Mulled wine cranberry curd is just Christmas in a condiment. The classic mixed spiced red wine flavour of mulled wine with hints of orange is combined with sweet cranberries in a creamy curd to give the perfect condiment to accompany your festive treats.
Enjoy spread on your toast on Christmas morning or you can even get a bit creative and fill a pie or tart case with it or spread it between layers of a Victoria sponge cake.
Nothing says happy holidays like a festive gift hamper, and this Christmas curd is the perfect gift hamper idea or even makes a great stocking filler for your foodie friends and family!
The cranberry flavour of this curd especially lends itself to being great for Thanksgiving as well as Christmas and the winter holidays – so warming and sweet!
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✏️ Making a tasty and easy recipe
I was really keen to make an easy homemade Christmas gift that could be made in advance and easily stored in a jar. This curd works perfectly and has a unique but festive flavour. It’s like something straight from a German Christmas market!
Using bottled mulled wine avoids the need to buy loads of festive spices if you don’t already have them. You still keep that traditional German mulled wine flavour, so warming and delicious, but it's much quicker. If you’re looking for a recommendation for store-bought mulled wines, check out this list for the best bottled mulled wines by Delish.
This recipe uses dried cranberries and is great for using up any leftover dried cranberries that you’ve got lying around. I always find it much easier to get ahold of dried cranberries rather than fresh ones, except for the few weeks right before Christmas. This is also one of my favourite recipes for using dried cranberries.
When I tested this recipe, I initially tried only using egg yolks, which is tasty don’t get me wrong, but for me, there wasn’t a lot of difference to using a whole egg as well as an egg yolk. I always find it such a faff to have loads of leftover egg whites or egg yolks.
I much prefer using eggs whole where possible. Using more whole eggs than pure yolks also makes this recipe a bit healthier, increasing the protein content in relation to the fat. Though at Christmas is anyone really that concerned by the healthiness of their treats? I know I’m not!
🥘 Ingredients notes
When measuring your ingredients, I always recommend using weights rather than cups where possible for greater accuracy.
🔪 Equipment notes
It's a good idea to have your jars prepped and ready for your hot curd. Be sure you clean them thoroughly or your curd won't last for long in the jar.
🍱 Storage
Your mulled wine curd should last for 2-3 weeks sealed in its airtight jar stored in the fridge.
It makes a great easy gift because you can make them in advance and keep them refrigerated until you're ready to gift them!
Be careful of getting crumbs and other bits of food in the jar of curd when you're using it to spread on toast for example, as these bits will affect how long your curd lasts for.
💭 Top tips for success
- Be sure not to skip out the sieving steps in this recipe. Otherwise, you won’t have a lovely smooth and creamy curd! You can push through quite a lot of the blitzed cranberry mix through your sieve though, so don’t give up and get as much as you can through, scraping underneath as needed to get all that goodness.
- If possible, you want your cranberry and wine mix to simmer but not boil for the whole 15-20mins. Boiling this aggressively could lose some of the delicate spice flavour from your mulled wine.
- When making curd, it’s very important to use a low heat and stir it continuously. If you heat the curd too quickly the eggs will scramble. Given the alcohol in this recipe, it can be a bit easier to scramble than your standard lemon curd. If you do get any little bits, these can be sieved out at the end so don’t worry if it does happen a little.
- You’ll know your curd is done when it thickens up to the consistency of a thin custard and coats a layer on the back of your spoon/spatula.
- If you’re planning to use the curd in cakes or tarts, you may want to cook it a little longer to thicken it up further or add 1tbsp of cornflour to the mix before cooking. However, these steps are totally optional. I often make my curd to the normal thickness and use it for both toast spreading and dessert recipes.
Troubleshooting help:
If you’ve got any specific questions on making your mulled wine cranberry curd, please feel free to leave a comment below and I’ll try my best to help out!
Alternatively, you can get in touch via my Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest – I’d love to hear from you!
♻️ Alternatives and substitutions
If you’re looking for a slightly fruitier flavour, grate in some orange or clementine zest to the mulled wine and cranberry mix before it goes onto the stove to simmer. This will infuse more of an orange citrusy flavour to your curd. These bits will get removed as you sieve the mixture so you still get that smooth creamy curd.
If you’re in the mood for a boozier version, you can swap your mulled wine for port. This has a stronger flavour and you'll really get a nice kick. To keep that warming spice, add an extra ½ teaspoon of cinnamon and ¼ teaspoon of nutmeg to your port and cranberry mix before you start to simmer. You can even throw in some star anise and cloves if you have them.
Looking to make your own traditional German mulled wine? Check out these tasty recipes for mulled wine from BBC Good Food or Gimme Some Oven. They're perfect to substitute for the bottle mulled wine used here if you’re after that extra special touch!
This recipe makes roughly 350ml / 12oz of curd. I usually put this in one 12oz canning jar or mason jar, but you can also split this up into a few smaller cute jars (like these 4oz mason jars).
🧁 Other goodies
I definitely recommend that you whip up a jar or two of this mulled wine cranberry curd! But as an avid home baker, I’m sure you’re asking yourself “what next?”.
Well if you’re feeling festive, then why not take a look at my collection of Christmas & The Holidays recipe ideas. There are so many festive treats to choose from! These recipes are great to enjoy on Christmas day or give as gifts to friends and family. One of my favourites is the mason jar vegan cookie mix Christmas gift - so simple and cute!
If you're looking for more delicious curds, check out my recipe for a creamy and easy passionfruit curd - another great idea! Spread on your toast and start your day with the breakfast of champions.
If you’re into a boozy bake (and let’s be honest, why not treat yourself) then you might be interested in my recipe for a boozy Baileys Irish cream chocolate cheesecake or bourbon pecan chocolate chip cookies – so much sweet mouth joy!
If you're after easy no-bake festive desserts, check out this list of the 80+ best no-bake Christmas dessert recipes!
Looking forward to some new recipe updates? Check out my Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest pages for a few sneak peeks and some sweet inspiration!
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📋 Recipe
Mulled Wine Cranberry Curd
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Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups (355 ml) mulled wine
- 1 ¼ cups (150 g) dried cranberries
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 eggs (large)
- ⅓ cups (70 g) sugar (caster or granulated)
- ⅓ cups (75 g) unsalted butter
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, add the mulled wine, cranberries and cinnamon, simmering (not boiling) for 15-20mins until the mulled wine has reduced and the cranberries have swollen.
- Allow this to cool slightly before adding the mix to a blender/food processer and blitz for several minutes until you get a puree. Push this through a sieve into a jug or bowl, discarding the skins and remains.
- In a different bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar together until fully combined.
- Melt the butter in the saucepan on a low heat and slowly stir in the egg-sugar mixture before gradually adding the sieved wine.
- Stir continuously for roughly 10-15mins until the curd has thickened to a thin custard consistency and coats the back of your spoon/spatula.
- Strain the curd to remove any bits and pour this into a sterile jar, allowing it to cool on the side for 5-10mins before refrigerating to set.
Notes
- Makes 350ml / 12oz of curd – enough for 1 large jar or 1 ½ medium jars.
- Keep your curd refrigerated. It should last for several weeks.
- This is a gluten-free recipe, but please check your ingredients for allergens.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate based on an online nutritional calculator, actual values may vary.
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