Cranachan Recipe - Scottish Cream Dessert (2024)

How to make Cranachan with raspberries using this traditional Scottish dessert recipe with list of ingredients and instructions

Cranachan is a traditional Scottish sweet dessert served with raspberries. It is also spelt Crannachan. It is traditionally served in Scotland at the New Year and at some Burns Night Suppers. It is sometimes called Cream Crowdie. This Cranachan recipe will serve four people:

Cranachan Recipe - Scottish Cream Dessert (1)

Eating inCranachan Recipe - Scottish Cream Dessert (2) describes how it would be traditionally eaten in rural Scotland at harvest time. At the table there would be separate bowls with cream, crowdie (skimmed cottage cheese), raspberries, brambles and blueberries, toasted oatmeal, heather honey and whisky. Each person could then make their own cranachan recipe to their own taste.

Cranachan Recipe

Ingredients:

60g of medium oatmeal
150g of raspberries
4 tablespoons of malt whisky
4 tablespoons of runny Scottish honey
600mls of double cream

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Scottish Cranachan

Scatter the oatmeal onto a baking tray and toast in a low oven or under the grill until they become golden brown. Do stand and watch this because they can easily and quickly burn.

Nick Nairn's New Scottish CookeryCranachan Recipe - Scottish Cream Dessert (6) advises toasting the oatmeal with a half measure of sugar together to give a crunchy texture and caramel flavour. This is done either under the grill or with care in a non stick frying pan using a medium heat and tossing often. Nick Nairn uses pinhead oatmeal and uses soft brown sugar. He also recommends tossing the raspberries in whisky and warm honey for an enhanced flavour. Once prepared he then drizzles any extra whisky with the warmed honey over the Scottish cranachan.

Blend 50g of the raspberries in the liquidiser until they become smooth.

Whip the double cream until a stiff mixture forms.

Stir in the honey and the whisky and mix well. Do use a good quality malt whisky to enhance the flavour. We have found Glenlivet, Macallan, Glenmorangie, Glenfiddich, Isle of Jura and our local malt, Glen Garioch to be particularly tasty. We use a different malt each time we make Cranachan with raspberries to enjoy a new taste.

Fold in 50g of the toasted oatmeal then fold in 50g of the raspberry puree. A rippled effect should be achieved.

Spoon the mixture into tall glasses or individual serving dishes. Gently scatter the remaining oatmeal and raspberries on the top of each dish.

Serve and enjoy as a pudding.

Cranachan Recipe - Scottish Cream Dessert (7)

Burns Night Menu

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Scots Cooking: The Best Traditional and Contemporary Scottish Recipes by Sue Lawrence recommends preparing it as it is about to be served so that the oats do not loose their crunch. Sue Lawrence has a slightly different recipe for Cranachan which uses jumbo oats, light muscovado sugar and mascarpone cheese. Sue gives the wonderful idea which she got from Scottish food historian Catherine Brown that Cranachan ingredients be placed in separate bowls at the table so that each can add their own ingredients. That way children can enjoy it with more honey and no whisky.

Cream Crowdie

Maw Broon's CookbookCranachan Recipe - Scottish Cream Dessert (10) has a Cream Crowdie recipe much like the one above though it uses rum or vanilla seeds and additional ingredients such as castor sugar and fresh seasonal berries.

Delia's Happy ChristmasCranachan Recipe - Scottish Cream Dessert (11) has a recipe for Cranachan with caramelised oatmeal and raspberry sauce for with Delia recommends using frozen raspberries.

Three Chimneys Restaurant Cranachan

The Three Chimneys restaurant on the Isle of Skye has been the best cranachan that we have ever tasted. If you have a photograph that you would like to add to this page then please contact me.

A delicious Cranachan shortbread can be bought at Murdoch Allan, The Scottish Bakers of Hatton near Peterhead in Aberdeenshire. Their raspberry flavoured Cranachan shortbread is made with oats and wheat flour.

A curry variation was made by Anjum Anand and Edinburgh cookery demonstrator Wendy Barrie for the BBC 2 programme Indian Food Made Easy. They called this Punjabi Cranachan and other dishes from India cooked were Tarka Dal and Chicken in Spinach.

It was the pudding of choice for Celebrity MasterChef contestant Liz McClarnon the singer with Atomic Kitten. Liz McClarnon baked Cranachan on the 9 July 2008 broadcast of Celebrity MasterChef and so delighted the judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace that she went through to the quarter finals of MasterChef 2008.

To celebrate their 100th anniversary the ice cream shop Jannetta in St Andrews, Scotland launched a Cranachan flavour ice cream.

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Cranachan Recipe - Scottish Cream Dessert (2024)

FAQs

What is the most famous Scottish dessert Cranachan made of? ›

Cranachan
CourseDessert
Place of originScotland
Main ingredientsWhipped cream, whisky, honey (preferably heather honey), raspberries, oatmeal
1 more row

What is the Scottish dessert crackin? ›

There are toasted oats, plump raspberries, and thick dollops of cream punched up with a wee dram of Scotch whisky and a drizzle of honey. It's a dessert that lends itself to variation; there's simply no one right way to make it. Many versions are layered like a trifle, the raspberries plunked between blankets of cream.

What dessert do you eat on Burns Night? ›

Our modern Burns Night menu from chef Roberta Hall-McCarron is a little bit different but equally delicious. One thing's for sure, the traditional Scottish dessert cranachan is the pudding for the job, and a wee dram of whisky is non-negotiable.

What is the Mary Berry dessert at Burns Night? ›

It's super easy to whip up Mary Berry's classic Scottish cranachan. Hold back some of the crunchy oats and raspberries for a pretty topping, but don't hold back on the whisky!

What is the most popular Scottish sweet? ›

Scotland's Most Loved Sweet Treats
  • Shortbread - A Biscuit for All Occasions. Of all the Scottish sweets, shortbread has perhaps the broadest appeal. ...
  • Dundee Cake - Fruitful Scottish Tradition. A rich, fruit-laden spectacle, the Dundee Cake proudly represents its namesake city. ...
  • Cranachan - A Dessert of Layers and Traditions.
Oct 23, 2023

What does the word Cranachan mean? ›

Cranachan is a traditional Scottish dessert made of raspberries, cream and oatmeal with the addition of whiskey and honey. The word Cranachan comes from the Gaelic word, meaning “churn”. In some parts of Scotland, it is known as the cream crowdie.

What is Scottish fudge called? ›

Tablet (taiblet in Scots) is a medium-hard, sugary confection from Scotland. Tablet is usually made from sugar, condensed milk, and butter, which is boiled to a soft-ball stage and allowed to crystallise. It is often flavoured with vanilla and sometimes has nut pieces in it.

What is a trio of Scottish desserts? ›

The trio consists of:
  • Raspberry meringues filled with raspberry cream and served on a canapé spoon, with freeze dried raspberries soaked in Chambord liqueur.
  • A fresh raspberry and pink Prosecco jelly served in a shot glass.
  • A mini Raspberry cranachan, with a twist.

What do Scots call pudding? ›

Dictionaries of the Scots Language:: DOST :: pudding.

What is Cranachan made of? ›

Cranachan is a tradition Scottish dessert, traditionally made with sweet Scottish raspberries, nutty toasted oats and layered with whisky and honey flavoured cream. There are variations to this recipe, however prepared simply like this is most authentic and is pretty close to dessert perfection for me.

Is black pudding Scottish? ›

Black pudding is another traditional Scottish dish that is very similar to haggis as they are both made with the same ingredients: onions, pork fat, oatmeal and spices. Contrary to haggis, black pudding is made from pigs' blood, which holds all the ingredients together.

What is a traditional Scottish meal? ›

Scotland's national dish is haggis, a savoury meat pudding, and it's traditionally accompanied by mashed potatoes, turnips (known as 'neeps') and a whisky sauce. Which brings us to the national drink – whisky.

What do you drink on Burns Night? ›

Speaking of drinks, it wouldn't be a proper Scottish celebration or Burns Night without the mention of whisky. A staple part of Scottish culture, having a glass or two of whisky to celebrate is a must.

What is Selkirk Grace? ›

The Selkirk Grace is a prayer, traditionally said to toast a Scottish dinner or meal, especially at social gatherings attributed to Scottish poet, Robert Burns.

What are neeps in Scotland? ›

Well, “neeps” is just the Scots word for swede – that hard winter vegetable that people also use in soups and stews. You might also hear Scottish people saying “nips”, which is much more obviously short for “turnips”. It's a hard job to peel and chop the neeps, and then we boil and mash, then add a bit of seasoning.

What dessert do they eat in Brave? ›

The Scottish Empire Biscuit go by a few different names but they are essentially two shortbread cookies with jam in the center with white icing on top and a glace cherry to finish. I first saw these biscuits in Pixar's Brave when Merida's brothers, Harris, Hubert, and Hamish feasted on them at the dinner table.

What is the history of the dessert Cranachan? ›

History of cranachan

Cranachan was originally created as a celebration of harvest in Scotland and was made using the fresh crop of raspberries following the harvest in June. Today, cranachan is a dessert, but it wasn't always that way.

What are some interesting facts about Cranachan? ›

The exact origins of the dessert are unclear, but it is thought to have evolved from a dish known as crowdie, which was a mixture of oatmeal, cream, and honey. Over time, other ingredients such as whisky and berries were added to the dish, giving it the name Cranachan.

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