Sugared Cranberries are so festive and are an easy way to dress up desserts for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Candied cranberries have just 3 ingredients and will make any dessert sparkle.
These frosted cranberries are beautiful as a dessert topping like Cranberry Bundt Cake, but they’re also a fun addition to a holiday cookie platter.
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We love cranberries for the holidays from Cranberry Sauce to Sparkling Cranberry Punch. They make everything more festive and these sugared cranberries are such a treat.
Sugared Cranberries Video
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What are Sugared Cranberries?
Sugared cranberries are essentially candied cranberries, dipped in a simple syrup of sugar and water then rolled in sugar until well coated. This recipe only requires 3 ingredients and it’s easy to scale the recipe up or down.
The Best Sugar for Cranberries: We love granulated sugar because it gives the cranberries an even coating and the granules are still large enough to make the cranberries look frosted, but you can also use cane sugar.
How to make Sugared Cranberries
Heat the Syrup – In a medium saucepan, simmer 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup sugar for 3 minutes.
Stir in cranberries to coat then remove from heat and stir another 1 minute.
Remove cranberries with a slotted spoon and transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet or rack and dry out for 1 hour
Roll sticky cranberries in remaining sugar to coat.
Rinse and dry the cranberries. The syrup will stick better to dry cranberries and you don’t want to incorporate excess water into your syrup.
Simmer syrupon low heat for 3 minutes after it’s come to a boil. You want the sugar to fully dissolve and form a slightly thickened syrup for coating cranberries.
Fully Coat the cranberries in the syrup. I like to stir them for a minute off the heat.
Remove Cranberries before they burst. You don’t want them to release their juices or soften.
Can I eat candied cranberries?
Sugared cranberries are edible. They are sweet, tangy, and delicious. Raw cranberries can be very tart on their own but once they are coated in that sweet syrup and a layer of sugar, they almost taste like candy.
How to serve cranberries in sugar:
Snacking –Sugared Cranberries are great for snacking and look amazing on a holiday cheeseboard.
Garnish – Try them over a Cranberry Cake, or scatter them on Pumpkin Pie or a cooled Apple Pie.
Decorate Main Dishes – decorate the serving platter of your Baked Ham or Prime Rib.
Make Desserts Festive – Decorating Vanilla Cake or Cupcakes with sugared cranberries will instantly make them look Christmasy and festive.
What can I do with the sugar syrup?
You can discard the sugar syrup or make great use of it to:
Soak Cakes: Adding the simple sugar syrup to a Sponge Cake adds sweetness and moisture.
Add to Drinks: you can use the syrup for Homemade Lemonade or add it to your favorite Cranberry Pineapple Punch.
Storing sugared cranberries
Store sugared cranberries covered at room temperature in a cool, dry environment for up to 2 days.
Pro Tip: If the sugar starts looking moist, you can re-roll them in a little more sugar to freshen them up.
What to do with leftover sugared cranberries?
If your cranberries have softened or you just have leftover cranberries, You can put them into a saucepan with a little water and make a quick homemade cranberry sauce.
More Holiday Desserts
Christmas Sugar Cookies – our go-to Christmas Cookies
Caramel Sauce – nothing beats homemade
Almond Snowball Cookies – melt-in-your-mouth delicious
Strawberry Pretzel Salad – a staple at holiday dessert buffets
Tiramisu Yule Log Cake – a stunning bouche de noel
Red Velvet Cake – with the best frosting
Sugared Cranberries (Easy Recipe)
5 from 121 votes
Author: Natasha Kravchuk
How to make easy sugared cranberries with just 3 ingredients. These candied cranberries are perfect for decorating cakes, pies, and even holiday roasts.
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Prep Time: 5 minutesmins
Cook Time: 5 minutesmins
Resting Time: 1 hourhr
Total Time: 1 hourhr10 minutesmins
Ingredients
Servings: 12people (makes 3 cups)
1/2cupwater
1 1/2cupsgranulated sugar, divided
3cupsfresh cranberries, rinsed and dried
Instructions
In a medium saucepan, combine 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup sugar. Bring to a boil and let it simmer on low heat for 3 minutes.
Stir in the cranberries to fully coat in the syrup then remove from heat and stir 1 minute.
Remove cranberries with a slotted spoon and transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet or a metal rack to let cranberries dry out for 1 hour.
Roll cranberries in batches in the remaining 1 cup sugar to coat.
Welcome to my kitchen! I am Natasha, the blogger behind Natasha's Kitchen (since 2009). My husband and I run this blog together and share only our best, family approved and tested recipes with YOU. Thanks for stopping by! We are so happy you're here.
Do you need to cook fresh cranberries before baking? While cranberries should not be eaten as is (they are unpleasantly tart), they do not need to be cooked before they are used in baked goods.
Do you need to cook fresh cranberries before baking? While cranberries should not be eaten as is (they are unpleasantly tart), they do not need to be cooked before they are used in baked goods.
Anything from a drizzle of honey to agave, maple syrup, or molasses will also fare well. After a few minutes of maceration, the sour fruit juices will mix with the sugar and alleviate some of the cranberries' natural tartness.
Out of all fruits, cranberries have one of the lowest amounts of sugar. In every cup of cranberries, there is only 4g of sugar. This compares to raspberries, blackberries, and strawberries, which have 5, 7, and 7 grams of sugar per cup, respectively.
When fresh cranberries are cooked, they release all their sweet-tart flavor and the jammy goodness (from natural pectins) that makes cranberry sauces and relishes so popular at Thanksgiving. Use them to add zingy flavor to all kinds of desserts and help thicken pie and cobbler fillings.
Yes, raw cranberries are safe to consume raw, but you probably don't want to eat them that way. "Cranberries are safe to eat raw. However, usually they are cooked and have sugar added because of the bitter and sharp taste they have when raw," says Kelly West Keyser, a registered dietitian in Alabama.
Rehydrate the fruits: Dried fruits can be quite hard and dry, so it's often a good idea to rehydrate them before adding them to your baked goods. To do this, simply soak the dried fruits in warm water or fruit juice for 15-20 minutes until they are plump and tender.
Cranberries are generally considered safe whether they are cooked or raw. However, because of their notoriously bitter, sharp taste, most people prefer not to eat them raw or unsweetened. This bitterness is due to the high tannin content of cranberries.
If your cranberry sauce is too thick, it's most likely overcooked. When you cook cranberries (or any berries), they burst, releasing pectin—a natural thickener. The key to a perfect consistency is to allow some but not all of the cranberries to split open—something you'll achieve with less time on the stove.
Dear Evelyn: I had the same problem when I first started making my own cranberry sauce. I found out that you should cook them just until they pop. Further cooking will make them bitter, and once that happens, you need to start again.
One study published in Food and Function found that adding whole cranberries to a high-fat meal may improve postprandial blood glucose levels (AKA how high your blood sugar get after a meal). A food like cranberry sauce is traditionally made with ingredients including real cranberries, sugar and spices.
The cranberry is also a contender when it comes to antioxidant content. While wild blueberries outperform them when it comes to measuring both antioxidant capacity and cellular antioxidant activity, cranberries pack their own health punch.
Dried cranberries may be marketed as craisins due to the similarity in appearance with raisins, although the word "Craisin" is a registered trademark of Ocean Spray. Craisins were introduced as part of a packaged cereal produced by Ralston Purina in 1989.
Sugared cranberries are edible. They are sweet, tangy, and delicious. Raw cranberries can be very tart on their own but once they are coated in that sweet syrup and a layer of sugar, they almost taste like candy.
Both fresh and dried cranberries are safe to feed to dogs in small quantities. Whether your dog will like this tart treat is another question. Either way, moderation is important when feeding cranberries to dogs, as with any treat, as too many can lead to an upset stomach.
Directions. Empty a 12-ounce bag of fresh or frozen cranberries into a saucepan and transfer 1/2 cup to a small bowl. Add 1 cup sugar, 1 strip orange or lemon zest and 2 tablespoons water to the pan and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves and the cranberries are soft, about 10 minutes.
You'll probably want to use about 1 cup of fresh cranberries for every 1/2 cup of dried cranberries called for in the recipe. You can also look for recipes calling for fresh blueberries and use cranberries instead. Since they're similar in size, fresh blueberries and cranberries can be substituted one-for-one.
Yes, dried cranberries work well in baked goods; however there is a ¼ cup difference in measurement. If a recipe calls for one cup of fresh or frozen cranberries, use ¾ cup of sweetened dried cranberries. You can also rehydrate dried cranberries using water or cranberry juice for a more plump texture.
Avoid cranberries that look bruised or shriveled. Before use, rinse fresh or frozen cranberries and discard any that are damaged. It is not necessary to rinse before freezing, and there is also no need to clean dried cranberries. When cooking, heat cranberries just until they pop.
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