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Bourbon Cranberry Sauce

  • Food

Every year for Thanksgiving, in addition to making the pies, I make cranberry sauce. While some people prefer the jellied can that comes in a can – complete with ridges – I’m a fan of the whole berry homemade kind. So I make it and some people eat it but there’s usually a fair amount left over.

Not this year, though. This year it was all gobbled right up and I’m pretty sure it’s the best cranberry sauce I’ve ever made. It’s boozy and delicious with just a hint of spice and orange. I’ve seen the recipe in enough places that I’m going to go ahead and share it here rather than link back to it.

Bourbon Cranberry Sauce

4 cups fresh cranberries
2 cups sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
zest of one orange
1/4 cup bourbon

Combine cranberries, sugar and orange in a 9X13 baking dish. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake in 350° over for about one hour, until sugar is dissolved and mixture is bubbling, stirring occasionally. Remove from oven and stir in bourbon. Refrigerate until well chilled – it will thicken as it chills.

Eat. Enjoy.

This Post Has 20 Comments

  1. And THAT is what I’m making next year! I love cranberries, and I love to make the whole berry homemade kind. I tried a new recipe this year . . . too sweet. I’m moving on to the bourbon next year. Thanks for the recipe!

  2. I love the sauce straight out of the can with the handy-dandy molded in slicing guide! LOL But your recipe might make the day a little more enjoyable, especially as we hit the “my hospital stay/procedure was far more gruesome/spectacular/important than yours” portion of the dinner conversation 🙂 Ilovemyfamily, ilovemyfamily, ilovemyfamily….

  3. An interesting take ( the roasting bit ) on the whole cranberry sauce which I love. I’ve always made the Triple Cranberry Sauce from Bon Appetit. I’ll have to give this one a try next time.

  4. I’m definitely going to give that one a try! I happen to have a pound of cranberries sitting in my refrigerator waiting for the perfect recipe …

  5. Maybe this recipe will stop the battle of the cranberry sauces at our house. My husband loves the canned, jellied sauce while I love the whole berry sauce. My husband is also a great fan of bourbon, so maybe the addition of his favorite drink will bring him to the whole berry camp. Thanks for the recipe, Carole!

  6. Thanks for the recipe. I am a big fan of boutbon. My dog, Liesl, is determined to lick my hand while I type so we’ll keep this short.

  7. yum! and so different from the cranberry recipes I have (they all have booze, but none are baked). thanks for sharing!

  8. Oh yum! I will definitely be trying that recipe!

    I made the typical sauce with orange juice and sugar and it was rather bland. Your recipe sounds much better. I also made a cranberry relish with jalapenos, oranges, and red onions. Very fresh but also not exactly what I wanted.

  9. Sounds delicious! I served homemade and sauce-from-the-can this year … cranberry sauce is so easy to make that it seems silly to use the canned variety, but people in my house do love it, so on the table it goes.

  10. Wow! I admit to being a huge fan of cranberries with rings but I enjoy whole berry varieties too and this one looks like a winner. So much so that I wish I can’t wait for the next holiday so that I can make some.

  11. I’m a fan of the jellied version I hate to admit, but I wonder if I put this version thru the blender my family would like it….hmmmmmm. 🙂 Thanks for sharing!

  12. Next time you head up to Newburyport, plan a little more time to go to North Hampton (20ish minutes further north) to Sea Hagg Rum for a bottle of their artisan rum. I bet your cranberry sauce would be awesome with rum instead of bourbon; and, it would still be a very traditional New England dish!
    http://www.seahaggdistillery.com/index.html

    Actually, make both and compare! lol

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