baking with cherry-flavoured dried cranberrries?

[phoenikia]

Couldn't find any dried cherries at the grocery store, so I picked up some cherry-flavoured Craisins. Has anyone tried baking or cooking with any Craisins that aren't cranberry-flavoured? Just wondering if I can use them as a substitute for dried cherries, or whether I should just use them as-is, in trail mixes/salads, etc. Not sure if the cherry flavour would change once it's heated.

[cheesecake17]

I've used them instead of raisins in oatmeal cookies. They are also good in added to chocolate chip cookies.

[phoenikia]

Cool, good to know you've used them in baking.

[TorontoJo]

phoenikia -- if you're ever in a pinch, and don't much dropping some coin for dried cherries, Culinarium on Mt. Pleasant usually has really nice ones in stock.

[phoenikia]

thanks TorontoJo ;-) I don't mind dropping coin for good dried cherries. Also found some dried sour cherries & other tasty dried fruit at Shirini Sara on Leslie a couple years ago.

[cheesecake17]

yup.. they add an interesting flavor to oatmeal cookies. if they're really hard, soften in hot water for a minute or two.

[phoenikia]

thanks for the tip!

[hotoynoodle]

of course the flavors would be different, but do they *only* taste of cherry? how do they remove the cranberry flavor? they'd be easy to use in cookies, blondies or quickbreads, either way.

[morwen]

According to the Ocean Spray website (http://www.oceanspray.com/products/cr...), the cherry craisins are "cherry juice-infused". I interpret that to mean that they taste just like cranberries soaked in cherry juice.

[phoenikia]

thank you!

[Fiona]

I agree with nsstampqueen - I think if the recipe calls for one or the other the flavor will be different. I have used them in a savory shortbread cookie that I make by adding rosamary and dried cranberries into the batter. The cherry flavor craisans have also worked.
Good luck.

[phoenikia]

Thanks!

[nsstampqueen]

I would guess that if a recipe called for "dried cherries" that yes the cherry flavoured cranberries would change things. It was tough to find dried cherries this year here. I made a citrus salad with dried cranberries that worked out well. If you need to use up the "cherry" flavoured ones, this recipe might work for you, the flavour would definitely work:

1 cup cranberry juice (I didn't have any so used raspeberry/cranberry cocktail instead)
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup liquid honey
1/2 tsp ground ginger and ground cloves
1 tbsp orange zest

Bring all ingredients to a boil and simmer over medium-low heat until syrupy (mine never got syrupy - maybe because of the juice being low-sugar cocktail type). Chill and serve poured over sliced, peeled oranges. It was the hit of christmas breakfast at our house!

Good luck!