Brandied Cherry Recipe with Easy Canning and Cold Storing Tips
Enjoy the following tips and steps for canning brandied cherries. This homemade brandied cherry recipe makes for a deliciously brandy soaked cocktail cherries, which are ideal for desserts or beverages.
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A Simple Brandied Cherry Recipe
Fruit infused in alcohol, whether it’s brandy, bourbon, rum or vodka elevates the flavor of the fruit being preserved. The options for the type of fruit which can be preserved in alcohol is endless. However, nothing is as delicious as brandy soaked cherries. Well, other than home canned bourbon peaches.
Whether you plan on preserving brandied cherries for long-term shelf storage through canning or keeping homemade cocktail cherries in the refrigerator, you’ll not regret the decision to preserve boozy cherries.
I have included both means for preserving this brandied cherry recipe. The first, my recipe for brandy soaked cherries. The second, my recipe and tips for canning brandied cherries.
Preserving the Cherry Harvest
As much as I love this brandied cherry recipe there are many other methods available for preserving the cherry harvest. Here are my favorite preserving methods.
The benefits of reside in Washington state is the extended growing season for stone fruit. This allows me the opportunity to consume and preserve fruit from stone fruit growers in my state. The North West Cherries Growers of WA state produce and ship cherries across the country. You’ll not want to miss out on this opportunity to consume some amazing stone fruit from this organization!
Choosing the Best Brandy
Before beginning let’s talk about the type of brandy to use.
Let’s talk about the type of brandy to use. Some prefer a nice cognac for a smooth flavor. However, I chose a smooth medium price brandy which worked just as nice. Regardless of price, cognac or not, stick with a brand which is smooth in flavor. This will eliminate creating a syrup which is harsh and unpleasant in flavor.
The Sustainable Canning Course
Are you searching for canning classes near you? Look no further! The Sustainable Canning Course is a self-paced series of online classes designed to help you on the road to achieving food ownership.
The Sustainable Canning Course is an extension of my book, The Farm Girl’s Guide to Preserving the Harvest. I wrote this book to help guide those who seek to own their food source the opportunity to do so. It is a comprehensive, easy to understand book covering all methods of home food preservation, canning, drying, fermenting, curing, freezing, and storing fresh foods.
- Understand why pressure canning is necessary to preserve foods.
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- Discover how easy it is to can meat, fish, soups, and stews.
These topics and many more are available within The Sustainable Canning Course. Reserve your spot now, and begin gleaning the necessary information needed to preserve foods as a modern sustainable homesteader does.
Preserving for Refrigerator Storage
If you have no intentions on canning brandied cherries feel free to make this refrigerator recipe. The alcohol will preserve the brandy soaked cherries up to a year as long as it is stored in the refrigerator.
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 cups Brandy
- 2/3 cup granulated organic white sugar
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1/4 teaspoon whole cloves
- 4 cups sweet cherries, washed, stemmed and pitted
Instructions
- Add the cinnamon stick and cloves to the brandy, allowing the mixture to infuse for a minimum of 6 hours
- In a medium saucepan add the brandy mixture and sugar, simmer on low and stir often.
- Remove the pan from the heat, allowing it to sit for 15 minutes
- Pack the cherries into 2 pint size mason jars or 3 1/2 pint mason jars. Pack them nicely, making sure to not crush the cherries
- Strain the brandy syrup over the cherries, removing any air bubbles, making sure to cover the cherries
- Place the lid on tight and store in the refrigerator, they will keep nicely up to a year
Note
Save any leftover syrup for making delicious cocktail beverages.
Canning Brandied Cherries
When you’ve been blessed with a large amount of sweet black Bing cherries preserving a small amount is a must. Canning brandied cherries is one method for preserving this delicious summertime stone fruit, however, there are more options available.
This preserving method allows for brandy soaked cherries to be made shelf stable, freeing up refrigerator space. Canning brandy cherries eliminates the alcohol potency due the processing time. However, the full flavor of the brandy remains.
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cup brandy
- 6 lbs sweet cherries, washed, stemmed, pitted
- 1/2 cup granulated organic white sugar
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1 cup water
Equipment
- cherry pitter
- 6 1/2-pint mason jars
- steam canner or hot waterbath canner
- air bubble remover
- mini slow cooker, to warm lids
- jar lifter
- non-reactive heavy bottom pot, copper jamming pot, stainless steel pot, or enamel cast iron pot
Instructions
- In a heavy bottom saucepan combine the sugars, water and lemon juice
- Bring syrup to a boil, stirring often until the sugar has dissolved
- Add cherries and simmer until the cherries have heated through
- Remove from heat, stir in brandy
- Using a slotted spoon ladle cherries into pint size jars
- Add brandy syrup to jars leaving a 1/4 headspace, remove air bubbles and top the jar with additional syrup if needed
- Process in a water bath or steam canner for 15 minutes, adjusting for altitude. See processing times below.
| TYPE OF PACK | JAR SIZE | 0-1,000 ft | 1,001-3,000 ft | 3,001-6,000 ft | Above 6,000 ft |
| Hot Pack | Pints | 15 mins | 20 mins | 25 mins | 30 mins |
| Quarts | 20 mins | 25 mins | 30 mins | 35 mins |
Note
Add the boozy berries to adult cocktails, cakes, pastries, and over ice-cream.
My Book
The Farm Girl’s Guide to Preserving the Harvest is a comprehensive book covering multiple methods for preserving foods in the comfort of your home. Learn how to safely can, dry, ferment, cure, freeze, and store foods fresh as a sustainable homesteader would. The tips, tricks, and recipes within this book will provide you the confidence and knowledge needed to own your food source.
Printable Recipe Card
Canning Brandied Cherry
Preserve this delicious stone fruit with this easy brandied cherry recipe. Brandy soaked cherries are excellent in cocktails, over desserts, or even on top of a bowl of homemade ice cream. Is brandy not to your liking? Use a smooth bourbon whiskey instead.
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cup brandy
- 6 pounds sweet cherries, washed, stemmed, pitted
- 1/2 cup granulated organic white sugar
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
Instructions
- Prepare lids, jars, and canner.
- In a heavy bottom saucepan (enamel Dutch oven) combine the sugars and water.
- Bring syrup to a boil, stirring often until the sugar has dissolved.
- Add cherries and simmer on high until the cherries have heated through and are soft in texture.
- Remove from heat, stir in brandy.
- Using a slotted spoon, ladle cherries into pint size jars.
- With a ladle, add the brandy flavored syrup to the jars, making sure to leave a 1/2-headspace. Remove air bubbles and top the jar with additional syrup if needed.
- Using a clean damp dishtowel wipe rims of jars, add warmed lids and rings to finger tight.
- Process in a water bath or steam canner for 15 minutes, adjusting for altitude (see chart in blog)
Notes
- Cherries can be canned whole or halved.
- Once canned this recipe contains no alcohol. To preserve the alcohol content found in the brandy or bourbon do not can this recipe. Instead store in the refrigerator for up to 4 months.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
192Serving Size:
1 tablespoonAmount Per Serving: Calories: 15Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 0mgCarbohydrates: 3gFiber: 0gSugar: 3gProtein: 0g
Boozy fruit is a fun, and tasty, means for preserving fruit. Enjoy homemade cocktail cherries any way you wish, they’re that delicious!
Why isn’t the Brandy syrup the same for both ways of making the Brandied Cherries? Can you make the cinnamon clove and brandy syrup for the canned brandied cherries?
So confused. You list organic white sugar, and then just regular brown sugar.
The reality is, there is no reason to use organic sugar at all. I have enjoyed looking at your recipes and following your site, but I am not into encouraging people to spend more to seek out organic. There is pesticide use with organically raised crops also.
In response to using an organic sugar in combination of brown sugar. Brown sugar can easily be made at home using organic sugar and molasses if you’d like to give it a try. And in truth, you have a choice on whether you’d like to use organic goods or not, that’s what I had on my pantry and what I used when I created the recipe. I do know, and speak often on the marketing propaganda of organic labeling verses certified organic labeling.