Step 1

Zest and juice the oranges. Use a vegetable peeler to remove a 1-inch-thick strip of orange peel from 1 large Valencia or navel orange. Juice 2 oranges into a measuring cup. Remove any seeds from the juice. There should be about 1 cup of juice. If you do not have enough juice, add enough water to get to 1 cup.

Step 2

Simmer the juice and sugar. Place the orange juice, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, and orange peel in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Stir to dissolve the sugar.

Step 3

Simmer the cranberries. Add 12 ounces cranberries and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered until the cranberries are tender and pop open and appear glossy, 11 to 15 minutes. Remove and discard the orange peel. Transfer the sauce into a bowl.

Step 4

Cool and serve. For a looser cranberry sauce, the sauce can be served warm. If you prefer a thicker consistency, cover and refrigerate overnight.