Moonshine cherries, also called cherry bombs and spiked cherries are a great adult snack, or wonderful for dressing up a cocktail or dessert. This easy recipe can be stored in your refrigerator, or canned for shelf stable storage. These moonshine cherries also make wonderful gifts. Make some moonshine cherries today. Your taste-buds will thank you!
Moonshine Cherries Recipe
Imagine these deliciously boozy cherries over vanilla ice cream, baked in a pie, cobbler, or tart. Yum!! These make amazing Christmas gifts. You could also serve them at your holiday table. Take advantage of seasonal fresh cherries whether from the United States in the summertime, or from South America in the winter to make these delicious moonshine cherries!
● Pressure canners these days are much better than they used to be. This is the Pressure Canner
used for this tutorial.
● Want to make quart jars? Remember there are two pints in a quart, so simply double this recipe to get 4 quarts of canned green beans.
● In this tutorial, the rings were built into the lid. If you have the old lids + rings + bands, no problem, it works the same way.
● Make sure you sterilize all the parts of your canning jar: the jar itself, lids, bands. Some people just use REALLY hot sink water to get the jars good and hot and clean. You can also run the jars through the dishwasher instead to make sure they are clean and come out hot. And there is the old boil it all on the stove so they come out squeaky clean and remain hot.
Moonshine Cherries Mise en Place:
● 3 Pint Canning Jars
● 3 Lids and Screw Tops
● Measuring Cup
● Measuring Spoons
● Cherry Pitter
● Small Saucepan
● Whisk
● Pressure Canner
Moonshine Cherries Recipe Ingredients:
● 4 cups fresh Cherries (Rainier or Bing)
● ¾ cup Sugar
● 3½ cups Rum (or brandy or bourbon – the cherries shown used rum in the recipe)
● 2 TBSP Lemon Juice
Moonshine Cherries Recipe Directions:
● Wash your canning jars lids, gaskets, screw tops in the dishwasher on sanitize, boiling water on the stove, or extremely hot sink water.
● While your canning jars are being cleaned; thoroughly wash your cherries.
● Place sugar and rum into a small saucepan over medium-high heat; bring to a simmer while stirring constantly.
● Turn off heat and allow to sit for 15 minutes.
● Stir in lemon juice.
● Remove cherry stems stems, and pit cherries. Use a cherry pitter to make this job much easier. You can also use a steel straw
to pop the cherry pits.
● Pack pint jar with cherries
● Pour rum mixture over the cherries in the canning jar leaving 1″ head space at the top. Wipe the rim well to clean.
● Place lid and ring on top and secure tightly.
● If you choose not to process these moonshine cherries, they will still be good for up to a year stored in the back of your refrigerator.
● If you want to make them shelf-stable you can process them by submerging them in a hot water bath for 15 minutes or processing in a pressure canner using the automatic canning button setting.
● Makes 3 pints Moonshine Cherries
Moonshine Cherries Recipe
Moonshine cherries, also called cherry bombs and spiked cherries are a great adult snack, or wonderful for dressing up a cocktail or dessert. This easy recipe can be stored in your refrigerator, or canned for shelf stable storage. These moonshine cherries also make wonderful gifts. Make some moonshine cherries today. Your taste-buds will thank you!
Ingredients
- 4 cups fresh Cherries (Rainier or Bing)
- ¾ cup Sugar
- 3½ cups Rum (or brandy or bourbon)
- 2 TBSP Lemon Juice
Instructions
- Wash your canning jars, lids, gaskets, screw tops in the dishwasher on sanitize, boiling water on the stove, or extremely hot sink water.
- While your canning jars are being cleaned; thoroughly wash your cherries.
- Place sugar and rum into a small saucepan over medium-high heat; bring to a simmer while stirring constantly.
- Turn off heat and allow to sit for 15 minutes.
- Stir in lemon juice.
- Remove cherry stems stems, and pit cherries. Use a cherry pitter to make this job much easier. You can also use a steel straw to pop the cherry pits.
- Pack pint jar with cherries and pour rum mixture over them leaving 1″ head space at the top. Wipe the rim well to clean.
- Place lid and ring on top and secure tightly.
- If you choose not to process these moonshine cherries, they will still be good for up to a year stored in the back of your refrigerator.
- If you want to make them shelf-stable you can process them by submerging them in a hot water bath for 15 minutes or processing in a pressure canner using the automatic canning button setting.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
24Serving Size:
2ozAmount Per Serving: Calories: 102Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 1mgCarbohydrates: 10gFiber: 1gSugar: 9gProtein: 0g
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Carlena says
If you heat/simmer the rum aren’t you deleting the alcohol In essence making nonalcoholic cherries? How do I keep the alcohol in them?
Ann says
Huh, well thank you for asking, Carlena. I always thought alcohol was burned off quickly too and you were just left with the taste of the alcohol. Apparently not. Read this answer from What’s Cooking America. Some alcohol will remain if you do the shelf stable hot canning method and the stovetop cook, and not only the taste.
Ila says
They also don’t keep as long the canning boil don’t cook off alcohol due to sealed lid but cooking the rum an sugar causes it to be lower proof rum is 40proof which u need for year in fridge storage but cooking rum an sugar lowers it just under the 40 an they go bad quicker u can just not cook rum an sugar it will blend in itself in few hours and saves the proof needed for year fridge life
Ila says
My point is that it does cook off some alcohol and u need full proof when using rum so don’t cook the rum and sugar an I promise you get same results been doing this way for years and keeps in fridge closer to year an half before I would worry but supposedly fruit in alcohol doesn’t go bad not sure how safe this is something my mother said she says they are good 5yrs I toss after year an half
Janet Vinyard says
Hi Ann, What a delicious concoction! Pinned for Christmas! I can just imagine a Holiday Trifle made with these moonshine cherries! Thanks for sharing the canning instructions, too! Blessings, Janet
Ann says
I hope you enjoy, Janet!!
Ann
Angie @ Knick of Time says
My daughter would just flip over this, so I’m going to surprise her and make them as a gift!
Thanks for linking it up at Talk of the Town – I’ll be featuring this in a special round-up at Knick of Time!
Jemma says
I have a dear friend who would love these, so I’m going to surprise her and make them as a Christmas gift!
Thank you for sharing at TOHOT!
jemma
Michele says
Im trying this but true to form i tend to change something! I tead around a bit and decided i could keep the pits and stems. So ill find out how that goes. If you want pie filling i would pit em. But i thought they might be fun whole just as they are. Thats how we eat them fresh, so why not canned. My jars are a bit smaller…but that might make cute gifts. We shall see!
Ann says
I’d love an update when you try them like that, Michele!
Ann
Bebe says
I made these with rum, fantastic! I got some more cherries today so next I’ll try some with bourbon. Thank you so much!
Ann says
I am so glad you liked them, Bebe!!
Ann
Heather says
Ann, can you tell me how long the cherries should “marinate” in the jars to taste their best? Four days? Three months? Thanks!
Ann says
Heather, I honestly could not say. I have a jar that is four years old that I have not opened, and that could be the best. 🙂 I’d wait a few weeks before opening, although they have been opened three days later (seriously) and were pretty darned good.
Ann
Heather says
Thanks, Ann! I’m up for “pretty darned good.” 😉
Ila says
Four months is optimal strength I make in August to hand out for Xmas gifts but they get maximum results after four months
Maggie Nava says
Could I use this recipe with apricots or peaches?
Ann says
Maggie, I have not done either so cannot say for sure. However, on a guess level? My guess would be yes.
Ann
Maggie Nava says
Thank you!! Think I will try as there is apricot brandy.
Ann says
Maggie, please let me know how they turn out!
Ann
Sandy says
Ann, Can I use cherries that I already froze?
Ann says
Sandy, I have never done it. My guess is if they are completely defrosted, whole, pitted and fairly dark… they are not going to be too bad when finished. However, this is simply a guess. For all I know, they could look horrible (but still taste good).
If you do try it, please let us know how they turned out, and if you did anything different to accomodate frozen cherries.
Ann
Sandy says
Thanks. I’ll give it a try with a small batch and hope for the best.