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Vanilla Bourbon Cranberry Sauce

Vanilla bourbon cranberry sauce with glossy, jammy texture—made by simmering fresh cranberries until they burst and thicken. Finished with bourbon off the heat for a bold, smooth flavor and chilled for easy serving.
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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: 165
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

cranberries
  • 12 oz fresh cranberries
sugars and liquids
  • 0.75 cup brown sugar packed
  • 0.25 cup granulated sugar
  • 0.5 cup water
  • 0.25 cup orange juice
  • 0.333 cup bourbon divided
flavoring
  • 1 vanilla bean split and seeds scraped; or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 0.08 tsp salt pinch

Equipment

  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Cook the cranberry base
  1. Combine brown sugar, granulated sugar, water, orange juice, 1/4 cup bourbon, vanilla bean and seeds, and salt in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, and watch for a rolling bubble across the surface.
  2. Add cranberries to the boiling mixture and return to a boil. Keep boiling until the berries begin to pop and the liquid looks thickening at the edges.
  3. Simmer for 10-12 minutes until the berries burst and the sauce thickens. You should see glossy cranberry skins split and the spoon leave a brief trail in the pan.
Finish and chill
  1. Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining bourbon. The sauce will turn slightly deeper and look more lacquered.
  2. Remove the vanilla pod. Cool, then chill before serving so the sauce sets into a spoonable gel.

Notes

For the thickest cranberry sauce, keep the simmer at a steady bubble for the full 10-12 minutes and don’t rush the boiling step. Cool completely before refrigerating; store covered in the refrigerator up to 5 days. Freezing is not recommended because the texture can thin after thawing. If you want a lower-sugar option, replace the sugars with a 1:1 baking sweetener blend and simmer the same amount of time.