Friendsgiving 2017: Bourbon Vanilla Cider Cranberry Sauce.
Eeeep! You guys. I have the best cranberry sauce for you!
You’re probably thinking WHAT? Um, who are you? You are the person who swore to always and forever eat only canned cranberry sauce on Thanksgiving!
Yes. Yes I might be that person.
Even though I might have said a few years ago that I’d never cross over to the dark (um, better?) side and eat REAL cranberry sauce? I’m eating my words. Literally. Changing my tune.
So here’s the thing. Eddie has never been a fan of cranberry sauce in general. If you’ve followed the blog here for a while then you know that I’ve been a fan of the canned stuff. OH YES I SAID IT.
In fact, in previous years I have preached it. Â Shouted it from the rooftops! Owned my love for canned cranberry sauce. Reveled in it.
And, the other thing is that I still really love canned cranberry sauce. It’s a total nostalgia thing for me. My mom would not only have it on Thanksgiving – there would be a few nights throughout the year (maybe three or four, max) that she would serve it on a weeknight when she made a more comfort food-like dinner and it was such a treat.
Last Thanksgiving, my sister-in-law made legit cranberry sauce and everyone loved it. And Eddie loved it too! Our favorite use for it was in leftovers and on sandwiches. It was fantastic. And I’ve been a major convert ever since.
Now for my new favorite version? Our Friendsgiving version where things get a little wild? Cider, bourbon AND vanilla. Oh my gosh. It is heaven sent. So flavorful. Apple cider with a hint of bourbon and fresh vanilla beans can do no wrong. I say you give it a good test run tonight!
Bourbon Vanilla Cider Cranberry Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 12 ounce bag of fresh cranberries
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup bourbon
- 3 tablespoons apple cider
- 1 vanilla bean split
Instructions
- Combine the cranberries, sugar, bourbon, apple cider and split vanilla bean in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir the ingredients together. Bring the mixture to a simmer and let it bubbly and simmer for about 15 minutes, until the cranberries begin to break down and the mixture thickens. Remove it from the heat and let it cool to thicken even more.
- I like the leave the vanilla bean in until serving, just for extra vanilla bean flavor! You can reheat this to serve it and it stays great in the fridge.
Did you make this recipe?
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Um and most definitely make this cake with the leftovers.
33 Comments on “Friendsgiving 2017: Bourbon Vanilla Cider Cranberry Sauce.”
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This might be the best version of cranberries I’ve found!
thanks katy! i hope you try it!
Sounds amazing!
thanks so much ashlyn!
Who needs the canned stuff when this exists?!
agreed!!
I always make a fresh cranberry fruit salad with apples, pears, oranges, dates, pecans, pumpkins pie spice and honey! Best on a cream cheese bagel the next day!
that sounds absolutely amazing!
Do you think that fresh cranberry sauce would freeze well? Thinking it would be nice to make it early…
i think that it would! and i think it would get more flavorful as it sits, you know?
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I have made a homemade cranberry sauce for a few years now, and I don’t know if I can go back. This version sounds so much better than the traditional homemade version with sugar and orange peel. Just the thought of a vanilla bean in it makes me swoon.The alcohol in the bourbon must cook off right? Oh and congrats on Emilia, I love that name by the way!
Ok, so I’m planning on making this and I’m really excited. When adding splitting the vanilla bean do I de-seed it or just throw it all in? I’ve never used vanilla bean before.
Chelsea
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This looks lovely! In a pinch, could you use apple juice instead of cider?
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This.Was.Delish!!
I love a homemade cranberry sauce. This had a very forward bourbon flavor. As you might expect from just a half cup of sugar, it was a very tart side, but that was part of the charm. So easy to make and your house will smell amazing when you make it.
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I used this recipe last year and it was amazing. However, last night I didn’t have everything to make these exact so I used 1/4 cup Vanilla Jack Daniels to 3/4 cup of water. They turned out really good. Kind of a short cut version of these.
Recipe I followed:
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup vanilla Jack Daniels
3/4 cup water
1 bag (12 oz) cranberries
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Can I use vanilla extract instead?! How much would you use?!
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How far in advanced can you make this? TIA!
i make this 2-3 days in advance!
Can you sub vanilla extract for the vanilla bean? Those are hard to find in my neck of the woods.
Made this yesterday for Thanksgiving. I’m also on team Canned Cranberry Sauce, but this was great! In fact, I think this will now be my go-to cranberry sauce. The vanilla bean really makes this recipe pop!
This recipe is so good! I used a toasted barrel Elijah Craig bourbon, and apple juice because I forgot to buy cider, and these cranberries were fantastic. I will probably use this recipe every Thanksgiving going forward.Â