Cranberry Orange Cornbread Trifle, a favorite holiday breakfast

Layers of cranberries, pear, orange, yogurt, ginger, and cornbread make this Cranberry Orange Trifle recipe a trifle to remember!

Looking for a recipe to serve for the holidays?

The perfect holiday brunch

See if this fits your requirements: Make ahead, economical, enough substance so that people aren’t hungry an hour later, and on the healthy side.

Meet Cranberry Cornbread Trifle. My gift to you! A breakfast dessert recipe.

My holiday gift: Cranberry Cornbread Trifle

Cranberry Orange Cornbread Trifle

Cornbread (bake your own or buy it) is cubed and layered with cooked cranberries, yogurt, pears (fresh or canned) and oranges.

• Cranberries’ tart flavors keep this from being too sweet and their crimson color delivers healthful compounds that may reduce inflammation and help with overall health.
• Yogurt replaces whipped cream with creamy protein and calcium. I like siggi’s Orange Ginger yogurt in this recipe.
• Pear and orange add flavor plus fiber.
• Cornbread replaces the sweet cake bringing the sugar down. This cornbread recipe uses whole-grains giving you more fiber and protein.
• The trifle can be assembled the day before you serve it, so takes some last-minute holiday busyness away. Plus the time in the fridge improves the flavor.
• These foods appear on many holiday menus, so can be a way to repurpose leftovers. Or given as a gift in a hand-blown crystal bowl.

The ingredients

• 12 ounces fresh cranberries
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 3/4 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1 teaspoon five spice
• 3 cups cornbread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 2 cups orange, orange/ginger or plain yogurt
• 1 fresh orange, chopped
• 1 pear, chopped (or 1 can pears, drained)
• 2 tablespoons crystallized ginger, chopped

What is trifle?

Just about anyway you make it, a trifle is a celebration. An English dessert with layers of sponge cake, whipped cream, custard, sherry or brandy, fruit and jam showcased in a clear glass bowl.

Most wouldn’t tinker with a traditional trifle. Leave that to me. Layers of cranberries, pear, orange, yogurt, ginger and cornbread take trifle to a sparkling new level. A recipe that delivers something tasty and healthy.

Cranberries health benefits

The red color seems perfect for fall and the holidays, but even more, that color comes from anthocyanins, which makes them a powerful health contributor. Cranberries help reduce urinary tract infections and inflammation while boosting heart and gut health.

How to store cranberries

The darker red the cranberry, the more ripe and less bitter they are. Before you use them, pick out shriveled or mushy ones. Fall is harvest time for North American cranberries. Fresh cranberries will keep up to 2 months in the refrigerator. You can enjoy them all year, just store the bag in the freezer. They’ll be good until next year. No need to thaw. Use the frozen fruit as you would fresh cranberries. These are a quick cooking berry, in 10 minutes or so, when they pop, they’re about done.

How to cook fresh cranberries

Cranberries only take about 10 minutes to cook. In this recipe I combine the fresh cranberries with water, sugar, orange juice and spices in a medium saucepan. Heat everything over medium heat until mixture boils, then reduce heat to low, stir and cook 10 minutes.

Here’s another cranberry recipe:  Orange Cranberry Tart.

Orange Yogurt Tart with Cranberries

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Serve a scrumptious scoop

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Cranberry Orange Cornbread Trifle

Print Recipe

Layers of cranberries, pear, orange, yogurt, ginger and cornbread make this a trifle to remember!

• Author: Judy Barbe
• Prep Time: 15
• Cook Time: 15
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 8 1x
• Category: Breakfast
• Method: Baked
• Cuisine: American, Southern

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 12 ounces fresh cranberries
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 3/4 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1 teaspoon five spice
• 3 cups cornbread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 2 cups orange, orange/ginger or plain yogurt
• 1 fresh orange, chopped
• 1 pear, chopped (or 1 can pears, drained)
• 2 tablespoons crystallized ginger, chopped

Instructions

• Cook: Combine cranberries, water, sugar, orange juice and five spice in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium heat until mixture boils. Reduce heat to low, stir and cook 10 minutes more. Set aside to cool.
• Trifle: In a bowl, layer cornbread, cranberries, yogurt, pear, orange, crystallized ginger. Repeat.

Notes

Five spice is a spice blend often used in Chinese cooking. Find it in the spice aisle or order online.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 cup
• Calories: 320

Keywords: special breakfast, holiday breakfast, holiday brunch, winter foods, how to make a trifle

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