Easy Sugared Cranberries
These easy sugared cranberries are crisp, sparkly, and perfectly sweet-tart — an effortless holiday treat you can make with just three ingredients. Use them to garnish cocktails, decorate desserts, or add colour to a charcuterie or cheese board. This recipe is for half a bag - about 1 1/2 cups because you really don't need a lot.
Servings: 1.5 cups
Calories: 455kcal
Ingredients
- 11/2 cups fresh cranberries (half a bag)
- 1 cup granulated sugar divided
- 1/4 cup water
Instructions
- Sort through and place cranberries in heat proof bowl.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Make simple syrup by heating 1/2 cup sugar with 1/4 cup water until sugar is fully dissolved, let cool 2-3 minutes so the cranberries don't cook.
- Pour warm syrup over cranberries and gently toss to coat evenly. Let rest in syrup for 2 minutes.
- Lift cranberries out of syrup with a slotted spoon, letting the liquid drip off. Spread on parchment lined baking sheet in single layer and let dry 40-60 minutes or until coating is crisp and no longer drippy. This drying time is an important step.
- Helpful Tip: If puddles of syrup form around the cranberries while drying, move them to a dry spot so they can dry properly. Wet berries won't hold the sugar crystals properly.
- Pour remaining 1/2 cup sugar into a large, shallow bowl. Add tacky cranberries, rolling them in the sugar until fully coated. Add more sugar as needed.
Notes
Resting the cranberries to allow the simple syrup to set is important so the sugar sparkles doesn't melt right away.
Consider sugaring a few sprigs of rosemary at the same time to add to your sparkly garnish collection. You can even coat spruce tips or other fruits and herbs that are dry.
Store extras in single layer at room temp for 24 hours and then move them to the fridge loosely covered to store for longer.
Nutrition
Calories: 455kcal | Carbohydrates: 118g | Protein: 0.5g | Fat: 0.5g | Sodium: 6mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 110g | Iron: 0.3mg