Bourbon Maple Glazed Carrots

Try these scrumptious, easy and elegant Bourbon Maple Glazed Carrots for dinner guests or holiday entertaining. A few simple ingredients make for a special occasion side dish!

This Glazed Carrots Recipe is easy and elegant and you’ll want seconds and thirds!

Why You Must Make

• Years ago, I was given a bottle of bourbon-spiked maple syrup. Besides being a decadent pancake topper, I whipped up these elegant glazed carrots for an upscale holiday side dish.
• Glazing carrots is such an easy way to turn a normal vegetable side dish into something company-worthy!
• But now there’s no need to hunt down a specialty maple syrup as you can get the same results using both real maple syrup and a splash of bourbon.
• Alcohol is a flavor enhancer and much of it will evaporate as it simmers so that it’s generally safe for all ages to eat unless there are health reasons to avoid it.

Ingredient Notes

• Kitchen Staples – Butter, Salt, Pepper
• Carrots – Peeled and cut into thick diagonal slices
• Chicken Stock – I like Pacific Brand as it’s less salty and has a good flavor.
• Maple syrup – Make sure it’s real maple syrup, not artificially flavored like Log Cabin.
• Bourbon – If you’re not a bourbon drinker, check your grocery store or liquor store to see if they sell those small airplane-sized liquor bottles. Fresh Market locally carries these.
• Cider Vinegar – Less harsh than white vinegar

Maple Glazed Carrots

This fancy cooked carrots recipe can definitely be reserved for dinner guests or family holiday dinners, but they’re so easy to make, you can make them any day of the year. These carrots are a super simple side dish that takes a little extra time to cook.

Reducing the glaze takes about 30 minutes after already having to cook the carrots. But besides the extra step, there’s nothing complicated about these glazed carrots. And if you ask my hubby, he’d tell you they were worth the wait!

My usual method of making glazed carrots is to cook carrot slices or coins in water until tender, drain, then add butter and brown sugar to the carrots and heat until the sugar is melted. This recipe adds another step by using a more flavorful cooking liquid which includes chicken broth, maple syrup, and bourbon.

How to Make Glazed Carrots

1. In a large saucepan, combine all the ingredients.
2.  Bring to a boil, then decrease to a simmer until the carrots are tender.
3. Remove carrots to a bowl, leaving the liquid in the pan.
4.  Bring the liquid to a gentle boil, and reduce the mixture to 1-1 1/4 cups, which takes about 30 minutes.
5. Return carrots to the pan and add vinegar, salt, and pepper to taste. Serve.

Recipe Tips

The addition of maple syrup and bourbon gives some zest to ordinary carrots. If you don’t like cooking with alcohol, feel free to leave it out. If you’re serving children, the long reducing time should boil out almost all the alcohol.

• Make sure the carrots are covered in chicken broth, syrup, bourbon, and butter so they all cook at the same rate.
• Pro-Tip: Alcohol, like salt, is a flavor enhancer. Another reason this recipe is a winner!
• PRO-Tip: For a vegetarian version, feel free to use vegetable stock or salted water instead of chicken broth.
• Reduce the glaze to about 1 cup. The time will vary depending on how vigorously the liquid is boiling.
• If your chicken stock is salty, you may not need to add any extra salt to the carrots. Taste before seasoning. A little black pepper is recommended.
• PRO-Tip: To make orange glazed carrots instead, use ¼ cup each of butter and brown sugar, ⅓ cup of orange juice plus 1 teaspoon of orange zest.

Frequently Asked Questions

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The Recipe:

Bourbon Maple Glazed Carrots Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Yield 8

A simple maple syrup, bourbon glaze to take your carrots to the next level!

Ingredients

• 3 pounds carrots, peeled and cut into thick diagonal slices
• 4-5 cups chicken stock
• ½ cup maple syrup
• 1-2 tablespoons bourbon
• ¼ cup (½ stick) butter
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• Salt, to taste (taste before seasoning)

Instructions

1. In a large saucepan, combine carrots, chicken stock, maple syrup, bourbon, and butter.  
2. Bring to a boil, then decrease to a simmer till carrots are tender, 30-40 minutes.
3. Remove carrots to a bowl, leaving the liquid in the pan.  
4. Bring the liquid to a gentle boil, and reduce the mixture to 1-1 ¼ cups, about 30 minutes.  
5. Return carrots to the pan and add vinegar, salt, and pepper to taste.  Serve.

Notes

Using baby carrots is not recommended unless you like the softer texture of them after cooking.

Recommended Products

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  Pillivuyt Classic Serving Bowl

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 336Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 18mgSodium: 1032mgCarbohydrates: 49gFiber: 5gSugar: 28gProtein: 16g

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