Cranberries are on sale everywhere right now, I picked up two bags for $3.00, you will want to do the same. They can be kept in the freezer for up to a year and no need to thaw before using. This is a very simple recipe, no dehydrator required, takes about 10 minutes to prepare and 8 hours worth of patience until you have perfectly dried cranberries.
In a saucepan add 1/2 c. water + granular sweetener.
To the sweetened water add 12 oz. of cranberries.
Stir cranberries around to coat and turn heat to medium-high.
Cook cranberries for about 10 minutes until they have all popped. Use the back of a spoon to pop the cranberries that are stubborn. Remove from heat and let cool for 10 minutes. At this point, you have cranberry sauce, although, I make mine with more water and really mash those cranberries. For cran-orange berries go ahead and add 1 tsp. orange extract.
Line a sheet pan with doubled up paper towels and then lay a sheet of parchment over top. Spread cranberries out and dry in the oven at 170º F for 7-8 hours. You are likely doubting whether this wet sticky mess is going to turn into dried cranberries. Have faith, it will.
After 4 hours take cranberries out of the oven and using a spatula transfer them to a new sheet of parchment paper, spreading them out some. They will still be wet and sticky, but you can see they are starting to resemble dried cranberries. Return to oven for another 3-4 hours.
And they are done! 7 1/2 hours in the oven and a little separating with my fingers after cooling and we have dried cranberry bliss. I let mine sit out on the counter overnight covered with a paper towel and then placed in a sealed container.
Sugar-Free Oven-Dried Cranberries
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 8 hours
Serves: 6
Ingredients
- 12 oz. Cranberries
- 1/2 c. Water
- 1 c. Granular Sweetener – for sugar-free I recommend Swerve or Birch Xylitol
Directions
- In a saucepan add 1/2 c. water and sweetener.
- To the sweetened water add 12 oz. of cranberries.
- Stir cranberries around to coat and turn heat to medium-high.
- Cook cranberries for about 10 minutes until they have all popped. Use the back of a spoon to pop the cranberries that are stubborn.
- Remove from heat and let cool for 10 minutes.
- Line a sheet pan with doubled up paper towels and then lay a sheet of parchment over top.
- Spread cranberries out and dry in the oven at 170º F for 7-8 hours.
- After 4 hours take cranberries out of the oven and using a spatula transfer them to a new sheet of parchment paper, spreading them out some.
- Return to oven for another 3-4 hours.
- The cranberries are done when they are no longer wet, you choose how chewy you want them. The longer you go the chewier they are.
- Let cool, separate and store in a sealed container.
I love these sugar-free oven-dried cranberries on salads. They are also really good on Refrigerator Fudge.
