Every now and again you come up with a recipe that surprises and delights you—not just because it’s original, but because it’s so simple, too! This Cranberry Creamsicle Pudding was definitely pure delight!
Thinking Outside of the Box
A few days back I made a luscious bread pudding. I actually made a couple of different versions of it—one with my mama’s lemon sauce recipe and another using an orange sauce.
Tonight I got to thinking about that orange sauce. The flavor was knock-you-down delicious. No, seriously. It’s over-the-moon.
Turn Orange Juice into a Yummy Dessert
I was looking for a fast and simple dessert this time around, definitely nothing that involved using the oven. (It’s been a long weekend and I’ve been on my feet w-a-y too much baking!)
I couldn’t get that orange sauce out of my mind. That’s when the idea hit me: turn the sauce into a pudding.
I decided to throw in a cup of fresh cranberries. If you’re a fan of that yummy orange cranberry salad at Thanksgiving time, you probably know the sound of cranberries popping on the stove. (I love it!)
I honestly had no idea if this random pudding concoction of mine would turn out. Imagine my surprise and delight when it not only “turned out” . . .it completely blew me away.
But, I’m getting ahead of myself. I’ll tell you more about the outcome in a bit. Let’s start with the ingredients.
Cranberry Creamsicle Pudding Ingredients
You will find a full printable recipe card at the bottom of this post but here’s a quick peek at what you’ll need to make this delicious orange cranberry pudding! These are simple ingredients you might already have on hand.
- orange juice (pulp free)
- granulated sugar
- fresh cranberries
- corn starch
- heavy cream (or milk)
- almond extract
How to Make Cranberry Creamsicle Pudding
This recipe came together so quickly, y’all! It was less than ten minutes from start to finish!
You’ll need a medium saucepan. I use a heavy saucepan for tasks like this.
Place your orange juice, cranberries, and sugar in the saucepan.
Place over a medium heat and bring to a boil.
As soon as the cranberries start to pop, lower the heat a little and let the orange mixture simmer so that all of the berries can pop.
In a separate small bowl combine 4 tablespoons cornstarch and 8 tablespoons heavy cream (or milk). You want to make a slurry. Mix well to make sure you don’t have any lumps.
As soon as the cranberries have popped (about five minutes or so) add the slurry a little at a time, whisking as you go.
Simmer for a minute or two on low heat until the pudding thickens.
Remove from heat and add almond extract. (This is optional. I happen to love almond and orange together.)
Place in pudding bowls and eat while warm. (Trust me. . .this is one pudding that’s best while warm.)
If you’re storing this to eat later you should put a piece of cling wrap (plastic wrap) over the top of the pudding to make sure it doesn’t form a film. Then add more plastic wrap to the top of the bowl to keep any air out. Refrigerate until you’re ready to eat pudding.
If you're planning to keep this awhile (to use as a curd, for instance) place in a sealed container. Pudding/curd will last 1 - 2 weeks refrigerated. Do not freeze.
What to Expect from this Creamsicle Pudding
I really have no words for this one, folks. Only one word comes to mind: Wow! Where has this pudding been all of my life? It’s creamy, it’s tart, it’s sweet, it’s got the luscious “bite” of the soft cranberries. It’s truly perfect.
As I said above, I love the addition of the almond. I made an Orange Poppy Seed Cake awhile back that called for almond in the orange glaze. That’s how I discovered this particular flavor combination.
I hope you love this as much as I do. I plan to make this again and again. It’s an easy dessert I can make for myself on those quiet evenings when I feel like something sweet but don’t want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen.
Variations on this Recipe
I’m already thinking of ways to change up this recipe!
Lemon Blueberry Pudding: If you can do it with orange, no doubt you could do it with lemon! Take two cups of sweetened lemonade, one cup of sugar, one cup of blueberries, cornstarch slurry. Add the blueberries at the end, after thickening. (They don’t need to pop.)
Trifle. I think this pudding would be luscious in an orange cranberry trifle. Bake an orange cake but toss a few cranberries into the batter before baking. Layer cake, creamsicle pudding, whipped cream and (perhaps) some mandarin oranges. I’m guessing this would be a real showstopper at Thanksgiving!
Use this pudding as a filling between the layers of a cake. A simple white cake would be lovely with this filling. Add a ring of frosting around each layer to keep the pudding from seeping out. You could even drizzle some of this pudding on the very top of the cake. (This would be perfect for Christmas!)
Easy Christmas Pie: Pour this pudding into a ready-made graham cracker crust and cover with whipped cream. Garnish with sugared cranberries.
Glaze. Thin this down with extra orange juice and use it as a glaze on my Orange Cranberry Breakfast Cake. Delicious!
Orange Curd: Skip the Cranberries and make this into a delicious orange curd to use with scones, sugar cookies or other high tea desserts. (Or leave the cranberries in if you prefer!)
Cranberry Juice: If you prefer, you can do a cranberry pudding without the orange juice. Start with two cups of cranberry juice and then add the sugar and slurry to thicken. You could probably skip the almond extract in this version.
Other Cranberry Treats from Out of the Box Baking
Orange Cranberry Bread Pudding: If you love a luscious bread pudding but you’re also crazy about the mergence of orange and cranberry, have I got a treat for you! This delicious bread pudding is a breeze to make and so tasty you’ll make it again and again.
Orange Cranberry Cookies: I don’t know about you but I’m crazy about the combination of orange and cranberry. If you love the mergence of those two flavors–the tartness of cranberries and the sweetness of an orange cookie, you’ve come to the right place.
Cranberry Hummingbird Cake: This Cranberry Hummingbird Cake is reminiscent of the traditional southern favorite, in that it includes fruit and spice. But this is not your Grandma’s Hummingbird Cake, y’all. This one skips the bananas, which I’ve found to be a bit gummy, and substitutes fresh cranberries. What a twist, right?!
Light and Fluffy Orange Cranberry Muffins: If you’re looking for a light, fluffy Orange Cranberry Muffin you’ve come to the right place! These are truly delicious.
Check out these 25 Canned Cranberry Sauce Recipes from Back to my Southern Roots! Cool, right?
That’s it for this post, friends. I hope you enjoy this simple and easy dessert! Pudding always hits the spot.
See this recipe at
Busy Monday
About the Author
Janice Thompson is an author, baker, and all-around mischief maker! She has overcome a host of baking catastrophes, including a toppled wedding cake, to learn more about the baking process. Janice has published over 150 books for the Christian market but particularly enjoys writing recipes and baking devotions. To learn more about Janice or to drop her a note, visit her About the Author page.
Cranberry Creamsicle Pudding
Every now and again you come up with a recipe that surprises and delights you—not just because it’s original, but because it’s so simple, too!
Ingredients
- 2 cups orange juice (pulp free)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup fresh cranberries
- 4 tablespoons corn starch
- 8 tablespoons heavy cream (or milk)
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract
Instructions
- Place your orange juice, cranberries, and sugar in a medium saucepan.
- Place over a medium heat and bring to a bowl.
- As soon as the cranberries start to pop, lower the heat a little and let the orange mixture simmer so that all of the berries can pop.
- In a separate small bowl combine 4 tablespoons cornstarch and 8 tablespoons heavy cream (or milk). You want to make a slurry. Mix well to make sure you don’t have any lumps.
- As soon as the cranberries have popped (about five minutes or so) add the slurry a little at a time, whisking as you go.
- Simmer for a minute or two on low heat until the pudding thickens.
- Remove from heat and add almond extract. (This is optional. I happen to love almond and orange together.)
- Place in pudding bowls and eat while warm. (Trust me. . .this is one pudding that’s best while warm.)
- If you’re storing this to eat later you should put a piece of cling wrap (plastic wrap) over the top of the pudding to make sure it doesn’t form a film. Then add more plastic wrap to the top of the bowl to keep any air out. Refrigerate until you’re ready to eat pudding.