Yields: About 1 ½ cups
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 10-15 minutes
Ingredients:
- 12 ounces (340g) raspberries (fresh or frozen)
- ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (60ml) water
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon (14g) butter, softened (optional, adds richness)
Instructions:
- Combine ingredients: In a medium saucepan, combine the raspberries, water, sugar, lemon juice, cornstarch, and salt over medium-low heat.
- Cook and stir: Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer, stirring frequently. As the raspberries heat up, they’ll release their juices.
- Thicken the sauce: Continue to simmer, stirring constantly for about 1 minute. The sauce will thicken, the berries will soften, and the color will deepen. It should lightly coat the back of a spoon.
- Add butter (optional): Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the butter until completely melted. This adds a lovely richness to the sauce.
- Strain for seedless sauce (optional): If you prefer a completely smooth sauce, pour it through a fine-mesh sieve and discard the seeds.
- Cool and serve: Allow the raspberry sauce to cool slightly before serving. It will thicken further as it cools.
How to use your Raspberry Sauce:
- Drizzle over vanilla ice cream
- Spoon over pancakes or waffles
- Swirl into yogurt or cheesecake
- Layer with cake or pound cake
- Use as a filling for crepes
Tips:
- Fresh vs. frozen: Both fresh and frozen raspberries work perfectly in this recipe. If using frozen, there’s no need to thaw them first.
- Adjust sweetness and tartness: Taste your sauce and add more sugar if it’s too tart, or more lemon juice if it’s too sweet.
- Thickening further: If your sauce didn’t thicken enough, mix a teaspoon of cornstarch with a tablespoon of cold water. Stir it into the hot sauce and cook for another minute.
- Storage: Leftover sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
