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Vanilla Bourbon Cranberry Sauce

Vanilla bourbon cranberry sauce made with simmered fresh berries until they burst, creating a glossy, thick spoonable texture. Finished with vanilla bean and a final splash of bourbon, then chilled for clean slices and bright flavor.
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Calories: 190
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

fresh cranberries
  • 12 oz fresh cranberries
brown sugar
  • 0.75 cup brown sugar packed
granulated sugar
  • 0.25 cup granulated sugar
water
  • 0.5 cup water
orange juice
  • 0.25 cup orange juice
bourbon
  • 0.33 cup bourbon divided
vanilla bean or vanilla extract
  • 1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped, or vanilla extract or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
salt
  • 1 salt pinch

Equipment

  • 1 saucepan

Method
 

Cook the cranberry base
  1. In a saucepan, combine brown sugar, granulated sugar, water, orange juice, 1/4 cup bourbon, vanilla bean, and salt, then bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir until the sugars dissolve and the mixture looks glossy, then keep it boiling.
  2. Add fresh cranberries to the boiling syrup and return to a boil. You should see the liquid bubble around the berries and the mixture look darker as cranberries heat through.
  3. Simmer for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the berries burst and the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. The sauce should look rich and dark red with fewer whole berries.
  4. Remove from heat and stir in the remaining bourbon. The sauce will loosen slightly then look shinier and deeper in color.
Finish and chill
  1. Remove the vanilla pod from the sauce and discard it. Let the pod end up dry and clean so you know all seeds are extracted.
  2. Cool the sauce, then chill before serving. Transfer to a jar or container once warm and cover so the surface doesn’t skin over.

Notes

Pro tip: For the thickest spoonable sauce, simmer until the mixture clearly coats the spoon and you can drag a line through it. Store covered in the fridge for up to 7 days; freeze up to 2 months and thaw in the refrigerator. For a gluten-free option, this recipe is naturally gluten-free as written.