Electric pressure cookers are the new-fangled popular kitchen gadget, aren’t they? Do you have one? I do, and I like it a lot — but I haven’t used it as much as I should. Okay, technically, mine is not an Instant Pot, it’s a Power Cooker XL. Instant Pot is the Kleenex of the facial tissue world. People use the brand name and product name interchangeably. What can ya do?
Lately, I’ve been making an attempt to use my electric pressure cooker more. It’s handy, so I might as well take advantage of its speed & versatility. Recently, I’ve seen a lot of fruit “butter” recipes on the internet. Many of them are crockpot recipes. Well, these led me to wonder if I could do the same thing with my pressure cooker. Turns out I can! I decided to put my own seasonal spin on the fruit butter trend by making this Cranberry Butter. It came out perfect on the very first try; I kid you not! It’s tart but sweet with warm spices. I think my eyes rolled back in my head the first time I tasted it on a cinnamon bagel with cream cheese If you like cranberry, you’ll love this. ~Erin
Ingredients:
- 1 (12 oz.) bag fresh cranberries, washed
- 1 c. water
- 1 lemon or small orange, washed & cut in half
- ¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp. ground cloves
- 1 T. cornstarch
- ½ c. sugar (or sweetener of choice)*
Instant Pot Instructions:
- Place the cranberries, sugar, water, lemon (cut side up), cinnamon, and cloves in the electric pressure cooker.
- Pressure cook for 30 minutes; quick-release pressure.
- Remove the lid and allow to cool slightly.
- Remove & discard the lemon.
- Blend the cranberries with an immersion blender until smooth.
- Add cornstarch and continue to blend until well combined.
- Simmer, uncovered for 10 minutes, until thickened.
- Cool and serve on toast or bagels with cream cheese, in oatmeal, etc. Keep Refrigerated.
Stove-top Instructions:
- In a medium stockpot, stir together the cranberries, water, sugar, spices and juice from half a lemon (instead of the whole lemon as in the Instant Pot instructions).
- Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes, uncovered.
- Remove from the heat and blend with an immersion blender.
- Add the cornstarch and blend again until smooth.
- Return to the heat and simmer over low heat, continuously stirring, 3 – 4 minutes until mixture is thickened.
- Cool and serve on toast or bagels with cream cheese, in oatmeal, etc. Keep Refrigerated.
WW Freestyle Info.: This makes about 1 1/2 cups of cranberry butter. With regular sugar, 1 Tablespoon is 1 point. With a zero point sweetener, this could easily be zero points per serving.*
*I have not tested this recipe with a sugar substitute so I suggest adding it gradually, after blending in cornstarch, and taste-testing for desired sweetness.
Need an immersion blender? Check out our Four Sisters Favorite Things post for a recommendation. Plus enter to win one of our favorite kitchen gadgets! This can also be blended in a regular blender but you have to cool the mixture almost completely to room temp before blended. Never blend hot liquids in a regular blender!
Instant Pot Cranberry Butter
Ingredients
Ingredients:
- ~1 (12 oz.) bag fresh cranberries, washed
- ~1 c. water
- ~1 lemon or small orange, washed & cut in half
- ~¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
- ~1/8 tsp. ground cloves
- ~1 T. cornstarch
- ~½ c. sugar (or sweetener* of choice)
Instructions
Instant Pot Instructions:
- Place the cranberries, sugar, water, lemon (cut side up), cinnamon, and cloves in the electric pressure cooker.
- Pressure cook for 30 minutes; quick-release pressure.
- Remove the lid and allow to cool slightly.
- Remove & discard the lemon.
- Blend the cranberries with an immersion blender until smooth.
- Add cornstarch and continue to blend until well combined.
- Simmer, uncovered for 10 minutes, until thickened.
- Cool and serve on toast or bagels with cream cheese, in oatmeal, etc. Keep refrigerated.
Stove-top Instructions:
- In a medium stockpot, stir together the cranberries, water, sugar, spices and juice from half a lemon (instead of the whole lemon as in the Instant Pot instructions).
- Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes, uncovered.
- Remove from the heat and blend with an immersion blender.
- Add the cornstarch and blend again until smooth.
- Return to the heat and simmer over low heat, continuously stirring, 3 - 4 minutes until mixture is thickened.
- Cool and serve on toast or bagels with cream cheese, in oatmeal, etc. Keep Refrigerated.
Notes
WW Freestyle Info.: This makes about 1 1/2 cups of cranberry butter. With regular sugar, 1 Tablespoon is 1 SmartPoint.
*With a zero point sweetener, this could easily be zero SmartPoints per serving. I have not tested this recipe with a sugar substitute so I suggest adding it gradually, after blending in cornstarch, and taste-testing for desired sweetness.
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