easy cranberry desserts

[brooklynsabra]

hi all,

i need to bring some sort of dish to my son's first grade thanksgiving lunch. i'd like it to be kid friendly, but also yummy-- i was thinking of maybe combining cranberry (preferably fresh) and chocolate in some way since i know there'll be a lot of pumpkin pies. am open to all suggestions as long as they are fairly simple and inexpensive to make.

if anyone has any other ideas for a kid-friendly thanksgiving dish (sweet or savory) to bring i'd be open to those too.

thanks in advance!

[Chris VR]

This recipe for Cranberry Mousse goes over well with young and old alike. You could bring it pre-portioned in Dixie cups for easier serving. It's also really easy to make- your son could even help you with it if he likes to help in the kitchen.

paraphrased from
http://www.oceanspray.com/planit/reci...

1 cup Ocean Spray® Cranberry Juice Cocktail
1 3-ounce package raspberry-flavored gelatin
1 16-ounce can Ocean Spray® Jellied Cranberry Sauce
2 cups frozen non-dairy whipped topping, thawed

Bring cranberry juice cocktail to a boil in a saucepan. Take off the heat and stir in raspberry gelatin until dissolved. Pour mixture into a large bowl. With a elecric mixer on high, beat cranberry sauce in a small bowl for 1 minute. Stir into gelatin mixture until it begins to thicken, but not set. Gently fold in the whipped topping. Spon into individual serving dishes, or a decorative bowl, or a prepared pie shell (hmm, maybe a chocolate pie shell!). Chill until firm.

It was one of the first recipes I made- I tried it on a trip to Ocean Spray's Cranberry World in 7th grade or so and loved it. These days I'm not so keen on Cool Whip so if I made it again, I'd probably try to make a legitimate mousse recipe and cranberry it up.

[greygarious]

Chris, have you seen the cheesecake in a tub that's sold in supermarket dairy sections?
Not sure what the brand is - it's refrigerated but in a Cool-Whip style tub. Very airy, and doubtless full of additives, but a guilty pleasure that I didn't allow myself to buy again. I used it on graham crackers, then topped with preserves as bite-sized instant cheesecake. It would be well-suited to parfaits or a recipe like yours.

[Chris VR]

I did see that stuff, I don't think I could get myself to buy it... well, maybe this time of year when there's so much going on and I can allow myself a few shortcuts, if it's any good...

[greygarious]

There is cranberry flavor Jello. You could make jigglers, parfaits, or a mold with red berries.

[buttertart]

Cranberry sauce - preferably homemade to the recipe on the bag, I usually use 3/4 of the sugar - makes a fantastic topping for plain cheesecake. Maybe not particularly kid-friendly but worth trying!

[paprkutr]

Try a cranberry apple crisp or cobbler, it's really good combo.