Classic Cooked Whole-Berry Cranberry Sauce

Wash and pick over the cranberries. Discard stems and soft berries.

Place the cranberries in a saucepan. Cover with boiling water and turn the stove on to high heat. When the water begins to boil, continue to boil for a few minutes until all the berries have burst open.

Turn off heat and stir with a wooden spoon, mashing some of the berries against the side of the pot until most of the berries are broken. It will be like a thin applesauce.

Add sweetener to warm cranberries and stir to dissolve. If you have trouble dissolving the sweetener, reheat to boiling, stirring constantly.

Allow sauce to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until cool. Sauce will set up as it cools.