How to Make Craisins

How to Make Craisins

A bowl of dried cranberries, also termed "crasins"Craisins are
dried cranberries and they have many fabulous uses. They make a
great low-carb snack, and are ideal in recipes either substituting
for raisins, or as a feature of their own. Here is how to make
craisins at home.

!! Ingredients !!

* Fresh cranberries, with no blemishes (pick through to select the
best cranberries)

* 1 cup of liquid sugar substitute; or, 1 cup of sugar or sugar
substitute, dissolved in 1/2 a cup of water

!! Steps !!

* Preheat the oven to 200ºF or 93ºC.

* Place the cranberries in the skillet. Take
out any berries that are soft or brown.

* Add the liquid sweetener. Stir.

* Heat over medium high heat for 4-5 minutes. It may take a bit
longer; just stir every minute or two until all of the berries
have split open. Turn off the heat, and allow to cool for 10
minutes.

* Squish all of the berries with the back of a wooden spoon. Don't
worry if they stick together. Let them cool another 5 minutes.
Cover the baking sheet with three layers of paper towel, then one
layer of parchment paper.

* Spread the cranberries on the parchment paper. Again, don't worry
if they're stuck together because they will separate as they dry.
If there are any that didn't pop, pop them now.

Place the baking sheet in the oven. Turn the heat down to 150ºF/
65ºC. Bake for 6–8 hours in total.

* After 2-4 hours, take the berries out. Replace the paper towels
and parchment with fresh layers. This step is optional, but it
really helps to speed things up.

* The berries will be done in 6-8 hours total. The final time
depends on your local levels of humidity, and on how dry you want
the finished product.

* Store. When the berries are done, store them in zipper bags.
Homemade craisins can be frozen for up to 4 months.
Use the craisins. Craisins can be used in
recipes calling for raisins or added in to
dried fruit recipes. For starters, some ideas
include:

* Make pumpkin craisin bread.

* Add to a fruit salad or add to a fresh salad.

* Make pumpkin cranberry torte.

* Flavor your oatmeal or improve your usual
commercial cereal.

* Make sunflower seed muesli bars.

!! Video !!

!! Tips !!

* Make sure you squish the cranberries down really well in the first
phase of this method. There is soluble fiber in the berries that
will not dry unless it's exposed to air.

!! Things You\'ll Need !!

* Baking sheets

* Large skillet

* Parchment paper

* Paper towels

* Wooden spoon

!! Related WikiHows !!

* How to Make Pumpkin Craisin Bread

* How to Make Cranberry Sauce

* How to Make Cranberry Couscous

* How to Make Cranberry Vinegar

* How to Make Apple Cranberry Crumble

!! Article Tools !!

* Read on wikiHow

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