Brandied Cranberries

Brandied cranberries are a holiday side dish bursting with warm spice, zesty oranges with sweetness from brown sugar, and brandy.

Brandied cranberries have changed the way I feel about cranberry sauce forever! It’s practically bursting with warm spice and zesty oranges with sweetness from brown sugar and brandy. This side dish should be a must at your holiday table this year.

I remember my childhood when I think of jellied cranberry sauce from the can. It takes me back to meals at my grandmama’s house, where the whole family gathered for the holidays. Jellied cranberry sauce always seemed to make an appearance on the buffet line of food on the kitchen counter.

I remember putting a slice of cranberry sauce on my plate, but even more so the torcher I put myself through trying to eat it. It was so good until that bitter aftertaste hit.

Oh, how that stuff put my tastebuds on a rollercoaster.

YUM!!!!….noooooo…. YUM!!!!… noooooo…. Eventually, I gave up trying to like cranberry sauce. Bleh!

Now that I’m older and after having the whole berry cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving this year, I decided to make homemade cranberry sauce for the first time. David loves cranberry sauce, even the jellied stuff out of the can. He always requests it with roasted chicken, so I knew he’d eat it up no matter how it turned out.

However, I decided to kick it up a notch by adding brandy to it because I figure a little booze was just what cranberry sauce needs. I was so right! These boozy cranberries come together in just 20 minutes.

Let’s make brandied cranberries!

Ingredients Needed For Brandied Cranberries

• Fresh Cranberries – you can use frozen, but this time of year, you can find fresh ones in abundance at the store. Keep in mind that if you use frozen cranberries, you will probably have to simmer them a little longer than fresh ones.
• Water – cranberries need plenty of liquid to cook in. Water is neutral and will not overpower the cranberry sauce with too much flavor.
• Oranges – squeeze the orange juice yourself, but make sure you zest them before juicing. It should take a couple of oranges. You can use lemon zest and lemon juice if you don’t have oranges.
• Sugar – I used a combination of regular granulated sugar and brown sugar for more flavor.
• Spice – a couple of cinnamon sticks provide warmth and a nice depth of flavor. It screams holiday!
• Vanilla Extract – a little vanilla extract combines all the ingredients nicely and has the best aroma. Don’t skip it!
• Brandy – Booze takes cranberry sauce to the next level. If you don’t have brandy, rum, port, or bourbon will also work.

How To Make Brandied Cranberries

1. Rinse the cranberries before use. Sort cranberries and discard anything that looks odd.
2. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the cranberries, water, orange zest, orange juice, sugars, and cinnamon sticks. 
3. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Be careful! Watch the cranberries closely. They can bubble up and possibly boil over if you are not watching them. 
4. Simmer the cranberry mixture for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the brandy and continue to simmer until cranberries burst and the sauce reduces slightly; about 5 more minutes.
5. Turn off the heat. Remove the cinnamon sticks from the cranberry sauce.
6. Stir in the vanilla extract and pour the sauce into a serving dish or storage container. Allow the sauce to cool and thicken up for 30 minutes.

Storage:

• Refrigerator: Store the cranberries in the refrigerator inside an airtight container for up to 10 days.
• Freezer: Sauce can be frozen for up to 3 months. Place it in the refrigerator overnight to thaw when you are ready to use it.

Tips For Making Cranberry Sauce

• Naturally Thick: There is no need to add cornstarch to thicken the sauce. Cranberries thicken up beautifully and naturally.
• Make-Ahead: Make the cranberries the day ahead. I think it’s better when it’s cold all the way through. I believe you will like it that way too.
• Frozen Cranberries: If you are using frozen cranberries, there is no need to defrost them, but you will have to adjust the cooking time to allow them to thaw.
• Listen! When the cranberries are about done, you can hear them start to burst. This will tell you how done they are. If you want more whole berries, turn off the heat after you hear a few bursts. Leave them on longer for a less chunky cranberry sauce.
• Add Vanilla After Cooking: wait and add the vanilla extract after the sauce cools a few minutes. Vanilla contains alcohol. If it cooks, the heat will cause it to evaporate, and it will not taste as strong.
• Orange Zest: Use a Microplane to zest the orange that goes into the sauce. This way, you won’t end up chewing on large strands of zest. Use a zester to zest orange peel for garnish.

Brandied cranberries are so much better than that stuff you buy out of the can. The cranberries have the perfect balance of sweetness and tang.

I’m sure you will love it too! It’s great all year long, served with roasted chicken or turkey.

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