Spiced Brandied Cherries Recipe (2024)

I make these every year, using sweet Bing cherries, unpitted, and without cooking. Once the jar is stuffed with cherries, I add the whole spices, 1/4 cup sugar for each pint, and enough brandy to come up to the top of the cherries. In a couple of weeks, the brandy is a vivid, flavorful red, and the cherries are crisp and juicy.

I discovered that using a cherry pitter on frozen cherries is much easier and less messy. I immediately froze our cherry harvest, then take out what I need for recipes.

Fresh cherries just arrived this season, so I am making another batch of these (I made them last year.) They are delicious over ice cream or pound cake, but we use them most often in manhattans. I use a cherry pitter from Progressive (via Amazon) that I purchased last year. It allows you to do 4 at once and there is never any question as to whether the pit was removed or not.

I used tart cherry juice in place of the 1 cup water.

I have a good solution-- if you leave the spices in a loose leaf tea infuser while the batch cools, they get a little more time to infuse and it's really easy to remove the spices just before canning!

I use frozen cherries...they taste delicious, I cook the water & sugar a little longer, trying to get the syrup thick like Luxardo cherries. Soooo good.

I made this last year and it is a wonderful and easy way to deal with a bounty of cherries. So nice to have this in the frig as an effortless, but good-enough-for-company dessert over vanilla ice cream. This year I cut down the cardamon to only 1 pod instead of 4 to avoid a strong flavor especially apparent after a few months in the frig.

Could I make this with frozen fruit?

Two years ago, neighbor's cherry tree produced so heavily they pulled down two large branches. No time to pit, just threw them into the freezer. Now, in COVID19, I used vodka, less sugar, added whole allspice and black pepper, and left pits in. Makes a superlative sipper on ice, or outstanding Vodka Tonic with squeeze of lime. Currently starting batch 2, considering Christmas gifts, praying for another bountiful season next door. AND looking for quick bread recipe for the remains of batch 1 :)!

Are black or green cardamom pods used?

Made this with Queen Anne cherries. Reduced quantities as my tree produced only a small number this year. Making more now with a gift of cherries. They have been wonderful over ice cream, by the spoon full… and if I had dried cherries, I would wing it and give it a go. But the question about tart cherries…. More sugar for sure. But I would just go for the tart cherry desserts I love so much.

I made these for holiday gifts this year. One batch produces two pint jars. They were a huge hit.

I made this using frozen cherries to give away as holiday gifts for my book club members. Each batch makes two generous pint jars. They were a huge hit. These cherries are delicious warmed a little and served over vanilla ice cream. I’m in the process of making more to give to even more people. This is a very easy and much appreciated holiday gift recipe.

Any recommendations for subing tart cherries? I have a tree that’s full and ripening and I’d love to try this this year!

Delicious! Heated the light sugar syrup from a jar of morello cherries with the spices, added the brandy & poured it over the cherries in the glass jar. Once it cooled, let it stay in the fridge(with great difficulty!) for two days. Have been enjoying this luscious treat in tartuffo, over yogurt, with a dash of cream & on its own.

Can this be done with dried cherries?

I use frozen cherries...they taste delicious, I cook the water & sugar a little longer, trying to get the syrup thick like Luxardo cherries. Soooo good.

Added the peaches getting soft on the counter, yum

One of many reasons that I like Melissa's recipes is that she always says, do such-and-such "...before eating", rather than "before serving"...She knows, when the mouth is watering!

Two years ago, neighbor's cherry tree produced so heavily they pulled down two large branches. No time to pit, just threw them into the freezer. Now, in COVID19, I used vodka, less sugar, added whole allspice and black pepper, and left pits in. Makes a superlative sipper on ice, or outstanding Vodka Tonic with squeeze of lime. Currently starting batch 2, considering Christmas gifts, praying for another bountiful season next door. AND looking for quick bread recipe for the remains of batch 1 :)!

I made this last year and it is a wonderful and easy way to deal with a bounty of cherries. So nice to have this in the frig as an effortless, but good-enough-for-company dessert over vanilla ice cream. This year I cut down the cardamon to only 1 pod instead of 4 to avoid a strong flavor especially apparent after a few months in the frig.

I added a couple cardomom pods, and wish I hadn't. My best version so far included cooking a few cherry pits in the simple syrup, for a little kick of cyanide, and adding a splash of orange extract, because I like a little citrus in a Manhattan.

I used tart cherry juice in place of the 1 cup water.

Could I make this with frozen fruit?