Easy Sugared Cranberries {Candied Cranberries}

Quick and easy sugared cranberries recipe (candied cranberries or frosted cranberries) with simple ingredients. No popping or cracking! They are sweet and sour and have a wonderful crunch. They are beautiful and sparkly and great for garnishing and decorating cakes, cupcakes, holiday pies and even cocktails. They also make a lovely addition to my collection of Easy Homemade Christmas Gift Ideas (Food).

I love cranberries, especially in desserts and have so many recipes with this incredible ingredient. You should really check out my Cranberry Orange Muffins and this Crustless Cranberry Pie and even this Cranberry Upside Down Cake (With Cake Mix) as well as this  Coconut Cranberry Cake.

Key ingredients for candied cranberries

• Granulated sugar- You will use some for the syrup and some for sprinkling on the cranberries after to create a topping.
• Vanilla extract- Adds a hint of warm flavor.
• Water- Used as the main base of the sugar syrup.
• Fresh cranberries- It's important to use fresh and not frozen.

Variations

• Use as a topping- These would be stunning on top of cakes and cupcakes, especially these Gingerbread Cupcakes and this Gingerbread Cake.
• Leftover sugar syrup can be used in cocktails/drinks- Like this Non Alcoholic Christmas Punch and even soaking cake layers in this English Trifle (Christmas Trifle).
• Sparkling sugared cranberries- Instead of water, sparkling water can be used. But after trying it myself, I didn't think there was no noticeable difference.
• Add other flavors- Through the use of different extracts, lemon or orange zests and even herbs like sprigs of rosemary, basil or thyme. You can also add cinnamon sticks, whole green cardamoms, star anise, cloves, ginger.

How to make easy sugared cranberries recipe from scratch?

1. Prepare a simple sugar syrup- By boiling water and sugar in a pan (Image 1).
2. Remove pan from stove- And add vanilla, then allow it to cool before soaking the cranberries (Image 2).
3. Coat them in a tray- Filled with granulated sugar (Image 3).
4. Place each cranberry on a sheet of wax paper- And let it dry until topping is dry (Image 4).

Tips and techniques

• 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 is not as tasty or as attractive as granulated sugar. Powdered sugar also starts to dissolve quickly with the wet syrup and makes a sticky mess.
• Make these for a larger crowd- This recipe can easily be doubled.
• Don't rush the drying process- This is very important because if you rush the process, the sugar topping will fall off the berries.
• Do not use frozen cranberries- Because fresh ones taste better and also frozen ones tend to release a lot of water as they thaws and that makes everything very sticky and messy.
• Do not use dried cranberries- Because they are not as pretty and vibrant red as fresh ones. Furthermore, dried cranberries are already sweetened and when they are coated in sugar, they become overly sweet. Their texture is also more chewy.

Recipe FAQs

Storage

• Make ahead- These can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days before serving.
• Room temperature- These should not be left out for more than 1 day.
• Refrigerate- Leftovers can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
• Freezer- This is not recommended, because as they thaw, they will become a sticky mess and not look very pretty.

More easy Christmas candy recipes

• Chocolate Mint Truffles
• White Chocolate Truffles Recipe
• Jelly Marshmallow Candy (Pinwheels)
• Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles
• Easy Buckeyes Recipe (Peanut Butter Balls)
• Coffee Fudge
• Condensed Milk Fudge (With Cranberries and Pistachios)

Recipe