Cranberry-Themed Alternatives for Thanksgiving

Cranberries are an essential Thanksgiving fixing, whether they’re floating in a gelatin mold or simmered with orange zest into a luxurious sauce. But what if you’re tired of the standard cranberry fare? We’ve taken the liberty of rounding up 10 products that will let cranberries make an appearance on your menu in unexpected ways. As an added bonus, they make great host or hostess gifts.

Cocktail Hour

As soon as your guests arrive, offer them a cocktail made with GuS Dry Cranberry Lime ($1.09/12 oz.). This sparkling soda offers a refreshing marriage of tart cranberries and sweet-sour limes—and will get the festivities started.

 
Appetizers

Have a cranberry-inspired appetizer ready for snacking, such as Harley Farms Cranberry Walnut Rounds ($8/3 oz., $15/7 oz.). This chevre, made on a restored 1910 dairy farm with 200 alpine goats on nine acres of pasture in Pescadero, Calif., is topped with sweetened cranberries and chopped walnuts. Another perfect pre-dinner snack is Nutorious Cranberry Orango Tango ($4.49/4 oz.), a blend of walnuts, almonds, pecans and dried cranberries with a bright citrus infusion.

 
At the Dinner Table

Add some intrigue with three cranberry spreads to slather atop the turkey (plus they’re great on post-Thanksgiving sandwiches). Aloha From Oregon Cranberry Butter with Port ($6.95/10 oz.) is a velvety smooth and lightly spiced spread. Wild Thymes Cranberry Fig Cranberry Sauce ($7.50/12 oz.) combines the robust flavor of New England cranberries with the richness of Mediterranean figs. And Stonewall Kitchen Cranberry Horseradish Sauce ($6.95/12 oz.) gives a kick of heat melded with tart cranberries.

 
Dessert

To satisfy your guests’ sweet tooth at the end of the evening, try these sweet-and-tart combos. Marich Confectionery Company Natural Chocolate Cranberries ($4.95/4.5 oz.) are dried cranberries dipped in dark and white chocolate. Cape Cod Provisions Cranberry Candy ($10/10 oz.) covers fresh cranberries in milk chocolate, dark chocolate and yogurt. Perfect with after-dinner coffee, Salem Baking Company’s Cranberry Orange Moravian Cookies ($8.99/4.75 oz. tin) start with Salem’s famous sugar cookie recipe accented by lightly sweetened cranberries and finished off with cold-pressed Floridian Valencia orange oil and Madagascar vanilla.

Have Overnight Visitors?

Surprise them in the morning with fresh-baked FatCat Mandarin Orange Cranberry Scones ($38.06/36 scones, shipping included). These all-natural frozen scones are easy to make: just pop them in the oven and they’ll come out moist and delicious. If pancakes are more your breakfast style, top them with New England Cranberry’s Cranberry Maple Syrup ($11.25/7 oz.), 100 percent pure maple syrup with the added tang of cranberry.—Denise Shoukas

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