This cranberry sauce with brandy is made with just a few ingredients and is so easy to make! The orange, cinnamon, and brandy make this cranberry sauce a flavorful addition to your Thanksgiving dinner!
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Key Ingredients
- Cranberries: give your cranberries a good rinse before using and pick off any stems that may still be on the cranberries. You can use fresh or frozen cranberries, just thaw your frozen cranberries ahead of time.
- Brandy: The brandy adds a delicious depth of flavor! The alcohol will cook out completely. Bourbon would also be delicious!
- Brown sugar: You can substitute white sugar if that is all you have, but I love the molasses flavor from brown sugar!
- Orange: I use the juice of a naval orange along with two 3" pieces of the peel. I also like to garnish the cranberry sauce with a twisted piece of the peel.
- Cinnamon stick: the cinnamon adds a delicious spice to this seasonal dish! If it is smelling overly like cinnamon when it is simmering, you can pull it out part way through.
How to make brandied cranberry sauce
- Simmer the liquids and sugar together. It will only take a minute or two for the sugar to dissolve!
- Add the cranberries, cinnamon, and orange to the pot and give it all a good stir. When it comes back to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer.
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3. When the cranberries have burst and the sauce has thickened (it will continue to thicken as it cools), take the cranberries off the heat and serve or store (see storage and freezing tips below!).
Make-ahead and freezing tips
Cranberry sauce is a great Thanksgiving dish to make in advance! This brandied cranberry sauce can be made up to 10 days in advance and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. You can also freeze cranberry sauce in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
More Thanksgiving dishes you'll love
- Hot Honey Candied Walnuts
- Old Fashioned Mac and Cheese
- Sausage and Apple Stuffing (recipe coming soon!!)
If you try this cranberry sauce with brandy, I'd love to know what you think in the comments below!
📖 Recipe
Cranberry Sauce with Brandy
Ingredients
- 1 Orange juiced, plus two 3 inch peels
- ½ cup Brandy
- ¼ cup water
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 24 ounces cranberries
- 1 cinnamon stick
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, stir together the juice of the orange, brandy, water, and brown sugar. Turn the pot on high heat on the stovetop and bring to a boil. Boil until the sugar has completely dissolved, about 1-3 minutes.
- Stir in the cranberries, orange peels, and cinnamon stick. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20-25 minutes, or until almost all the cranberries have burst.
- Take the cranberries off the heat and discard the orange peels and cinnamon stick. Serve or refrigerate for up to 10 days.
Notes
- Makes about 3 cups of cranberry sauce
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Jeff the Chef @ Make It Like a Man! says
I make cranberry sauce every year, but I've never made one with brandy. Nice!