25 Amazing Cranberry Desserts

Everyone knows of cranberry sauce with savory meals, but where cranberry really shines is in desserts. They bring a tartness to a dish that works perfectly in any sugary meal.

Cranberries can help to balance out the sweet taste of a dessert so you can go back for seconds without feeling sick.

Typically grown in the US, cranberries are considered a fall and winter fruit due to their harvesting times. This makes them perfect to include in your holiday desserts.

Fortunately, cranberries are also available frozen, so you can try these 25 cranberry dessert recipes year-round.

1. Fluffy Cranberry Mousse 

This is a mousse like no other. Typically, mousse is light, sweet, and a subtle treat after a filling meal. This mouse involves cranberry sauce, cranberry juice, and sweetened cranberries, every bite is filled with this delicious berry.

It is creamy and tart, and the best part is that you make it in under 20 minutes. You can make it for your friends, or make a smaller amount for some personal mousses for you to snack on.

Since this mousse is so simple, you are able to decorate it however you like. While it looks beautiful by itself, you can sprinkle on some crushed cookies for extra texture.

2. Cranberry Oatmeal Bars 

This is the perfect recipe to get rid of some leftover cranberry sauce. These oatmeal bars are super delicious and chewy.

The cranberry provides a layer of sweet tartness that works well sandwiched between 2 oat layers. You are able to make the layers as thick, or thin as you like to adjust the flavor of the bars.

While the bars are overall chewy, you get hints of crunch in it which makes them even more enjoyable. 

This recipe includes brown sugar as one of the ingredients, so you get a wonderful caramel taste to balance out the cranberry sauce.

3. Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti 

One of the best biscottis you will ever have, this recipe is delectable and addictive. The red and green make the biscotti look very festive and visually appealing. 

This crispy treat works fantastically with a hot drink on a cold afternoon. Overall it has a wonderful sweet and nutty flavor. You will not regret making this dessert and it will quickly be one of your go-to snacks.

4. Cranberry Apple Danish 

The best kind of desserts involve flakey puff pastry, and this danish makes it even better with the addition of cranberries. You are able to make your own puff pastry, but it is so much easier to buy it pre-made.

This recipe also has apples with it which brings the sweetness that cranberries need. Of course, you can’t have apples without a sprinkle of cinnamon.

When these danishes are baking, your whole house will smell like a holiday bakery. So if you are inviting guests over we recommend baking them just before they arrive.

5. Cranberry Meringue Pie 

This is a festive take on the classic lemon meringue pie. The cranberry gives the pie a vibrant red color which is surrounded by a gorgeous homemade pie crust.

The filling has hints of orange and vanilla throughout which complement the cranberry perfectly.

As per the name, the entire pie is topped with a thick layer of sweet fluffy meringue. That way you get a perfect amount of sweetness and tartness in every bite.

6. Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies 

Shortbread cookies are a staple holiday gift, and with the addition of cranberries, you can really show your appreciation for a loved one. Each bite of these cookies is like tasting the holidays.

This recipe produces wonderfully crumbly shortbread cookies that are packed full of flavor. Cranberry and orange are one of the best flavor combinations, especially in the colder months. 

To make this cookie even easier, you don’t need cookie cutters. The dough is just rolled into a log and then cut into disks.

7. Walnut-Cranberry Pie 

The filling of this pie is tart and nutty, the perfect combination for a winter pie. It is still sweet with light corn syrup being used so the filling is also thick and delightful. Raisins are also included in the pie to give pops of sweetness throughout.

One of the best aspects of a pie is decorating the top, this recipe shows off a wonderful circle pattern but you can go for any design you like. This pie will be sure to be a crowd pleaser at the next family dinner.

8. Cranberry Orange Cinnamon Rolls 

Cinnamon rolls are the perfect dessert, but somehow this recipe made them even better. The warming taste of cinnamon works fantastically well with cranberry and orange. The cranberry also brings a pop of color to your rolls.

When these are baking your kitchen will smell amazing and you will wish you could bottle it up. But don’t worry this recipe is super easy to make so you can bake them any time you want your home to smell amazing.

Not only are these rolls a great dessert, but they also can be a sweet breakfast so you can start your day off with a tasty treat.

9. Matcha-Cranberry Linzer Cookies 

These cookies are so colorful and cute that you will struggle to eat them. The recipe has a star cut out to show the cranberry filling, but you can do any shape you desire.

The use of matcha powder not only gives these cookies a wonderful green color but also provides a toasty taste that works great with the tart cranberry filling. There is almond extract added to the cookies which gives them a subtle sweetness.

10. Cranberry Almond Coffee Cake 

Coffee cake is not only one of the best flavors of cake, but it is also one of the best flavors to pair with cranberry. The cake is moist and soft which works perfectly with the topping.

The cake is topped with an almond streusel which is nutty and sweet. If you aren’t a fan of almonds then you can use any nut of your choosing, we recommend walnuts or pecans.

While this cake can be served fresh, you are able to freeze it and serve it days later and it will still taste just as good.

11. Cranberry Pavlova 

These bitesize pavlovas are super tasty and look very decadent. 

The meringue is light, sweet, and crunchy which is contrasted by the tart cranberry curd. Each pavlova is topped with sugared cranberries that not only look amazing but are sweet and plump.

12. Cranberry-Almond Pumpkin Bread With Maple Glaze 

This bread perfectly combines all the best fall flavors.

While you may not necessarily associate bread with dessert, this loaf is sweet and filling. With all the flavors in this bread, it only gets better over the next few days when they start to incorporate together.

The loaf is topped with a sugary maple glaze and a whole grain cereal blend. This provides texture to the loaf and the glaze also helps it to stay moist.

13. Cheesecake With Cranberry Glaze And Sugared Cranberries 

This cheesecake will be the star of any dinner table it is on. The cookie base is buttery and sweet and is topped with a creamy cheesecake mixture. The color of the cheesecake comes from the cranberry glaze. 

This glaze has a vibrant red color and gives a tart flavor to your cheesecake. The whole dish is topped with stunning sugared cranberries. These sugared cranberries also make a good snack while you’re baking.

14. Cranberry Cobbler 

This entire cobbler is baked in a skillet and comes out spongey and moist. It is practically fail-proof and can be made in under an hour.

With how easy this cake is to make, it is ideal for experimenting with. Try adding new fruits or nuts the next time you try this dish.

15. Cranberry Lime Macaroons 

These bitesize macaroons are a perfect blend of seasonal flavors. You get the winter flavor of cranberry paired with the summer flavors of lime and coconut. The sweet coconut helps to balance out the tartness of the cranberries.

These macaroons are chewy and addictive so we recommend making a large batch of them so you don’t run out.

16. Cranberry White Chocolate Bark 

Chocolate bark is possibly one of the easiest desserts to make. It requires no baking and no decorating skills. Just sprinkle your cranberries and pistachios on top to get a colorful and beautiful treat.

The chocolate used is white chocolate which is very sweet, this helps to balance out the tartness of the cranberries. You are able to get creative with which toppings you use, so try experimenting with flavors.

17. Clementine, Pomegranate, And Cranberry Jelly 

Jelly is a classic dessert that gives you an excuse to get out your fancy molds. This one uses different juices to give the jelly some beautiful colors. Jelly is naturally sweet so the cranberry juice is well balanced.

The whole dessert is topped with pomegranate seeds not only to provide extra color but to give you some texture difference to your jelly.

18. Cranberry Pudding 

This recipe produces a sweet and moist cake that is packed full of delicious cranberries. The addition of a brown sugar syrup makes it taste like you are eating a really thick pancake.

To make this cake you essentially just stir everything together before baking, it is so simple to make you would be questioning why you didn’t make it sooner.

The syrup keeps the cake moist for a while but we recommend eating it while it is still warm.

19. Apple-Cranberry Crumble 

A crumble is similar to a cobbler in how the topping is distributed on top of it. This recipe is an improved version of the classic apple crumble.

The flavor of the apple and cranberry both complement and contrast each other well.

That way you can taste the apple and cranberry separately throughout the dish. In addition, raisins and walnuts are in the filling to give some texture differences.

The topping is both crisp and sweet, it tastes almost like cookies have been crushed on top. This dessert is best paired with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

20. Vegan Cranberry Cake 

For those of you on a vegan or dairy-free diet, this recipe will be your new go-to dessert. It is packed full of flavor with cranberry, orange, and walnut appearing in every bite.

This cake is very moist because it uses olive oil, this oil also gives it a rich flavor that complements the cranberry.

Even if you aren’t vegan, this recipe is still worth a try. It is so good you won’t even know it doesn’t have butter or eggs in it.

21. Cranberry Upside Down Cake 

This cake is absolutely gorgeous, the cranberries on the top make it look like it is covered in jewels, and if you want you can sprinkle powdered sugar on top to give them a frosted look.

After you are done appreciating its beauty you get a wonderful buttery cake to dig into. Similar to other upside-down cakes, this one is very moist and soft.

The cranberries are coated in a brown sugar syrup which gives them an almost caramelized taste.

22. Cranberry-Pecan Sandwich Cookies 

These cookies are super easy to make and will make you look like you’re a professional baker. Each sandwich cookie involves 2 pecan cookies that have a layer of tart and sweet cranberry filling.

The filling also has cinnamon and ginger, so they have a slight spice to them too.

These cookies are very moreish so don’t expect these to last longer than a couple of days.

23. Cranberry Pear Clafouti 

This recipe is a twist on the French dessert clafouti. A clafouti is a baked dessert that consists of a flan-like batter being poured over fruits. Traditionally the fruit is black cherries, but this recipe uses cranberries.

The cranberries give it a tart flavor, but that is wonderfully balanced out by the use of pears. The pears provide a sweet flavor and give an almost flower-like design to the dessert.

When choosing what pear to use, pick one that is very sweet like a Bartlette or Bosc pear.

24. Cranberry Pistachio Fudge 

This recipe uses white chocolate as the base so this fudge is very sweet. To balance out this sweetness, the included cranberries are essential. There are also pistachios to bring a crunch to the fudge.

The addition of red cranberries and green pistachios to the white fudge makes a very visually appealing dessert. You can also add other ingredients to the fudge to really make it your own.

Since this is a no-bake dessert, you can make it in under 15 minutes. This makes it perfect a last-minute dish to bring to a party.

25. Pumpkin Cranberry Cheesecake 

This recipe includes all the colors of fall, the orange cream base, the brown base, and the bright red cranberry layer.

The cranberry layer is almost like a sweet cranberry sauce, which gives a nice texture distinction to the cheesecake. The tart flavor works well with the subtle sweetness of the pumpkin.

To make this dessert even better, ground pecans have been added to the cookie base. This provides a nutty taste that helps to merge all the flavors in your mouth.

Conclusion

Cranberries bring a pleasant tartness to any dessert. They are not only delicious but also full of antioxidants and nutrients. 

They will become your new favorite berry with their unique taste and vibrant color. Cranberries are so versatile, that you will be incorporating them into every meal.

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