Cranachan
Toasted oats, whisky, honey, cream and raspberries layered in a glass. Assembled in ten minutes and traditionally argued about for longer.
Photograph credit: Cranachan (4332953688) by Saskia van de Nieuwenhof from Edinburgh, United Kingdom · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons · this resized copy is shared under the same licence
Cranachan, Step by Step
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Toast the oatmeal in a dry frying pan over medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes, shaking often, until it is golden and smells like biscuits. Tip onto a cold plate at once and cool completely.
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Crush half the raspberries with the caster sugar and a pinch of salt to a rough purée. Leave the rest whole.
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Whip the cream with the honey and whisky to soft peaks. Stop early — it firms as you fold.
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Fold two-thirds of the cooled oats through the cream, leaving the rest for the top.
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Layer in four glasses: crushed raspberries, then cream, then whole berries, and repeat.
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Finish with the reserved oats, a few berries and a thread of honey.
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Serve within 20 minutes, while the oats still have their bite.
Related guide: Prep, cook and total time.
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Notes for Getting It Right
- Cool the oats fully before they meet cream, or they go soft immediately.
- Soft peaks. Over-whipped cream makes the whole glass heavy.
- Build it just before serving — this is not a make-ahead pudding.
What Goes With Cranachan
- A dram of Highland whisky
- Shortbread
- Strong coffee
Storing & Reheating Cranachan
Eat within an hour. The toasted oats keep a week in a jar.
Questions About Cranachan
How long does Cranachan take to make?
20 minutes of preparation and 5 minutes of cooking, so at least 25 minutes. The method also needs time for cooling completely, which it does not time, so treat that as a minimum. The recipe serves 4.
Cranachan Nutrition Facts
Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central figures (SR Legacy). A calculation, not a laboratory analysis: brands, cuts and how you measure change the real numbers. The calories include 4 g of alcohol a serving, which is not part of the protein, carbohydrate or fat. How the figures are worked out.
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Compiled by Turab
Checked by script for timings, diet labels and nutrition arithmetic. How the recipes are checked. Found a mistake? Tell us.
First published ; last changed .