Cranberry-Cherry Holiday Sauce with a Kentucky Bourbon Kick

This holiday season I've been using local cranberries like crazy. Today I canned some Cranberry-Cherry sauce that will be yummy over ice cream. I've called and labeled it "with a Bourbon kick" because I added 1/2 cup of Kentucky Bourbon to the simmering pan.

I made double batches of one I found online and tweaked it so here it is doubled:

• 24 ounces fresh or frozen cranberries
• 12 ounces dried tart cherries (I used some from Trader Joe's and others from my pantry)
• 20 oz. of cranberry juice (not the cocktail version)
• 1 cup of brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp. ground anise
• 2 large cinnamon sticks broken in two pieces
• 4 large, intact star anise.

Makes Five 8.5 ounce jars

Simmer the cranberry juice with the brown sugar until the sugar is dissolved.  Add the ground anise and blend with the bourbon and the cinnamon stick and star anise. Add the cherries and simmer a few minutes. Add the cranberries and simmer until about half the cranberries have burst. Take off the heat, removing the cinnamon sticks and star anise and immediately spoon into clean jars.* 

Process in a hot water bath, covering the jars with at least 2 inches of water, for about 20 minutes. If the seal does not pop within five - ten minutes, you will need to reprocess them until you see bubbles rising within the jar and you have a good seal pop.  

*I used these: Bormioli Rocco Quattro Stagioni Small Glass Mason Jars 8.5 Ounce Mini Jars with Metal Airtight Lid.