Name: Sugared Cranberries
Prep time: 150 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 155 min
Yield: 12
Ingredients: 1/2 cup water; 2 cups sugar (divided); 12 oz cranberries (fresh)

Learn how to make these sparkling and festive Sugared Cranberries. All you need are 3 ingredients; cranberries, sugar and water. So simple and so impressive!

Sugared Cranberries

Tis the season for all things sparkly! Don’t you just love it? And nothing’s prettier than these super simple and sinfully sweet sugared cranberries.

I have to admit that cranberries are not my favorite because of how tart they really are, but you know what? I can devour them no problem when they’re sugar coated like this. They’re sweet and tart, totally adorable and oh so festive.

Can’t you just picture it now – a beautiful cranberry sauce with these studding the top? Or maybe you’d prefer these sprinkled lovingly over top of your favorite holiday pie! I even sneak them into cocktails if I’m really feeling like wowing a crowd.

Sugar and cranberries are basically all you need to make these. First you have to make some simple syrup, which is really simple, equal parts water and sugar. I’m not here to make your holiday meal any more labor intensive than it already is!

Ingredients In Sugared Cranberries

Water – Just plain old water straight from the tap – any temperature.
Cranberries – I used fresh cranberries today, they are super easy to pick up around the holiday season!
Sugar – Granulated white sugar is a must, we aren’t going to achieve that showstopper frosted look with any other kind.

Fresh Or Frozen?

This recipe has only been tested with fresh cranberries, so I would not use frozen cranberries.

How To Make Sugared Cranberries

Combine the sugar and water: In a medium saucepan, combine the water and 1/2 cup of the sugar and bring to a boil over medium heat until sugar is fully dissolved, about 3 minutes.
Allow the cranberries to cool: Stir in the cranberries and make sure each cranberry is well coated in the simple syrup. Using a slotted spoon, transfer cranberries to a wire rack and let them dry for at least an hour.
Finish: After an hour the cranberries should be dry but sticky. Working with a few cranberries at once, roll them in the remaining sugar until they are fully coated. Let them sit until and dry for another hour.

What Can I Do With My Sugared Cranberries?

Well these tasty treats were made to be admired! And what better way to admire them than to serve them atop some of your drool worthy creations.

Sprinkled over cranberry sauce
Garnish for a cocktail
The ‘cherry’ atop apple pie
Use them as garnish around your turkey
Scatter them around a charcuterie board for a bright festive touch
Plunk them over some vanilla ice cream
Or just eat them as is! It’s your house

Fun For The Whole Family

These would great to do with kids, yeah they’ll have sticky little hands and probably make a mess out of your kitchen, but they’ll have fun and you’ll love cleaning up after. Ahem!

Storing Leftover Sugared Cranberries

Store these in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. These bad boys don’t mix well with freezing so try to make them at maximum a few days before you need them!

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