Sugared Cranberries

5 from 3

The perfect combination of sweet and tart, these Sugared Cranberries are made with just 3 ingredients! They make a festive garnish for drinks and desserts and are perfect for holiday snacking, too.

Prep Time15

Cook Time5

Cool Time2

Total Time2 20

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: candied cranberries, frosted cranberries, sugar coated cranberries

Servings: servings (3 cups total)

Ingredients

1/2 cup water
2 cups granulated sugar , divided
12 ounces fresh cranberries (do not use frozen)
1 teaspoon orange zest

Instructions

Place water and 1/2 cup of the sugar in a shallow saucepan; bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until the sugar is fully dissolved, about 3 minutes.
Remove from the heat and gently stir in the cranberries, making sure each cranberry is well coated. Let sit for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cranberries to a wire cooling rack, keeping them separated (this will help avoid clumps of syrup, which will result in clumps of sugar.)
Let them dry for 1 hour, at which point the cranberries should be dry, but still sticky.
Combine the remaining 1 1/2 cups sugar and orange zest in a shallow bowl, then working with a few cranberries at a time, lightly lift them with the tips of your fingers and transfer to the sugar. Scoop the sugar over the tops to cover the cranberries. Roll them around and gently press the sugar to the cranberry until fully coated.
Transfer coated cranberries to a clean surface in a flat, single layer to continue drying completely, at least 1 hour. Then use them as a garnish for all your holiday desserts or set them out for snacking!
NOTE: Don't toss the leftover simple syrup or citrus sugar - you can use them. See note below.

Notes

Storing: Let your cranberries dry completely, then store them in a loosely covered container at room temperature. They'll stay fresh for about 2-3 days then they may start to soften and weep a bit. At this point you can cook them down into a sauce or quick jam. Delish!

Use the leftover ingredients: You will have some cranberry simple syrup left over, which you can save for hot tea, cocktails, or smoothies. Simply store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. It's also likely you'll have a bit of orange-zested sugar left, which can be put to good use with whipped cream and in baking recipes.

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