Spice Up Your Holiday Charcuterie Board with Boozy Cranberries and Bourbon Pecans
Put on your party hat and get ready for a festive season - hopefully filled with delicious food and drink. As you host or attend holiday gatherings this month, we found two whiskey-filled recipes that will delight the appetites of every party-goer. They are delicious on their own, or a great addition to a charcuterie board. Enjoy!
Boozy Sugared Cranberries
Original recipe by Emily FabulousWe adapted the original recipe slightly to soak the cranberries in bourbon with orange bitters instead of an orange liqueur. The results did not disappoint! They turned out to be a perfect blend of sweet and tart, with just a bite of bourbon and orange essence. These provide good variation on a charcuterie board and are perfect in winter cocktails! For an added bonus, you create a cranberry simple syrup during the process which makes this recipe all the sweeter.
Ingredients
- 1½ cups sugar, divided
- 1 cup water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons bourbon (add up to 1 tablespoon if you want a stronger whiskey flavor)
- Several dashes orange bitters
- 2 cups fresh cranberries, rinsed
Instructions
- Place 1 cup of sugar, water, vanilla extract, bourbon, and orange bitters in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar completely dissolves but do not bring to a boil. This will take only a few minutes.
- Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cranberries. Place something heavy on top to keep the cranberries submerged - like a bowl or small plate.
- Once the mixture has cooled, cover it and place it in the fridge for at least 12 hours.
- After soaking, strain the cranberries through a fine-mesh sieve over a bowl. Once fully drained, place the syrup in a sealable bottle or container, place it in the fridge, and save for cocktails or desserts!
- Put the remaining sugar in a small bowl. Gently place the cranberries in the bowl and turn to fully coat with sugar.
- Place the sugared cranberries on a piece of wax paper to dry for at least an hour. Make sure they are separated so they have room to dry.
- Once dry, place the cranberries in a sealable container in the fridge until you are ready to use or serve.
Sweet and Spicy Bourbon Pecans
Original Recipe by Rachel CooksThis recipe makes the most snackable pecans - you have to keep coming back for more. Increase the cayenne a bit if you enjoy spicy snacks. Again, these are great on a charcuterie board, but you can also rough chop the pecans for use as salad topping.
Ingredients
- 1 egg white
- 1 tablespoon bourbon
- 3 cups pecan halves (12 oz. package)
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (use a bit more if you like spice)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk egg white with bourbon until frothy. Stir in pecans, mixing until moistened.
- In a separate small bowl, mix together sugar, salt, and cayenne until combined. Sprinkle over moistened nuts, gently stir to combine and spread onto prepared pan evenly in one layer.
- Bake for 20-30 minutes, stirring every ten minutes (every 5 at the end). The pecans should look dry, not sticky.
- Cool completely. They will crisp more as they cool. Store in an airtight container.
