Brown sugar’s sweetness tempers the tangy, slightly bitter edge of cranberries in this Brown Sugar-Cranberry Tart.
Cranberries get lots of love at Thanksgiving. Roast turkey with sweet, tangy cranberry sauce plays a central role in the traditional Thanksgiving meal.
I love eating turkey with cranberry sauce, but the bold tartness of these little berries adds bright flavor to anything from skillet meals to breads to salads to cakes. If you’re not thinking beyond cranberries as a condiment yet, I recommend starting now!
I’ve made all kinds of recipes with cranberries, and I think I’ve finally found my favorite in this Brown Sugar-Cranberry Tart. I can’t get enough of its perfect blend of sweet and sour: brown sugar and bright, sassy cranberries are a perfect match! With warm cinnamon spice from the tart’s simple pat-in-the-pan crust and a hint of vanilla from lightly sweetened whipped cream, this assertive sweet treat is destined to wow any holiday crowd.
But don’t wait for the holidays to give it a try. It’s simple to make, and it has the added bonus of producing an ambrosial syrup that’s just right for mixing into dangerously delicious cocktails sure to gear you up for the spirit of the season. Cheers!
Brown Sugar-Cranberry Tart
Ingredients
- Filling
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup water
- 3 cups cranberries (10 ounces)
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon bourbon
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- Lightly sweetened whipped cream, for serving
- Tart Crust
- 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/3 cup toasted pecans, chopped finely
- 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, combine the granulated sugar with the water and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until it boils vigorously and the sugar is completely dissolved. Add the cranberries and cinnamon sticks. Cover and cook over moderate heat for 3 minutes, stirring once or twice. Remove the pan from the heat and let the cranberries cool to room temperature. Remove the cinnamon sticks and drain the cranberries well; reserve the cranberry syrup.
- While the cranberries cool, prepare the crust. Mix butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and pecans in a medium bowl. Add flour and stir until just blended. Press the dough evenly over the bottom and up the sides of a 9 1/2-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Generously prick the bottom and sides with the tines of a fork. Bake in the lower third of an oven preheated to 350° F until the crust begins to feel set, about 15 minutes. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, beat the eggs with the brown sugar, flour, and bourbon. Gently stir in the cream. Spread the cranberries in the prepared tart shell. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of the reserved cranberry syrup over the cranberries, and then pour in the brown sugar custard through a strainer.
- Bake the tart in the lower third of an oven preheated to 350° F until the filling looks mostly set in the center and is puffed and pale golden around the edges, about 35 to 40 minutes.
- Transfer the tart in the pan to a rack to cool completely, about 2 hours. Pipe or spread lightly sweetened whipped cream on top of the tart before serving. Serve with reserved cranberry syrup.
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This looks delicious. I can’t wait to try making it.
Thanks, Heidi. Be warned — it is super addictive!
I don’t have a tart pan…but might have to get one just to make this. Brown sugar is one of my absolute favourite ingredients and I have a bag of fresh cranberries in my fridge waiting for the perfect recipe! Do you think this would be fine in a regular pie plate or springform pan?
It would totally work in a 9-inch pie dish or a springform pan. Let me know how it works, Anna!
what a lovely tart!
Thanks, Dina!
You’re calling my name with this recipe. Cranberries AND bourbon – two of my all time favorites. This would be a great holiday gift treat, too. This could work!
Thanks, Mia! I love bourbon and cranberries, too! Use some of the extra cranberry syrup to make a sweet cocktail…dangerous, but worth it!
After tasting the delicious flavors in this tart at Thanksgiving — made by the one and only Suzanne — I made one for my own holiday dinner. I also did not have a tart pan. I made it in a shallow glass pie pan and it came out great! Also did a variation by decorating the top with home-made cream cheese frosting stars. Awesome tart — my new favorite.
Awesome, Lori! So glad to hear that this recipe works well in a glass pie dish! I love the idea of cream cheese frosting with the tart, sweet flavors. Best to you guys!