Bourbon Vanilla Cranberry Sauce

There are so many ways to tinker with the traditional cranberry sauce for the holidays, the options feel practically endless! This time for Thanksgiving I decided to take it up a notch by adding bourbon and vanilla extract to the cranberries. You can’t really go wrong with bourbon, right? Something about the flavor came through the nose more than the taste buds. You could smell the bourbon and vanilla, but you tasted the flavor of the cranberries. Similar to wine, you could say that these cranberries had a “nose.” I loved the way these cranberries came out and they will definitely become a holiday staple!

Ingredients:

• 4 cups fresh whole cranberries
• 2-2 1/4 cups sugar
• 1/4 cup bourbon
• 2 tbsp Vanilla extract

Directions:

1. In a medium sauce pot, pour in the cranberries and turn the heat to medium high.
2. As soon as the cranberries start bursting, begin mashing with a potato masher.
3. Pour in the sugar and continue mashing until completely mashed.
4. Bring to a boil and add in the bourbon and vanilla extract.
5. Stir and bring to a low boil until thickened, about 3-5 minutes.
6. Turn off the heat and pour into a glass serving dish.