{"id":6045,"date":"2025-01-11T03:12:04","date_gmt":"2025-01-11T03:12:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/snarklesauce.com\/blog\/?p=6045"},"modified":"2025-03-22T14:25:08","modified_gmt":"2025-03-22T18:25:08","slug":"ocean-spray-craisins-dried-whole-cranberries-costco-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/snarklesauce.com\/blog\/2025\/01\/11\/ocean-spray-craisins-dried-whole-cranberries-costco-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Ocean Spray Craisins Dried Whole Cranberries (Costco) Review"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Author’s Note: Not a paid or sponsored review. These are my own tart opinions. I have no affiliation with Ocean Spray<\/a> or Costco<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

You bought 64 ounces of Craisins. Now what?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Did you buy one of those ginormous<\/em> 4-pound bags of Ocean Spray dried cranberries from Costco? Perhaps you are staring at that bag now, and wondering what to do with it. I’m here to help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My qualifications are: I also<\/em> bought a bag of those dang cranberries \u2014 two years in a row! So, 8 pounds of dried cranberries. Great googley-moogley! I 1000%<\/em> did not<\/em> need the second bag \u2014 but I couldn’t pass up a deal that good. Ugh. Greed has consequences, my friends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Wait, I didn’t buy those cranberries yet. Tell me more about them.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Okie dokie. Well, these are WHOLE cranberries, unlike your typical “Craisins,” which are more often halves or pieces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The berries are plump and ovoid \u2014 and pretty big. Slightly chewy. They’re sweetened just enough to taste good. But, not so much that it overpowers the tangy fruit taste. I love that Ocean Spray has not<\/em> added any sulfur dioxide or other preservatives. There are also no added flavors. More about the ingredients later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In my experience, these cranberries start out moist and relatively tender, and get a bit stiffer as time goes on. Just like raisins. It took me about a year to eat my first 4-pound bag, and the cranberries were drier and less flexible at the end of the year. If you’re baking with these, I doubt it will matter much. But, for snacking, you might notice.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Here’s everything I made with my dried cranberries:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Cranberry Orange Scones<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

For scones, I prefer cranberries over raisins every single time<\/em>. I love the tart contrast to the biscuity-mellowness. I wrote instructions to make this quick and easy scone recipe<\/a>, which I’ve made on repeat<\/em> for several years. These scones are lightly sweet, and turn out wonderfully crisp and tender. I use frozen butter and a food processor to make the job easier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pro tip: If you don’t like big, whole cranberries in your scones, just put the craisins in the food processor earlier (rather than at the end) so that they get slightly chopped up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Cranberry Pecan Brownies<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I added cranberries and pecans to my mom’s basic, no frills brownie recipe, and the result was…festive! Here’s a review of the chocolate chips I used, with a recipe for the brownies<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Chicken Salad with Cranberries and Dill<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I mean. Obviously<\/em>, I had to make a classic Chicken Salad with Cranberries and Dill! That’s pretty much an obligation. I used a chilled Costco Rotisserie Chicken, cut into cubes, with homemade mayonnaise and chopped pecans. There are diced red onions and chopped green onions, along with fresh dill herb. No need for a recipe \u2014 measure with your heart!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The WHOLE craisins make a bolder, fruitier statement than typical chopped\/halved craisins. If that’s not<\/em> your jam, you can always pulse your whole cranberries first in a food processor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cranberry Jalapeno Meatballs Sauce<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Costco has these Amylu Cranberry Jalapeno Chicken Meatballs<\/a>, and they taste great as crockpot party food with a BBQ-based sauce. Unfortunately, I was out of BBQ sauce!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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So, I made my own sauce using 1 cup+ dried cranberries, a 15-ounce can tomato sauce, 1\/3 cup sugar, several dashes of hot sauce, and mustard. Add your spices (such as smoked paprika and cayenne) to taste, and salt if you want it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since I was making the sauce in a crock pot, I cooked the ingredients on “high” for an hour or two, and then blended with my immersion blender.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Then I added the meatballs and cooked on low for a few hours. The sauce was tangy and rich, with a distinct fruity flavor that complimented the meatballs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Whole Cranberry Garnishes<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I also used whole cranberries to garnish these salty fudge squares. Guess what? I didn’t <\/em>make these. I actually cut up a thawed Dolly Parton’s Decadent Chocolate Pie (read my review here)<\/a> and turned it into party food! Woot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The cranberries really elevate these squares and add a kick of satisfying brightness to the sweet, salty flavors of the fudge base.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Ingredients<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Ingredients in Ocean Spray Dried Cranberries<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Here are the ingredients, from the label:<\/p>\n\n\n\n