Maple Bourbon Cranberry Sauce
Tart cranberries sweetened with maple and smokiness from bourbon gives this maple bourbon cranberry sauce an adult spin on a holiday favorite.
Ingredients
- 1 12-ounce bag fresh cranberries
- ½ cup real maple syrup
- ¼ cup bourbon
- ¼ cup fresh-squeezed orange juice
- 1 teaspoon orange zest, plus more for garnish
- 1 cinnamon stick, or ⅛ to ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon bourbon vanilla extract, or regular
- 1 pinch kosher salt, about ⅛ teaspoon or so
Directions
- Set a medium-sized saucepan on the stove over medium-high heat and add in ½ cup maple syrup, ¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice, and ¼ cup bourbon. Stir occasionally as it comes to a simmer.
- Once strongly simmering and just shy of boiling, pour in the cranberries, reserving about ½ cup of them, and lower the heat to a gentle simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the cranberries start to pop open, about 4-5 minutes.
- When the cranberries start to pop open, add 1 cinnamon stick, 1 teaspoon orange zest, 1 teaspoon bourbon (or regular) vanilla extract, and a pinch of kosher salt. Stir to combine and continue cooking at a gentle simmer.
- As the cranberries continue to cook, they will break apart and cook down. Continue to stir occasionally, and at this point you can smash some of the cranberries against the sides of the saucepan. Depending on the cranberries, the entire process after adding the cranberries should take around 15 minutes. Add the reserved cranberries and cook for another minute or two, then remove from the heat.
- The added cranberries will cook and soften in the hot sauce, and the sauce will continue to thicken as it cools. Garnish with the remaining orange zest if desired. If serving right away, let the sauce cool for at least 10-20 minutes to a warm heat. Otherwise, allow the sauce to cool completely to room temperature before storing for later use.
Notes
1) Maple – Use real maple syrup and not “pancake” syrup as it is just artificially flavored sugar water.
2) Bourbon – You can use any preferred bourbon or whiskey in this recipe. As always, use something you would be willing to drink and not just the cheapest liquor you can find. If you don’t typically keep bourbon or whiskey on-hand, you can buy a small airplane or sampler bottle for the recipe.
3) Orange – One large orange should be enough for the ¼ cup or juice and zest you will need here. If you’re not a fan of orange in cranberry sauce, simply replace the orange juice with water.
4) Frozen Cranberries – I don’t recommend using frozen cranberries in cranberry sauce, but if that’s all you have, use straight from frozen and do not thaw them. The sauce may be a little more watery than usual, but you should be able to just cook it down by adding a few extra minutes on the stove.
Nutrition
Serving: 0.25 cupCalories: 99kcalCarbohydrates: 21gProtein: 0.3gFat: 0.1gSaturated Fat: 0.01gSodium: 8mgPotassium: 108mgFiber: 2gSugar: 15gCalcium: 32mgIron: 0.2mg
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