookies are gone. You can use simple mason jars or opt for pricier Weck jars. Feel free to tie a bit of yarn or twine around the top for a simple, but festive touch. Or, go the route I took with the marmalade, affixing a square of fabric under the lid ring.

These are my favorites for gifting: cocoa oat biscuits with rosemary & flaky sea salt, fresh mint & toasted coconut chocolate chip cookies, vanilla spice sugar cookies, & candied ginger snowballs

+ o t h e r e d i b l e g o o d s +

Canned jams and preserves already come in the perfect gifting vessel, just add a little fabric or yarn and you’re golden! If you want to go a step further and actually “gift wrap” them, try placing them in canvas or linen reusable produce bags. For items like tea, use jars, small tins, or compostable cello bags. You could also go a step further and buy a mug or teapot to accompany the tea.

These are my favorites for gifting: this cranberry marmalade (recipe below), homemade applesauce (this is a good one if you’ve got access to an abundance of local apples!), preserved lemons (citrus is in season in Texas right now so you might be able to find a tree and snag some!), digestive tisane (multiply the recipe times 10 or so and gift the tea with steeping instructions), & winter season sip (to make a larger amount, mix up equal parts tulsi & chamomile and print the meditation to go along with the tea)

Happy Holidays friends!! <3

Cranberry Marmalade

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Author: Courtney West
Total Time: 55-70 minutes
Yield: 4-5 half pint jars
Diet: Vegan

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Description

Ingredients

6 cups (about 2 standard bags) of fresh or frozen cranberries
2 oranges (I used cara cara but navels are a good standard)
1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
3 cups organic raw cane sugar
1 1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
5 half-pint (8 oz) mason jars with 2-piece lids

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Instructions

Preheat your oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a clean rimmed baking sheet with a clean kitchen towel. Take your 6 jars and unscrew the lids/rings. Set the jars and lids/rings on the kitchen towel on the baking sheet. When the oven is at 250, place the baking sheet in the oven. Leave the jars in the oven for at least 30 minutes to sterilize. This gives you time to make the marmalade.

If the cranberries are fresh, rinse them well and set them aside to drain. If you bought them frozen, they are already washed and ready to go. Prep your oranges by rinsing them well. Slice off the top and bottom of each orange, then cut them into long wedges. Remove any seeds you see and discard them. Take each wedge and slice it width-wise into small triangles. Add the cut oranges to a large stock pot along with the cranberries, orange juice, sugar, and spices. Stir to combine.

Bring the marmalade mixture to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium. Continue to cook the marmalade, stirring regularly, until most of the cranberries have burst, the oranges are tender, and the mixture has thickened to a jammy consistency. This will take between 15 and 25 minutes. Once it is done, remove the marmalade from the heat.

Remove the tray with your sterilized jars from the oven. Leave the jars on the baking sheet to make the process easier. Carefully fill each jar with marmalade leaving at least a quarter inch of headspace at the top (in other words, leave at least a quarter inch free between the top of the jar and the marmalade). The marmalade will fill 4 or 5 jars. Once you have your jars filled, use a clean knife to stir the marmalade in each jar a bit to help remove excess air bubbles. If the rims of the jars have any jam on them, clean it off with a damp towel. Screw the lids onto each jar until they are just finger tight (no need to put any muscle into it). Place the baking sheet with the filled jars back in the pre-heated oven for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes remove the tray and set it aside so that the jars can begin to cool.

Let the jars sit undisturbed for one hour. You’ll hear the popping sound of the lids depressing as the jars cool and they seal themselves. After one hour check to make sure that the lids are sealed (the center “button” will be depressed). If any jars have not sealed, put them in the fridge and consume within a few weeks. Allow the sealed jars to cool overnight or for at least 12 hours. Un-opened sealed jars can be stored at room temperature in your pantry for up to one year.

Makes 4-5 half pint jars.

Notes

If you want to can these to be shelf stable, you’ll need to use mason jars with 2-piece lids made by Ball or Kerr. Make sure you’re using lids that have never been used/sealed before.
If you don’t want to can your marmalade, skip the canning steps and simply put your marmalade in a container in your fridge. Enjoy it within a month.
I’m using the oven method here instead of the water bath method because it’s much easier and doesn’t require the purchase of a canning pot!

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 45-60 minutes
Category: jam

Coconut Milk Panna Cotta with Ginger Cranberry Compote & Fresh Grapefruit | plant based magic via the sweet miscellany blog

These vegan coconut milk panna cottas are topped with a ginger cranberry compote and fresh surpremed ruby red grapefruit segments. They’re a great festive dessert option for the holidays, especially when served in dainty glasses. And, they’re under 10 ingredients!

Lately I’ve been feeling the need for simplicity in my food. At a time when there’s countless sources of stress present, simplicity is incredibly comforting and grounding. I posted something on instagram last week to the effect of recipe development feeling challenging lately as all I want is simplicity. I get tired of trying to “reinvent the wheel” with flavor combinations or cooking methods. I’ve caught myself several times recently wondering if a recipe was inventive or creative enough. But I’ve come to a point where going too over the top or complex all the time feels rather inauthentic.

So where does this dessert fit into this discussion? Well, I really love cranberries and fresh grapefruit this time of year. Their flavors and bright colors are most welcome as fare becomes heavier and more substantial. Once fresh cranberries start showing up in stores, I make easy jammy compotes to go along with my breakfast. I’ll spread it on toast, stir it into oatmeal, or eat it by the spoonful. As for grapefruits, I prefer ruby reds HANDS DOWN. I begin to crave their bitter and tart zing this time of year as they begin to ripen on the tree. Considering how much I love these two things, it wasn’t too great a leap to combine them in a recipe.

Since cranberries and grapefruit are rather tart, I wanted something creamy and mellow to balance them out. My brain went through a few wormholes before landing on panna cotta. Traditional panna cotta is made with heavy cream and gelatin but this version favors agar flakes and coconut milk for a delicious vegan alternative. To make these feel festive, I layered the compote and grapefruit segments on top of the panna cotta. And just like that you’ve got a multi-component holiday dessert that is vegan, gluten-free, and under 10 ingredients.

Coconut Milk Panna Cotta with Ginger Cranberry Compote & Fresh Grapefruit

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Author: Courtney West
Total Time: 40 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Diet: Vegan

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Description

Ingredients

1 can full fat coconut milk
1 1/2 tsp agar flakes
2 tbsp raw cane sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
12 oz fresh or frozen cranberries
1/3 cup fresh orange juice
1 1/2 inch piece of ginger, grated or finely minced
8–10 tbsp maple syrup (depending on how sweet you’d like the compote)
1 large ruby red grapefruit

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Instructions

Add the coconut milk, agar flakes, and sugar to a 2-quart pot (you want lots of extra room as the coconut milk bubbles up pretty high in the pan). Whisk everything together, then set the pot over medium-high heat. Once it begins to rapidly bubble, whisk it continuously for 2-3 minutes, then remove it from the heat. Stir in the vanilla extract. Divide the panna cotta mixture between 4 small glasses. Allow the glasses of panna cotta to sit for 1 hour at room temperature, then move them to the fridge to chill entirely, about 2-4 hours.

While the panna cotta is chilling, make the cranberry compote. Add the cranberries, orange juice, ginger, and maple syrup to a pot set over medium heat. Stir occasionally while the cranberries burst. Once most of the cranberries have burst and the sauce starts to thicken, turn the heat down a bit. Stir the sauce regularly until it becomes jammy and turns a deep red color. Remove the sauce from the heat. Allow it to cool about 30 minutes at room temperature before you move it to the fridge to chill completely.

To prepare your grapefruit, supreme it: cut the top and bottom off the grapefruit then set one of these flat ends cut side down on your work surface. Slice lengthwise down the grapefruit, removing strips of skin until you have removed all of the skin and pith. Using a sharp knife, carefully cut segments of the grapefruit out from in between the white membranes. Do this over a bowl to catch the juice. Once you’ve removed all of the segments, squeeze any remaining juice from the membranes into the bowl. Discard the membranes.

To assemble: Spoon a layer of cranberry compote into each glass of panna cotta. You can put as much or as little as you want. Top the compote with 2-3 grapefruit segments and a spoon or two of the juice. Serve chilled.

Makes 4 panna cotta plus extra compote.

Notes

If you’d like to elevate the recipe a bit, you cab opt for a vanilla bean in place of the extract. Slit it down the center then scrape out the seeds and add them to the pot along with the bean at the beginning of the recipe. Make sure to remove the bean before pouring the panna cotta mixture into glasses!
If you’re not a grapefruit fan, feel free to replace it with any kind of orange you like.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Category: dessert