Even though the last day of summer of 2012 is September 21st I’m already feeling the change. The energy of summer is winding down and different foods are coming into season. Cranberries are a low sugar fruit that are full of antioxidants.
Facts
- Store bought dried cranberries are normally full of sugar.
- Large commercial brands tend to coat cranberries in vegetable oil (natural food stores avoid this)
- Fresh cranberries are high in vitamin A & C which tends to be lost during commercial drying processes.
By making your own home made dried cranberries you can avoid losing much of the nutritional content and control the sugar. I figured, why not add no sugar. Stevia is a sugar substitute and a little goes a long way to sweetening the tartness!
Dried Cranberries (sugar free)
ingredients:
organic fresh (or frozen) cranberries
stevia (Kal pure stevia extract)
dehydrator
parchment paper/paper towel
oven
directions:
- Set oven to 170º F.
- Put cranberries in a small pot and add 1/3 cup of water sweetened with stevia.
- Boil med-high for about 5 minutes until cranberries begin to pop (help it along with your spoon).
- Set aside and let cool to room temperature.
- Line baking sheet with a paper towel and place parchment paper on top.
- From your sauce, pick out cranberries and spread as evenly as you can on your parchment.
- Leave in 170º F oven for 2 hours and then take out and toss around with spatula.
- Continue drying in a dehydrator at 135º F (if you don't have one you can continue in the oven)
- Once the cranberries are dry and chewy, they are done.
I made half a bag which is ~6 oz.
[ lmichellek.com ]
These are perfect to add in your baking or just to enjoy on their own.