One of my favorite neighbor gifts to make at Christmastime is Cranberry Orange Bread. The red flecks are so festive and the whole house is filled with the aroma of citrus and cranberries. The bread recipe in our battered copy of the Better Home & Garden cookbook makes two very fluffy loaves. However, I overbought cranberries last Christmas.
So, I decided to make a dessert from the orphaned bag of cranberries. I didn't want to make an apple dessert with a few token cranberries, I wanted to make a cranberry dessert. Such recipes aren't very easy to find! There was one, however, on the blog My Husband Cooks. http://myhusbandcooks.wordpress.com/2006/11/22/dont-bogart-that-cranberry-cobbler/
My recipe is based on theirs, but I lowered the sugar and revamped the topping to be whole grain. The sweet/tart combination was so flavorful! We didn't have the cobbler with ice cream, but I imagine that would be over the top delicious.
By the way, I plan to buy a few extra bags of cranberries again next Christmas!
Whole Grain Cranberry Cobbler
Filling:
3 c fresh cranberries (the whole Ocean Spray Cranberries bag)
2 oranges (zest & juice)
1 c Splenda for Baking
1/2 c brown sugar
2 tbsp corn starch
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp all spice
1/2 tsp clove
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
Topping:
1/2 c oats
1/2 c Splenda for Baking
1/2 c whole wheat flour
1/2 stick Blue Bonnet Light margarine
In a large bowl, add the cranberries and the juice and zest of the oranges. Add the remaining filling ingredients and transfer to an 8 x 8 baking dish (or four ramekins). Bake for 30 min at 375F. Meanwhile, chop together the topping ingredients to get a crumbly mixture. WHen you remove the filling from the oven, top the cranberry mixture with the crumble topping and return to the oven. Return the ramekins or baking dish to the oven and cook at 425F for 20-25 min or until the topping has turned golden brown. Serves 4.
