Cranachan, A Lovely Scottish Dessert (Recipe for US Kitchens)

Name: Cranachan, A Lovely Scottish Dessert (recipe for US kitchens)
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Scottish
Ingredients: 1/3 cup (2 oz) and 1/4 cup (1 1/2 oz) steel cut/pinhead oats; 1/3 cup (3 oz) Scotch whisky (Glenfiddich or Glenlivet, use a top quality brand); 2 cups (12 oz) fresh raspberries; 3 tbsp Scotch whisky; 3 tbsp organic raw honey; 2 tsp sugar; 2 cups of organic heavy whipping cream (it's important to use good quality cream)

June 23rd, 2014 | 73 Comments

Jump to Recipe

Cranachan is a lovely Scottish dessert with oats, raspberries, cream and whisky. Perfect for a finishing flair at a Burns Night supper for dessert. Cranachan may be difficult to pronounce, but not difficult to enjoy!

If you live in North America, you have probably never heard of cranachan, a lovely Scottish dessert.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Edited on June 10th, 2020: Today, on Good Morning America’s IGTV, Ginger Zee, and Sam Heughan, from Outlander, made my recipe for cranachan! I’m over the moon that they chose this recipe. You can find the video clip at the bottom of the post after the recipe card.

Sam Heughan showing off his Cranachan using my recipe!

What is Cranachan?

Cranachan is a quintessential Scottish concoction, because it combines so many ingredients that Scotland is known for: whisky, oats, heather honey and raspberries.

Another main ingredient is cream, and unfortunately for us in the US/Canada, our cranachan will never taste exactly the same as true Scottish cranachan. This mostly due to the differences in the raspberries and cream in this most renowned of Scottish desserts.

We can buy Scotch whisky with no problem, and steel cut/pinhead oats. Heather honey may be a wee bit harder to come by, but there is no way we can get our hands on anything close to the fabulous cream which Scottish cows produce. Or the incredibly delicious Scottish raspberries, which everyone in the UK covets when they are in season. (North American raspberries are more sour, and less flavorful).

On that note, after looking all around the internet and my Scottish and British cookbooks, I came up with a cranachan recipe just for us in North America, which takes into account the fact that our raspberries are just not up to par with those in Scotland. Adding sugar, honey and whisky to the crushed raspberries helps sweeten and flavor the little berries quite nicely.

There’s nothing I can do about the cream, except to suggest you buy the best quality you can get your hands on. But don’t despair–this dessert will still have everyone begging for more!

Cranachan for Burns Night dessert

January 25th is Burns Night, traditionally celebrating the famous Scottish poet, Robert Burns (or Rabbie Burns). Haggis is served with a bagpiper piping and the haggis being paraded into the dining room. Then the poem, “Address to a Haggis” is recited, hopefully by someone from Scotland to get the proper pronunciation! Cranachan is a perfect ending to this traditional meal.

More Scottish Recipes

I must add that in my research, I came upon a London based blog and it was “love at first site”! Please check out London Eats where you will find engaging writing, fabulous photography and more great recipes than you can shake a stick at. Oh, and I forgot to mention, the author is Scottish!

Scottish Cranachan

a recipe developed for North American ingredients
makes 6 (5 oz servings)

Ingredients

1/3 cup (2 oz) and 1/4 cup (1 1/2 oz) steel cut/pinhead oats (I love Hamlyn’s)
1/3 cup (3 oz) Scotch whisky (I used Glenlivet, use a top quality brand)
2 cups (12 oz) fresh raspberries
3 tbsp Scotch whisky
3 tbsp organic raw honey
2 tsp sugar
2 cups of organic heavy whipping cream (it’s important to use good quality cream)

Special equipment: whisky glasses or similar glasses

Prepare ahead of time.

The night before you want to make the dessert, toast 1/3 cup (2 oz) of the oats in a cast iron or very heavy pan until very lightly browned- this won’t take long, so keep a close eye, as you don’t want burnt oats.

Put the oats in a bowl and cover with 1/3 cup (3 oz) of whisky. Cover and let stand overnight to soak.

The day after.

The next day, the oats will have absorbed all the whisky and look like this~

When you are ready to make the cranachan, toast the second batch of oats, exactly the same as you did the first ones. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

Now, choose a few choice raspberries to decorate the tops and set them aside.

Crush the rest of the raspberries in a bowl, with a spatula or fork, (just a bit, we’re not making jam) :)

This is the part that is different: sprinkle the raspberries with 2 teaspoons of sugar, 1 tablespoon of honey and 1 tablespoon of whisky. Mix well and set aside.

Whip the cream until it starts to thicken, then add the other 2 tablespoons of honey, and 2 tablespoons of whisky. Continue to whip until stiff peaks form. Next, fold in the whisky soaked oats.

At this point, we are ready to assemble the dessert. I would recommend doing this relatively close to serving time as the dessert will taste better fresh (if possible, don’t make it in the morning to serve for dinner).

Place a spoonful or two, to cover the bottom of the glass, of the raspberries, then add some of the cream mixture.

Next, sprinkle the cream with some of the toasted oats, then repeat the layers.

Finally, top the cranachan with the sprinkled oats and a raspberry or three.

Refrigerate until ready to eat, but take them out about 20 minutes before serving, for better flavor.

A Perfect Cranachan Specimen!

Enjoy a wee bit of Scotland, and let me know what you think of one of the most traditional Scottish desserts!

Don’t miss another recipe or travel post; sign up for my free subscription below.
I promise not to sell or share your info, ever.