Thanksgiving is over and the last of the cranberry sauce is gone. Now what to do with those extra cranberries that didn't make it into the sauce? Freeze them... Right? Except six months later we find the Ziploc bag of berries in the freezer - uncertain if they are any good - we wastefully toss them. No more!

Sure you could bake up a batch of oatmeal cookies or muffins, but what else can you do with them? How about trying my Cranberry Butter recipe? It's EASY and very tasty. Plus, it's pretty on the table AND a decedent way to reap the potent health benefits cranberries pack.

To test my recipe, the ingredient list below made the small amount pictured above in the Butter Keeper and the three shaped butter pats. This recipe could be doubled or tripled to make a larger batch. TIP: Butter can be frozen. Store any extra in an air-tight container.

In order to make the shaped butter pats with this recipe, I used the same leaf shaped candy mold I used for sugar shaping projects. Freeze the cranberry butter overnight to shape it; once popped out of the mold, they softened up quickly on the plate with no change in flavor or texture. The cold cranberry butter mixture has the same consistency as room-temperature butter or a soft spread. NOTE: Even though I transferred the mixture into a butter keeper, this mixture is best kept in the refrigerator.

Cranberry Butter Recipe 

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of cranberries (thaw frozen berries on a plate for an hour)

1 stick [8 Tbsp.] butter (room temperature/softened: Check out my video on how to always have room temperature butter ready in How To Use A Butter Bell)

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

Zest of 1 orange (optional; but I like to make the orange naked!)

1 oz. orange juice

1 Tbsp. water

2 Tbsp. sugar (cut in half to make less sweet)

Mix together the cranberries, cinnamon, orange zest, orange juice, water, and sugar in a high walled pot. Cover and bring to a quick boil, then simmer on low until the mixture thickens (approx. 15 minutes); stir frequently throughout cooking process. 

Transfer berry mixture to a glass bowl; allow to completely cool. Once cool, add to softened butter. Whip with hand-mixer on high for 30 seconds to combine. Put finished butter into serving container and refrigerate.

Spread on toast, crackers, bagels, muffins, and enjoy! Try it with a small amount, then go back and make a bigger batch... Serve it at your next holiday brunch or dinner. Package it in a pretty container and bring to a friends to share!

#HASHTAG ALERT: If you use this or any of the Here We Are ideas, remember to take a picture and hashtag it on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram using: #BetterBrighterEasier -- I'd love to see it and share it! Thanks! ~ Luci