How To Make Sugared Cranberries {Candied Cranberries}
Quick and easy sugared cranberries recipe (candied cranberries) with simple ingredients. No popping or cracking! Use it to decorate cakes, cocktails.
These sugared cranberries (candied cranberries) are sweet and sour and have a wonderful sugary crunch. They are beautiful and sparkly and great for garnishing/ decorating cakes, cupcakes, Holiday pies and even cocktails/ drinks. They also make a lovely homemade gift.
If you are fond of cranberries, you should also check out this Chocolate Cranberry Truffles and this Cranberry Coconut Cake.
Also known as candied cranberries!
How to make sugared cranberries? How do you make sweet cranberries?
- Prepare a simple sugar syrup.
- Allow it to cool down a bit so that it’s not boiling hot.
- Then, add fresh cranberries.
- soak them for 1-2 minutes until they are fully coated.
- Coat them in a tray filled with granulated sugar.
- Place each cranberry on a sheet of wax paper and let it dry until topping is crunchy and you are done.
How long do sugared cranberries last?
If stored properly, they will last 2-3 days in the fridge.
How do you store candied cranberries?
Store in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
How do you soak cranberries?
Prepare a simple sugar syrup but allow it to cool down a bit so that it’s not boiling hot. Then, add fresh cranberries and soak them for 1-2 minutes until they are sticky.
Sparkling sugared cranberries
Instead of water, sparkling water can be used but after trying it, there was no noticeable difference.
Frozen sugared cranberries
I don’t recommend using frozen cranberries because fresh ones taste better and also frozen cranberries tend to release a lot of water as it thaws and thus, that will make the candied cranberries very sticky.
Candied dried cranberries
I don’t recommend this either because they are not as beautiful as fresh cranberries. Furthermore, dried cranberries are already sweetened and when they are coated in sugar, they become overly sweet.
Tips for easy sugared cranberries recipe
- Don’t dump the cranberries in HOT sugar water/syrup or else your cranberries are highly likely to pop and crack and make a mess. Instead, allow the sugar water to cool down before dumping the cranberries and mixing them together.
- Don’t coat cranberries in powdered sugar because it’s messier and also, not as tasty as coating the cranberries in granulated sugar, which gives them a crunchy texture.
- Do not replace fresh cranberries with frozen or dried cranberries because the results are not as beautiful or delicious.
- Recipe can easily be doubled.
- Leftover sugar syrup can be used in cocktails/drinks.
Other Christmas Candy Recipes
- Red Velvet Truffles
- Chocolate Mint Truffles
- White Chocolate Truffles Recipe
- Jelly Marshmallow Candy (Pinwheels)
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles
- Easy Buckeye Recipe (Peanut Butter Balls)
- White Chocolate Fudge (2 Ingredients)
- Mocha Almond Fudge
- Homemade Gourmet Chocolate
- Rudolph Chocolate Bars
Easy Sugared Cranberries (Candied Cranberries)
Ingredients
- ½ cup Granulated sugar
- ½ cup Water
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 1 bag Cranberries, Fresh, 12 oz. bag
- 2 cups Additional granulated sugar, For coating cranberries
Instructions
- Add sugar and water in a nonstick saucepan. Mix and heat over medium heat.
- When the mixture stars bubbling and gets a little thick, take the saucepan off the heat and add vanilla extract. Let this sugar mixture cool down for about 30 minutes.
- Then, add cranberries and mix everything together until cranberries are fully coated. Scoop out the cranberries with a sieved spoon and allow excess sugar water to drip off.
- Dump those cranberries in a tray filled with granulated sugar.
- Roll them around the tray so the sugar fully coats the sticky cranberries and then place each sugared cranberry on a a tray lined with wax paper to dry off (Takes about 1 hour). Enjoy!
Notes
- Read all my tips above.
- Leftovers can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Nutrition
Until next time, tata my lovelies!
How awesome! I will try it out. Do you think I would have to wait last minute to use them on white icing (I don’t know if they can stain the icing?)? Thank you!!
I have used these on a white cake and they won’t stain as long as the sugar that’s covering the cranberries are fully dry.
Great! Thank you!!
Can you Decorate you cupcakes web candied cranberries and freeze them
No, that won’t work because when the cranberries thaw, they will become watery and the sugar coating will probably dissolve.