One of the simplest Christmas treats are these Sugared Cranberries. It makes a great garnish on cakes, desserts and drinks. Bring on the festive vibe with these super simple sugared cranberries.
As the name says, it is fresh cranberries that are coated with sugar. The steps are super simple, and anyone can make it.
All you need is sugar, water and fresh cranberries
What flavors works well with Sugared Cranberries
I like to add orange for the refreshing flavor. But fresh rosemary or thyme is amazing too, and it adds a subtle floral note.
A grown-up version would be to add a little bit of chili powder for that subtle heat.
Sugared Cranberries look so darn pretty and makes a great holiday edible gift. The sweetness of the sugar hits you first, and then you get that mild sour taste.
My husband compared it with sour patch and yep, it is somewhat similar.
Ingredients for Sugared Cranberries
Fresh Cranberries - Use good quality fresh cranberries and discard the ones that look bruised or bad.
Orange - I love the refreshing flavor of orange with cranberries, so I used the zest in the sugar and the juice to make the syrup.
Sugar - Use white granulated sugar to make the syrup. You can use other sweetener too, but that may change the consistency of the syrup and also the color.
Steps to prepare Candied Cranberries
You can call these candied cranberries too! The steps are super easy, but you do need some time to let the fresh cranberries soak up all that syrup.
1- Start by making the syrup along with the orange juice and zest. Let the syrup boil for 10 minutes.
2 - In a glass container, add the fresh cranberries and pour the hot syrup on top.
3- Then place a kitchen towel on top, so the cranberries stays dunk in. At first the cranberries will float and then slowly overnight as it sits in the fridge, it will start to sink down.
4 - Mix sugar with orange zest.
5 -After letting the cranberries soak in the syrup overnight, strain the fresh cranberries. Save the syrup to use in Cranberry Gin Fizz Cocktail
6- Toss it in granulated sugar. Then leave it on a plate for it to dry out.
Where to use Sugared Cranberries ?
These are so cute that it makes the perfect garnish for your Christmas cake or Gingerbread mini bundt cake
I love to use as garnish in cocktails.
Makes the perfect Christmas Edible Gifts.
Perfect snack to munch on the go.
How to store?
Store at room temperature. I prefer to layer these on a plate and cover gently with a muslin cloth. If you store in a bottle, over time the warmth will start melting the sugar.
It's best to make in a small batch and enjoy right away.
How to use the leftover syrup?
The syrup is super flavorful and can be used in various different ways!
- Drizzle on cakes
- Drizzle over pancakes or waffles.
- Thicken the leftover syrup by letting it boil for a few more minutes and then, once cooled, you can use in mocktail or cocktail.
- The thickened syrup can be drizzled on hung yogurt/ labneh for a mildly sweet dip to go with crusty bagels or bread.
This is actually the first time I used made Cranberries and am hooked by making it on repeat. As you pop in your mouth, the sugar hits you and then the tart from the cranberries makes it so interesting. A great snack for Christmas Holiday parties.
Sugared Cranberries
Ingredients
- 12 ounce fresh cranberries (1 and ½ cups)
- ½ white granulated sugar
- zest of 1 orange
for the syrup
- ½ cup water
- 1 cup sugar
- ¼ cup fresg orange juice
- zest of 1 orange
Instructions
- In a heavy bottom pan, prepare the syrup by boiling the water, sugar orange juice and zest for 10 minutes.
- Place the fresh cranberries in a glass container and pour the hot syrup on it.
- Place a parchment paper on top of the cranberries, so it gets dunk in the syrup.
- Keep the container in the refrigerator for overnight.
- The next day, strain the candied cranberries and don't discard the delicious syrup.
- In a tray, add the sugar and orange zest and drop the strained cranberries. Shake the pan around to coat the cranberries with granulated sugar.
- Place the sugar coated cranberries in a plate and leave it aside to dry out completely.
- Once dried you can enjoy the sugared cranberries as snack or garnish on desserts or cocktails.
Notes
How to use the leftover syrup?
The syrup is super flavorful and can be used in various different ways!- Drizzle on cakes
- Drizzle over pancakes or waffles.
- Thicken the leftover syrup by letting it boil for a few more minutes and then, once cooled, you can use in mocktail or cocktail.
- The thickened syrup can be drizzled on hung yogurt/ labneh for a mildly sweet dip to go with crusty bagels or bread.
mjskitchen
Oh YAY! I have some cranberries left over from Thanksgiving and now I know what to do with them. It's not quite 12 ounces but this recipe looks easy to adjust. Can't wait to try them. Thanks for sharing.
mjskitchen
I made these and they are fabulous! Now I need to make your spritzers.