Brandied Cherry Recipe with Easy Canning and Cold Storing Tips (2024)

Enjoy the following tips and steps for canning brandied cherries. This homemade brandied cherry recipe makes for a deliciously brandy soaked co*cktail 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 co*cktail 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.

• Chunky Cherry Jam
• Canning Cherry BBQ Sauce
• Cherry Salsa
• Canning Cherry Juice Concentrate

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 talkabout the type of brandy to use.Some prefera nice cognac for a smooth flavor.However, Ichose 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 Courseis a self-paced series of online classes designed to help you on the road to achieving food ownership.

The Sustainable Canning Courseis an extension of my book,The Farm Girl’s Guideto Preserving theHarvest. I wrote this bookto 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.
• Confidently alter or create recipes to be canned.
• Preserve many tomato products utilizing scientific information with traditional tools.
• How modern canning tools, such as the steam canner and steam juicer, revolutionized preserving methods.
• Understanding how to decipher information shared by the National Center of Home Food Preservation.
• Discover how easy it is to can meat, fish, soups, and stews.

These topics and many more are available withinThe 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

Ifyou have no intentions oncanningbrandied cherries feel free tomake this refrigerator recipe. The alcohol will preserve the brandy soaked cherriesup 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, stemmedand pitted

Instructions

1. Add the cinnamon stick andclovesto thebrandy, allowing the mixtureto infuse for a minimum of 6 hours
2. In a medium saucepanadd the brandy mixtureand sugar, simmer on low and stir often.
3. Remove the pan from the heat, allowing itto sit for 15 minutes
4. 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
5. Strain the brandy syrup over the cherries, removing any air bubbles, making sure to cover the cherries
6. 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 co*cktail beverages.

Canning Brandied Cherries

When you’ve beenblessedwith 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 whitesugar
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 1 cup water

Equipment

• cherry pitter
• 6 1/2-pint mason jars
• steam canneror 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

1. In a heavy bottom saucepan combine the sugars, water and lemon juice
2. Bring syrup to a boil, stirring often until the sugar has dissolved
3. Add cherries and simmer until the cherries have heated through
4. Remove from heat, stir in brandy
5. Using a slotted spoon ladle cherries into pint size jars
6. Add brandy syrup to jars leaving a 1/4 headspace, remove air bubbles and top the jar with additional syrup if needed
7. Process in a water bathor steam canner for 15 minutes, adjusting for altitude. See processing times below.

Note

Add the boozy berries to adult co*cktails, 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

Boozy fruit is a fun, and tasty, means for preserving fruit. Enjoy homemade co*cktail cherries any way you wish, they’re that delicious!