Spiced Cranberry Apple Chutney with Crystallized Ginger
For my entire early childhood I thought cranberry sauce came out of a can! It was my job to poke the bottom of the can with a sharp knife (third child, no one cared if I played with knives!) and watch a perfectly “can” shaped glob of cranberry sauce slide out. It wasn’t until we moved to Cape Cod that I remember my mom making cranberry sauce from scratch. I guess seeing crimson bogs of berries all around made her change her ways! The recipe has been modified over the years, but it’s always more or less the same…sugar, spices, oranges, raisins, apple cider vinegar and locally grown cranberries (one of the perks of living on the Cape!). This year we decided to add apples and walnuts, which I think are here to stay!
This recipe makes a double batch, which is great if you’re feeding a lot of people! If not, cut the recipe in half or give some of it away…It makes a great holiday gift! It will last a week if stored in the refrigerator in an air-tight container such as a mason jar.
To prevent the chutney from becoming too “seedy,” we cut the cranberries in half and rinsed away most of the seeds.
Warning: This step is time consuming!
You can totally skip this step and just add the cranberries whole!
- 2 (12 oz.) bags of fresh cranberries, washed and cut in half
- 1 cup organic sugar
- 2 cups of water
- 2 cups of apples, peeled and chopped
- 1 orange, peeled and chopped
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup raisins
- ¼ cup crystallized ginger, chopped or ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 cup walnuts, chopped
- Place halved cranberries in a colander and rinse away seeds. Set aside.
- In a large pot bring sugar and water to a boil. Add cranberries, apple, orange, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, raisins, crystallized ginger and spices. Bring to a boil and reduce to a very low simmer. Stir occasionally and simmer for 30-45 minutes or until liquid becomes thick, similar to maple syrup. Stir in walnuts.
- Remove from heat, cover and let cool. Place in an airtight container and refrigerate to store. Serve at room temperature.
