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18 Desserts That Prove Cranberry Isn't Just Meant For Sauce

Just wait till you see our hot pink cranberry pie! 😍

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lemon cranberry cheesecake bars
Photographer: Erik Bernstein. Food Styling: Makinze Gore.

Did you get overzealous and buy too many cranberries this Thanksgiving? Have you had a bag of dried cranberries kicking around in your cabinet for ages that you’re never sure what to do with (relatable!)? We’ve got you. Because they’re SO tart (and maybe because you can’t really eat them outright when they're fresh), cranberries often don’t get the love they deserve. Like other sour fruits, such as lemons and rhubarb though, their flavor is actually a boon paired with sugar in a myriad of desserts, whether you’re working with fresh, dried, or frozen cranberries. Check out our 18 cranberry desserts for recipe ideas—you’ll never relegate this sweet-tart fruit to just sauce again.

Looking for a stunning centerpiece to stand out among a sea of brown and orange desserts this holiday? (No shade to pumpkin or pecan pie, but it’s true.) Cranberries can add a burst of hot pink/deep red color to your dessert table. Try our cranberry pie, our upside-down orange-cranberry cake, our cranberry coconut trifle, or our sparkling cranberry cheesecake to see what we mean. Want to add cranberries to your day-to-day bakes, the kind you end up sharing with friends and family all season long? Dried or fresh cranberries make a great addition to cookies and bars, like our cranberry rosemary thumbprint cookies, our cranberry crumb bars, or our oatmeal cranberry white chocolate cookies. Try sneaking them into all your favorite bakes (they’d be so fun in chocolate chip cookies too!). We’ve even got a few recipes here that could be eaten both for dessert and breakfast. Try our cranberry coffee cake, our cran-apple crisp, our copycat Starbucks cranberry bliss bars, or our cranberry cake (just maybe skip pairing them with ice cream in the morning 😉).

Want more fall produce inspiration? Check out our top apple recipes, our best sweet potato desserts, and our favorite Brussels sprouts recipes too.

1

Cranberry Pie

cranberry pie
Andrew Bui

The filling of this pie tastes like a combination of coconut panna cotta, cranberry curd, and raspberry sorbet. The crust, made of crushed Biscoff, is the perfect foil for the sweet-tart filling. Plus, it tastes like cookie butter.

Get the Cranberry Pie recipe.

2

Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies

oatmeal white chocolate cranberry cookies
PHOTO: Erik Bernstein; FOOD STYLING: LENA ABRAHAM

Looking for a super-satisfying new favorite cookie? We found it: This amazing cookie has the kick of tangy cranberry balanced with creamy, sweet white chocolate, all rounded out with satisfying, good-for-you oats.

Get the Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate Cookies recipe.

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3

Cranberry Cake

cranberry cake
Andrew Bui

This cranberry pound cake is the perfect balance of sweet and tart. The cranberries will burst and release all of their juices while baking, making each bite extra exciting. The sugar topping adds a subtle crunch too, and the sour cream keeps this cake moist for days.

Get the Cranberry Cake recipe.

4

Lemon Cranberry Cheesecake Bars

lemon cranberry cheesecake bars
Photographer: Erik Bernstein. Food Styling: Makinze Gore.

Tart, tangy, and sweet, these cheesecake bars are sandwiched between a pastry crust that just happens to be super-easy to make (thank you, store-bought crescent roll dough!). Plus, we snuck in one of our favorite spice combos to add a cozy touch: pumpkin spice.

Get the Lemon Cranberry Cheesecake Bars recipe.

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5

White Chocolate Cranberry Orange Biscotti

white chocolate cranberry orange biscotti
PHOTO: ERIK BERNSTEIN; FOOD STYLING: MAKINZE GORE

A lot of treats consider themselves coffee/tea companions, but none hold a candle to the crispy, crunchy goodness that is the humble biscotti. The dough for these biscotti is a classic flavor combination of cranberry and orange, but the finished cookie is dipped in white chocolate and coated in chopped pistachios to add a little extra indulgence. 😋

Get the White Chocolate Cranberry Orange Biscotti recipe.

6

Cranberry Bread

cranberry bread
Lucy Schaeffer

Few flavors go together as well as cranberry and orange. This cranberry bread is full of warm spices and a sweet orange glaze that gets drizzled on while the bread is still slightly warm so that it can seep into the bread. Check out our cranberry cheesecake banana or our sparkling cranberry cheesecake too for even more cran-orange flavor.

Get the Cranberry Bread recipe.

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7

Copycat Starbucks Cranberry Bliss Bars

starbucks cranberry bliss bars
Andrew Bui

This is the easiest Starbucks copycat recipe. These chewy blondies are studded with white chocolate chips and cranberries and then get a sweet orange cream cheese frosting and an extra drizzle of white chocolate just for fun.

Get the Copycat Starbucks Cranberry Bliss Bars recipe.

8

Cranberry Rosemary Thumbprint Cookies

cranberry rosemary thumbprint cookies

Cranberry sauce isn't just a side for turkey anymore. To add even more festivity to this thumbprint cookie, we speckle the dough with finely chopped rosemary—and it tastes just as good as it looks.

Get the Cranberry Rosemary Thumbprint Cookies recipe.

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9

Cranberry Crumb Bars

cranberry crumb bars
Laura Rege

These cranberry bars are sweet and tart with a buttery almond crumble that is irresistible. They are perfect for dessert anytime this fall, but we won't tell anyone if you eat them for breakfast too. 😉

Get the Cranberry Crumb Bars recipe.

10

Cranberry Coconut Trifle

cranberry coconut trifle
CHARLIE GILLETTE

Here at Delish, we love a good dessert trifle. This one is loaded with fun flavors; coconut, cranberries, and lime come together for a dessert that feels both tropical and familiar at the same time. It's the perfect end to a non-traditional Thanksgiving meal.

Get the Cranberry Coconut Trifle recipe.

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11

Cranberry Cheesecake Banana Bread

cranberry cheesecake banana bread
Alex Rapine

This spin on banana bread has a cheesecake layer and tart cranberries bursting with flavor. It's a triple threat if we've ever seen one! The sugared cranberries are completely optional but make it extra special.

Get the Cranberry Cheesecake Banana Bread recipe.

12

Cran-Apple Crisp

cran apple crisp

Looking for something a little different than traditional apple crisp recipe this year? Switch it up with the addition of cranberries for a little tang! This crowd-pleaser tastes best hot and piled into a bowl with some vanilla ice cream, but we've been known to eat it for breakfast too.

Get the Cran-Apple Crisp recipe.

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13

Fruitcake

glazed fruitcake
PHOTO: JOEL GOLDBERG; FOOD STYLING: MAKINZE GORE

Fruitcake is an iconic holiday dessert that doesn't get the love it deserves, and THIS is the one you should take the risk on. Freshly baked, fruitcake is delicious and studded with dry fruit and pecans and warmly spiced. The glaze is optional, but it's a helpful, sweet addition.

Get the Fruitcake recipe.

14

Cranberry Apple Pie

cranberry apple pie
Rachel Conners

Just like sweet potato casserole and mashed potatoes, apple pie is a Thanksgiving staple. Why not push it further into the holidays by adding tart fresh cranberries into the mix?

Get the Cranberry Apple Pie recipe.

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15

Sparkling Cranberry Cheesecake

sparkling cranberry cheesecake
Jon Boulton

This cheesecake will be the star of all your holiday parties this year. Sugared cranberries look crazy impressive on top but are actually very simple to make (once you learn how, you might just want to put them on everything).

Get the Sparkling Cranberry Cheesecake recipe.

16

Cranberry Coffee Cake

cranberry coffee cake
Jonathan Boulton

Do yourself a favor and ease into all your holiday mornings with this festive Bundt cake. You're going to flip over the white chocolate glaze.

Get the Cranberry Coffee Cake recipe.

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17

Upside-Down Orange-Cranberry Cake

upside down orange cranberry cake recipe
Brian Woodcock

Move over pineapple upside-down cake, this seasonal version is here to stay. Bright citrus and cranberries make this cake a stunning centerpiece that can be eaten for dessert or breakfast.

Get the Upside-Down Orange-Cranberry Cake recipe.

18

Cranberry Apple Tarts

cranberry apple tarts
Delish

The two best fall fruits—apples and cranberries—wrapped up in little personal-sized tarts, made easy thanks to store-bought puff pastry.

Get the Cranberry Apple Tarts recipe.

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