Brandied Whole Cranberry Sauce (also includes family friendly version)

If you like your cranberry sauce studded with big juicy cranberries in a luscious sauce try this Brandied Whole Cranberry Sauce.

My mother in law makes this version for Thanksgiving and Christmas. The trick to keeping the cranberries big and whole is to bake them low and slow. And adding some brandy or rum, well that just makes it extra tasty.

The recipe is ridiculously easy to make, but takes an hour to bake. Bake? and take up time and room in the oven on Turkey Day? Nah, it is better to make it the day before so the liquid has time to gel a bit.

I had to modify the recipe a little because the original called for 4 cups of cranberries and a 12 ounce bag is only 3 cups now. Grrrr! I hate it when they do that. This is going to make about 3 cups of sauce. You can easily double or triple it if you are feeding a bigger crowd.

But what about the alcohol?

My math calculates that a 1/2 cup serving with brandy at 50-60% alcohol comes out to less than a teaspoon of alcohol. If you are worried about the alcohol, you can make it with fruit juice (orange would be my choice or cranberry or apple).

Or make two versions, this one and one without alcohol for those that do not imbibe. This Cranberry Orange Relish is a delicious raw alternative and just needs to be tossed in the food processor and left in the fridge a bit to chill and blend the flavors together.

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Brandied Whole Cranberry Sauce

Cranberry Sauce with plump whole cranberries in a sweet sauce spiked with brandy (or use orange or cranberry juice for a family friendly version).

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Ingredients

  

• 3 cups fresh cranberries one 12 ounce bag
• 1 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup brandy or rum or other alcohol or orange or cranberry juice

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
• Rinse cranberries and discard any moldy or mushy ones. Spread out in a 9 x 13" pan. Sprinkle with the sugar. Pour alcohol over the top.
• Bake for 1 hour. Let chill before serving.

Notes

Best if made the day before to allow the sauce to thicken.

Until next time, happy eating.
~Audrey