How to Make Amazingly Delicious Sugared Cranberries

I want to share something with you. This is a post I didn’t think I would be writing! But, after some convincing from my daughter I figured why not! Now, you are thinking why all the controversy? Well, theres not really, its just a post I never thought I would write. But, because of mine and my daughters love for sugared cranberries, I wanted to share it with the world! Haha, I know this has been shared other places, but I wanted to share my take on it as well!

At Christmas time, there are certain things that are just part of the holiday. I think cranberries have always been a big part. Whether for decoration or for eating, cranberries hold their own during the holidays. We at my house love all things cranberries and sugared cranberries are definitely one of our favorites!

I often find my daughter sneaking in the fridge to get ahold of that tupperware full of sugared cranberries. I mean, she could be eating worse right?

This week, I have been working on a ton of Christmas projects and for some of them, I am using sugared cranberries. So, I thought I might as well share my recipe with you and maybe, just maybe someone who has never thought these to be very edible will try them out and find out that they are so so good!

Why not watch this video to see how to sleep them!

They get a crunchy sugary coating, and once you pop one in your mouth, the crunch of the sugar and the pop of the cranberry in your mouth combine to create a tart and sweet treat. I absolutely love them!

I feel like this recipe is so easy I don’t even need to create a recipe card for it. So lets just talk about it here…

How to make sugared cranberries:

This recipe is so easy, I wanted to just share it with you real quick.

All you need to make sugared cranberries is sugar, water, and cranberries.

I start by making a simple syrup. I use 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup sugar to make the simple syrup. I bring it to a boil and then turn it off.
Next immediately add your clean cranberries to the syrup. I only add as much as can easily sit in the syrup and get a good covering. I usually have to do 2 batches to sugar a whole bag of cranberries.

You now want to let the cranberries steep in the hot syrup for about 5-10 minutes.

While they are soaking, get out a bakers rack and a bowl with some sugar. Now the type of sugar you use is debatable. I have tried these with regular granulated sugar as well as white sugar in the raw. Both are pretty, but the sugar in the raw has slightly larger granules and they give the cranberries a sparkly look to them. So really, use what you have. I happened to have both, so I used Sugar In The Raw.

After they have soaked in the syrup, use a slotted spoon to take the cranberries out of the syrup. I take them out in medium sized batches, so as to not overwhelm myself. You see, the cranberries will stick together immediately. So, I take some out and use my spoon to move them around and break them up.

You want to avoid contact with the cranberries at this point as much as possible. You don’t want to rub off the sticky syrup.

Take a slotted spoon and scoop up a couple cranberries at a time tossing them in the sugar, rolling them around and making sure they are completely coated.
Next set them on a clean bakers rack to set. After about 20 minutes they will become hard or semi hard on the outside. The sugar and syrup will create a crust on the outside of the cranberries.

Once they are all done, let them sit and dry for about an hour. You can now store them in the fridge for a couple days in an air tight container.

Now, keep in mind, you can be testing and sneaking a treat anytime throughout this process. I find it is like a reward for myself. A treat while I am making them.

I use these sugared cranberries for cakes, drinks, charcuterie boards and just as an after school snack for the kids!