If you’ve never made (or eaten) sugared cranberries before, you’re in for a treat. Literally. These little beauties require only two ingredients and the result is absolutely stunning little morsels of sweet-tart deliciousness that burst in your mouth. You basically roll berries in a sweet simple syrup so they become tacky on the outside and then roll them in sugar. When they dry, the sugar granules sparkle and create a crackly little crust around the tart berries. They’re totally addicting to snack on and they make a gorgeous garnish on holiday desserts like cupcakes, cakes, cheesecakes, mousses, you name it. They also work great for a party snack, or appetizer, or on a cheese plate. Make them a day or two ahead of Thanksgiving and have them ready to pull out when your guests arrive and start snacking!
Ingredients Needed
- Fresh cranberries – You can make whatever quantity of cranberries you like, here. I’m using a whole (12 ounce) bag of fresh cranberries, which is the normal size of bag you find in the produce section these days.
- Granulated sugar
- Water
How to Make Sugared Cranberries
- Wash your cranberries and pick through them, removing any damaged or squishy ones.
- Make a simple syrup with sugar and water.
- Once it’s cooled to room temp, pour it over the berries and let them sit in the fridge overnight. This helps the sugar syrup thicken a bit and stick better but if you’re in a time crunch, you can certainly just move right along to the next step. They’ll be slightly more tart that way.
- Use a slotted spoon to remove berries from syrup and set them on a cooling rack (make sure your rack is sitting over foil so the sugary syrup can drip off.
- Once they dry for 45 minutes to an hour, they just have a thin coating of tacky syrup.
- Roll berries in sugar. I’ve found the best combination to be regular granulated sugar and also a coarse, larger grain sugar. I like to roll first in the coarse sugar and then in regular sugar to fill in the gaps.
- Spread the berries out on a baking sheet and let them dry completely (a couple of hours to overnight). The result is incredibly beautiful- little berries that literally sparkle. The outsides are crisp and then they burst in your mouth with a crunchy little sugary exterior that balances out the tart berries. They look absolutely gorgeous on a table. Serve them in bowls for snacking, or use them to adorn a holiday dessert.
Storing and other Tips
- These are best used the same day. If you need to store them, I like to leave them at room temp, uncovered. Unless you live in a humid environment and then you might want to put them in an airtight container.
- If the cranberries look wet at all when you go to use them after storing, give them a quick roll in sugar before serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
I also use this syrup to make Candied Citrus Slices for my Orange-Cranberry Cheesecake. If you’re making both, make the oranges first and then use the leftover syrup to make the cranberries. When all of that is done, use the syrup to sweeten your favorite holiday drink! Readers report that it’s great in ginger ale.
You can definitely do this with grapes. I have not tried this particular method with other fruits!
Sugared Cranberries
Equipment
Ingredients
Simple Syrup
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup water
Other Ingredients
- 12 ounce bag fresh cranberries
- additional sugar for rolling both granulated and a coarse sugar, if desired
Instructions
- Wash cranberries and discard any damaged ones. Place in a bowl. Combine sugar and water in a pot and heat until simmering. Stir until sugar is dissolved and let cool to room temp, or only slightly warm. Pour over cranberries and let sit in fridge, covered, overnight.
- Use a slotted spoon to remove berries from syrup. Set berries on a cooling rack that is placed over foil to collect drips. Spread berries out so they are not touching each other. Let dry for 1 hour.
- Roll berries a handful at a time in sugar (use the two-sugar technique from the notes if desired.) Place sugared berries on a parchment lined baking sheet, or foil, etc. and let dry for at least a couple hours and up to overnight.
Notes
- You can use regular granulated sugar for this recipe if you’d like to simplify things. I found the best results by first rolling in a slightly coarse sugar and then rolling in regular granulated sugar.
- I just store in a container at room temperature. Try not to stack them too deep if possible, the more they rub against each other long term, the greater the chance of the sugar rubbing off.
Questions & Reviews
These are a traditional treat in Latvia, although they are covered in powdered sugar instead of granulated sugar. You still get some crunch and it’s still nice and sweet, although you can’t see the red of the berries. One note of caution, I actually had some ferment on me!
OH my! I made these for Thanksgiving and they were a hit. My father-in-law could not stop eating them. My mother-in-law asked if I would bring them again for Christmas! Thank you!
These were like all-natural sour patch kids! We couldn’t stop eating them. So good and so fun!
Made these with all superfine sugar and they turned out great! Piled them on top of a pumpkin cheesecake for Thanksgiving and they were a huge hit. Thank you for this great (and easy) idea.
I am planning on doing these for tomorrow but don’t want to run to the store for larger grain sugar.
Could I just do the same you do to the regular sugar and pulse some turbinado sugar until it’s finer? I hope this comment isn’t too late. I’m sure you guys are in the middle of prep work right now. Sara congrats on the new baby and Happy Thanksgiving to both of you!
I am guessing these would be super awesome (just as they are of course but also…) with some orange zest in the simple syrup. Gonna have to try it!
Hi Sara! Hope you and baby are doing well. I have a quick question. Your cheesecake idea with cranberry sauce sounds awesome! I think I’m going to copy you! 🙂 Just wondering, are you going to make the cranberry sauce with the optional cloves and cinnamon or leave those out? I’m trying to decide if those flavors go well with cheesecake? Thanks!
Oh my goodness these are so Xmasy and festive. What a great garnish on all kinds of dishes. Delightful.
These look and sound great! I can’t wait to try them!
Wow, its really a delicious desert made up of cranberries. I like it…
Ah, I did not see where you said to save the simple syrup for teas or lemonade or sauce…did I miss that?
I’ve had these and adore their look and taste. Question: how long do they last? Do they absorb moisture from the air and get sticky? Is it worth it to store with a couple of soda crackers (as I do with bulk sugar) to keep them from getting sticky? I assume fresh cranberries would be best, but would you consider using previously-frozen whole cranberries dried of their moisture?
Thanks
Wow! This is so perfect! I have dessert duty for Thanksgiving and I’m making triple-chocolate mousse cake. These little babies around the side of the cake plate will make it look fabulous. Thanks!
And when frozen, they are a great garnish for a homemade cranberry ginger ale!
I’ve never had sugared cranberries, but they’re sooo pretty, I may have to change that!
What a fun idea. Can’t wait to try them.
I was also curious as to proper storage
I have had these and they are very tasty, but How do you store them? How long do they last at room temperature? It seems if you refrigerate them and then put them out at room temperature, the moisture released as they warm would compromise the sugar coating, making them a sticky mess.
I just keep mine out on the counter at room temp. They’ve never lasted more than a day or two without getting eaten 🙂
I just had these for the first time this week and they were amazing! I didn’t realize how simple they are to make. They were a little too easy to keep popping them in my mouth though! Dangerous…
Your cheesecake idea sounds beautiful! Will you post a picture, so I can make it for Christmas? 🙂 Thanks for another great idea!
Wow, this looks simple delicious! I might have to try this some time 🙂
I am making these to put out at Thanksgiving, and our cookie exchange party, and probably Christmas too ~ they look fun and yummy too! Thanks for the tutorial 🙂
I can’t wait to try this! I ❤️ cranberries!
Awesome idea- I never would have thought of this but it make so much sense!
Do these need to be refrigerated? I can’t wait to try them!
I’m so excited to make these! Never heard of them before.