These sugared cranberries are super delicious and so easy to make, you only need 3 ingredients. They are a great Holiday snack, you can use them to decorate desserts, cocktails, or decorations trays – they just look so beautiful!
Ingredients
What do you need to make frosted cranberries:
- Cranberries – make sure to use fresh cranberries, not dried and not frozen.
- Sugar – white granulated sugar. You can also superfine (caster) sugar, but I think these cranberries look a little prettier with granulated sugar.
- Orange juice – most recipes call for water but I’ve found that these cranberries taste better with a hint of orange flavor and also the sugar sticks better to them. You can use just water if you don’t have orange juice on hand.
Step by step instructions:
STEP 1: Add the orange juice and 1/4 cup (50g) of sugar into a medium pot. Heat over medium-low heat until sugar is dissolved, don’t bring to a boil (if it comes to a boil, let it cool slightly). Take the pot off the heat.
STEP 2: Wash the cranberries and sort out any that don’t look so great. Add them to the pot and stir to coat. Let the cranberries steep in the mixture for 15 minutes (you can also leave them in syrup in the fridge overnight).
STEP 3: Drain the cranberries on a sieve (or remove them from the pot with a slotted spoon) and transfer them to a tray lined with parchment paper. Reserve the syrup (if you like). Leave them to dry for 1 hour. After that time the cranberries should be dry but sticky.
How to use up leftover orange syrup:
- cook it for a couple of minutes to thicken and use up as syrup for pancakes
- add to cocktails – it’s perfect in this cranberry martini
- brush it on top of cakes
STEP 4: Sprinkle the cranberries with sugar (add more or less if needed) and roll them in sugar until well coated.
Let dry for 1 hour.
Your sugared cranberries are done! Enjoy!
Storage
These cranberries keep well in the fridge in an uncovered container for up to 4-5 days, they are best up to 2 days though. After this time the sugar starts to fall off the cranberries.
If they start to ‘weep’, just sprinkle them carefully with more sugar to freshen them up.
If you don’t plan on eating them and just want to use them as a decoration, you can also store them uncovered at room temperature. They will look good for up to 2-3 days. Then they will start to wrinkle and weep which will discolor the sugar that will be no longer white but more yellow.
How to use sugared cranberries
- they are perfect for dressing up bundt cakes, cakes, cupcakes, and any other Christmas desserts
- they are a delicious sparkling garnish to Holiday cocktails – you can decorate cocktail glasses with them (try to skew them on a toothpick and rest them on top of a glass) – you can see them on the photos in this cranberry martini recipe or cranberry mimosa
- they are perfect for Holiday snacking
- add them to your Holiday decorations – for example, trays with candles and tree branches (they won’t last long though, about 2 days)
- sprinkle it over cranberry sauce or mashed sweet potato
- garnish them around the turkey
- garnish for hot chocolate
- scatter them around a charcuterie board
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Sugared Cranberries
Ingredients
- 1 cup (100g) fresh cranberries
- 1/2 cup (120ml) orange juice or water
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
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Instructions
- Add the orange juice and 1/4 cup (50g) of sugar into a medium pot. Heat over medium-low heat until sugar is dissolved, don't bring to a boil (if it comes to a boil, let it cool slightly). Take the pot off the heat.
- Wash the cranberries and sort out any that don’t look so great. Add them to the pot and stir to coat. Let the cranberries steep in the mixture for 15 minutes (you can also leave them in syrup in the fridge overnight).
- Drain the cranberries on a sieve (or remove them from the pot with a slotted spoon) and transfer them to a tray lined with parchment paper. Reserve the syrup (if you like). Leave them to dry for 1 hour. After that time the cranberries should be dry but sticky.
- Sprinkle the cranberries with sugar (add more or less if needed) and roll them in sugar until well coated. Let dry for 1 hour.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- How to use up leftover orange syrup: cook it for a couple of minutes to thicken and use up as syrup for pancakes, add to cocktails, or brush it on top of cakes.
- Storage: These cranberries keep well in the fridge in an uncovered container for up to 4-5 days, they are best up to 2 days though. After this time the sugar starts to fall off the cranberries. If they start to ‘weep’, just sprinkle them carefully with more sugar to freshen them up.
- Calories = 1/6 of the recipe (1 serving). This is only an estimate!
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