40+ Exciting Thanksgiving Recipes 2023, including Easy Brandy Cranberry Sauce
All the Thanksgiving appetizers, potato dishes, sides, sauces, desserts and drinks you'll need in 2023, plus this Brandy Cranberry Sauce that boasts the perfect balance between tangy and sweet with a subtle hint of floral brandy.
Ingredients
- 12 ounces fresh cranberries
- ¾ cup Brandy
- ¼ cup water
- ½ to ¾ cup granulated sugar see note below
- 2 tablespoons orange juice 2 tbsp usually = juice of ½ an orange
- 1 ½ tablespoons orange zest 1 ½ tbsp usually = zest of ½ an orange
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Rinse your cranberries and set them aside to dry.12 ounces fresh cranberries
- In a large pot, bring Brandy, water, orange juice, and sugar to a boil, stirring occasionally until the sugar is completely dissolved (about 5 minutes).¾ cup Brandy, ¼ cup water, 2 tablespoons orange juice, ½ to ¾ cup granulated sugar
- Add 3 and ½ cups cranberries, cinnamon, and orange zest, and continue to cook on medium-high heat uncovered until cranberries burst (about 10 minutes). Conserve the remaining ½ cup of cranberries to add later.1 ½ tablespoons orange zest, ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- Once your cranberries burst, turn off the heat but keep the pot on the hot burner. Use a potato masher or wooden spoon to crush cranberries and stir until you have a thick sauce.
- Add remaining cranberries and cover, leaving your pot on the burner (with heat off) for another 5 minutes until whole cranberries soften.
- Transfer to a serving bowl and allow to cool before serving.
Notes
- If you like your cranberry sauce on the tangier side, use ½ cup of sugar. If you like it on the sweeter side, use ¾ cup sugar. I always make it with ½ cup because I find it to be sweet enough with the subtle sweetness of the Brandy or orange juice, but I've tested it thoroughly both ways and enjoyed both!
- Conserve ½ cup of cranberries to add last to add texture to your cranberry sauce.