Hump-Day Quickie: Fresh Cranberry Cream

Cranberries are in season! You really can't get fresh cranberries out of season (though they are in the frozen aisle year-round), so I wanted to try a recipe that uses raw cranberries in their fresh-from-the-bog state. This comes from longtime commenter (is it too forward to say "friend of the blog"?) Freezy, who shared it underneath our last cranberry recipe.

Fresh Cranberry Cream Note: All these ingredient amounts are approximate. You don't necessarily need to get out a measuring cup for this recipe. ½ cup cream ¼ cup powdered sugar ⅓ cup raw cranberries Chopped pecans, if desired Cut the cranberries in half. Whip the cream, then beat in enough powdered sugar to make it sweeter than you usually would. Stir in any flavorings you like. A generous splash of almond extract is good, and a few drops of mint extract is unexpectedly delicious. Then stir in the cranberries. Sprinkle each serving with chopped pecans if desired. These amounts serve two. Source: Freezy down in the comments

Yes, these are the only ingredients. And of course I whipped the cream in the measuring cup.

Cutting all those cranberries in half does get a bit tedious, especially since you have to do them one at a time. (Or at least, I did.) But afterward, you only have to stick a mixer into some cream and then stir it all together.

Apparently they call this "the pink stuff" at Freezy's place, but mine was very white.

And if you're feeling fancy, you can also bring out the pecans!

 

I added a truly excessive splash of almond extract because I always like the stuff. Then I thought "Mint would probably be really good in this..." I don't know why I thought of mint-- maybe because like cranberries, mint is a very wintery flavor. At any rate, a few careful drops of mint extract made this so good. I'm going to have to make some more minty-cranberry things because the two go together so well.

This is such a lovely, easy winter treat. And it's so nice to have fresh fruit at this time of year. Yes, we can get fruits all year round (trade wars permitting), but winter peaches and strawberries always taste like styrofoam. Cranberries are actually in season when all the other fruits are not. And apparently they don't store very well because you really can't get fresh cranberries any other time of year-- so raw cranberries are a real once-a-year indulgence.