Cranachan is a lovely Scottish dessert with oats, raspberries, cream and whisky. Perfect for a finishing flair at a Burns Night supper. 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.
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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.
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 bit more expensive, but there are many benefits when you support The Scottish Bee Company. You are using top quality honey which not only tastes fantastic, but goes to help save the bees and environment.
Unfortunately, there is no way we can get our hands on anything close to the marvelous 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.
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)
FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW
Ingredients You Will Need
- steel cut/pinhead oats
- Scotch whisky
- fresh raspberries
- Scottish honey
- sugar
- heavy whipping cream
Special equipment: whisky glasses or dessert glasses
Prepare Ahead of Time
The night before you want to make the dessert, toast the first measure of 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 Next Day.
The following 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. Sprinkle the raspberries with 2 teaspoons of sugar.
Then add 1 tablespoon of Scottish honey.
Lastly, add 1 tablespoon of whisky.
Mix well and set aside.
Whip the cream until it starts to thicken.
Now 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.
Assemble the Cranachan
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!
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Cranachan, A Lovely Scottish Dessert (recipe for US kitchens)
A very traditional Scottish dessert made with oats, cream, whisky and raspberries. Very delicious, if you haven't already guessed!
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup (57 g) and 1/4 cup (43 g) steel cut/pinhead oats
- 1/3 cup (78 ml) Scotch whisky
- 2 cups (12 oz/340 g) fresh raspberries
- 3 Tbsp Scotch whisky
- 3 Tbsp Scottish honey
- 2 tsp sugar
- 2 cups (473 ml) organic heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- The night before you want to make the dessert, toast 1/3 cup (57 g) 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.
- 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.
- 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).
- 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, then 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.
- Sprinkle the cream with some of the toasted oats, then repeat the layers. Finish with the sprinkled oats and top with a raspberry or three.
- Refrigerate until ready to eat, but take them out about 20 minutes before serving, for better flavor.
Notes
It's important to use good quality ingredients for this dessert to taste as it should. For example, Hamlyn's pinhead oats, The Scottish Bee Honey, Sam Heughan's The Sassenach whisky, organic heavy cream, and organic or homegrown raspberries :)
If you place an order through this link at The Scottish Grocer, use code CHRISTINASCUCINA for a 10% discount.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1 glassAmount Per Serving: Calories: 116Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 11mgSodium: 4mgCarbohydrates: 15gFiber: 1gSugar: 10gProtein: 1g
Nutrition information is only estimated.
Click below for the video:
Ginger Zee and Sam Heughan on IGTV Live, Good Morning America
LA Living…
you learn to deal with brush fires as a regular occurrence.
Christina’s Cucina is a Scottish Grocer USA affiliate and participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
I came across this recipe while looking for a traditional dessert to bring to a Burns Night supper last year. Despite being of Scottish descent myself ( through my maternal gran- all she would say about Scottish food was how much she disliked haggis!) this was a new recipe to me and a dessert I never heard of- let alone pronounce it right! Anyways, whipped this up and brought it out to my coworkers’ where the dinner was being held. OH MY. My coworkers husband would NOT stop raving about this! He was so surprised and happy to see this dessert! And of course, it was SO GOOD. So rich and delicious and a wonderful way to finish off the Burns supper! It’s already been a year and he still talks about the dessert! We are allowed limited visits per household where I live (and this coworker is part of my social bubble, being a single lady), so this year, it been my sworn duty to make this again! Thank you for the wonderful recipe and an introduction to more Scottish food
Fantastic, Cate! I’m so happy it’s made such an impact and you enjoy my recipes! Thanks so much for letting me know, I truly appreciate it!
I plan to make this for small family Burns Supper. The normal Scottish Club Burns Supper is cancelled this year. I plan to make one change in your recipe. I am lactose intolerant so I will use Silk heavy whipping cream. I’ll let you know how it tasted.
I have one question for you. Do you toast the second batch of oats with Scotch as well? Soaked overnight too? I guess that is two questions, sorry.
Russ
Hi Christina, I love making this recipe but I have a question that I hope you could answer. Do you know if there’s anything I could use to substitute the alcohol for this recipe? You see I’m wanting to make this for Thanksgiving at the in-laws but young children will be present, so I’m just wondering if there’s anyway to make this non-alcoholic with a substitute – I already tried to completely take the alcohol out before and well…I don’t suggest anyone else do it. Thank you for your time and hopeful answer.
Hi Lily, maybe you can do some with alcohol for the adults and for the children, I think I’d use orange juice. You definitely don’t want to leave the liquid out altogether (as you learned). Hope that helps! Enjoy, CC
Thank you so much for the response and suggestion. I’m absolutely going to experiment with that.
Thank You, I loved when an author took a realistic approach in recipes that aren’t in your country. Yes, I taste this dish in Scotland and making it in America…well the flavors change but still a lovely dessert.
Thanks, Eve! Yes, it still is a lovely dessert in the US. :)
[…] Cranachan is a perfect end to a Burns Night Supper! […]
Christina, may I use your recipe in a newsletter I’m creating for an author who has a new book coming out? The book’s heroine makes cranachan for her husband, and I’d love to include a recipe. Yours looks relatively simple and incredibly delicious! I’d be happy to credit you and your website, using any wording you like. Please let me know if this is okay or if you need further information. Thank you so much!
Best,
Jennifer
Hi Jennifer, thank you for asking. I would prefer that you link to my recipe as copying a recipe in full is infringement of copyright laws. Hope you understand! The book sounds intriguing :)
Absolutely! I will generally describe the dessert and its prep, and then provide a link to your recipe. Thank you so much for getting back to me.
You’re welcome!
This looks yum, giving it a shot today. Just because I love Whiskey and hey, let’s be truthful, because Jamie Fraser made it !!! :-)
And didn’t he do an amazing job? He looks like that and can COOK, too!? So happy you watched it, Sylvia. I’m sure you’ll love it, but let me know :)
Just making this today, and my oats didn’t absorb all the whisky. I followed the recipe… do you have any recommendations? Thank you
How long did you let them soak, Barb? If you did it overnight, then not sure what to suggest. Is it a problem having a bit of whisky in them? Meaning is it super fluid where it would impact the recipe? If not, just make as directed. Not sure why the oats wouldn’t soak it all up, but maybe add less whisky next time. Hope this is somewhat helpful. Enjoy!
Thank you for your reply! Yes, I soaked them overnight. I may drain a bit off, as it might make the cream too runny. Either that, or not add any more whisky to the cream. I also may try heating them in the micro, to see if that helps. Must have added to much, I guess, although I was trying to be really careful!
Oh yes, you could just not add anymore to the cream. I think it should be fine. Not a souffle or anything critical. :) Let me know how it turns out, Barb.