The first time I made these, I vowed never to do it again.
Sticky, clumpy, and time-consuming. That’s all I have to say. When a recipe is this frustrating, a second attempt rarely comes to fruition as my patience can be that of a toddler. I can be quite stubborn too (hmm… also like a toddler) so I obviously had to make them again. Here’s how to do it, the easy way:
Start 1 day in advance. The berries need to steep in a warm sugar syrup to make them less sour. Soak overnight, like so…
Drain in a colander and reserve the liquid. The leftover syrup can be used to sweeten cocktails. Don’t throw it away!
Pour the berries back into a bowl and pat dry with paper towels. They should feel tacky, but not wet. In my previous attempt, I let the cranberries drip dry on a wire rack. I later realized that using paper towels was a lot quicker.
Time to get rolling (literally!)
Now here’s the critical part- you need to work in batches. Toss 3-4 berries at a time with a little sugar, and jiggle them around in a bowl to coat. Do not be tempted to dump everything in at once or else the sugar will clump. If this happens, just change it out and start again. Also, choose a sugar that is chunky in texture so that you can see it sparkle. Organic cane sugar or Turbinado is a good choice. You can find them in most supermarkets or in health food stores.
Let the berries dry for a couple of hours on a wire rack. They are ready when the sugar is slightly firm, like a crust.
And that’s it! Now you have beautiful, sugar covered cranberries.
These festive little baubles are tart and sweet, and make a great snappy sound when you pop them in your mouth. If you plan ahead and give yourself some extra time, they’re not difficult to make either. Try them scattered onto a cheese plate or as a beautiful topping for desserts. They’re incredibly sparkly and will look great on any holiday table!
*This recipe was tested with fresh cranberries only.
Printhow to make sugar covered cranberries
- Yield: 2 cups
Ingredients
Sugar Syrup
- 1 c. sugar
- 1 c. water
Cranberries
- 2 c. fresh cranberries, rinsed and picked over
- 1 c. Organic cane sugar or Turbinado for rolling
Instructions
- To make the sugar syrup, bring the sugar and water to a gentle simmer. Use a whisk to help break up the crystals. Do not boil. Set aside.
- Meanwhile, rinse your cranberries discarding any bruised or damaged ones. You want firm berries. Pour them into a bowl.
- Add the warm sugar syrup to the bowl. If the syrup is too hot, the cranberries will burst. Test a small batch if need be.
- The cranberries will naturally float to the surface so cover them with a plate to keep them submerged. Once completely cool, cover the bowl (and plate) with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge overnight.
- To make the cranberries, drain them in a colander reserving the syrup. You will not need the syrup in this recipe, however you can save it to sweeten cocktails.
- Transfer the berries to a large shallow bowl lined with paper towels. Pat dry to absorb all of the liquid. You want the cranberries to feel tacky, but not wet.
- In a small bowl, add about 2 tablespoons of either organic cane sugar or Turbinado. Add only 3-4 berries and jiggle them around in the bowl to coat. Make sure not to overcrowd the bowl as the sugar will get wet and clump. If this happens, just change it out and start again.
- Transfer the berries to a wire rack and allow to dry for a couple of hours, minimum of 2. They are ready when the sugar is slightly firm, forming a crust.
Notes
*Store on a wire rack in a cool, dry place. Keep them uncovered, or slightly tented with foil for about 2-3 days. Do not store in an airtight container as they will become soggy.
Comments
Taylor M Tingley says
Hi, I was wondering if I would be able to make cranberry sauce with the finished cranberries?
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Emilie Raffa says
Absolutely! I think it would be delicious :)
Rhonda says
I had frosted cranberries for the first time as a cheesecake topping at a Christmas work dinner party. LOVED the cheesecake with the frosted cranberry topping so much, I had to make it myself! I was thrilled to find your recipe! The first time I overlooked your instruction to not store them in a closed container. Just made them again for the second time for my cheesecake and will keep them uncovered, but if I have extra to store, would you recommend storing them in an open container or on a plate on the counter or in the refrigerator? The cheesecake is a gift, so should I give them the cranberries separately on a plate to put on just before eating?– or go ahead and arrange them atop the cheesecake and lightly cover with foil? Just wondering if the moisture of the cold cheesecake in the frig will disolve the sugary crust on the cranberries before they are ready to eat it.
Emma says
I made these last Christmas and they were such a great addition to our table and everyOne loved them.. sooo pretty and festive.. I’ve got this years batch soaking as I type .. thanks for the clear and detailed recipe.. it works perfectly.. xxx
Gabrielle says
Hi, I’m planning to do this with blueberries; do you recommend fresh or frozen? Thank you!
Emilie says
Hi Gabrielle,
I wouldn’t recommend substituting blueberries for this recipe. They are too soft to be soaked in the simple syrup and will become mushy. As an alternative, I’ve had success rolling them lightly (the fresh ones, not frozen) in a lightly beaten egg white before rolling in sugar.
Hope this helps!
Genny says
This totally worked! Thank you so much for the detailed instructions. They look beautiful. :)
Dimo says
Hi!!! I want to add sugared cranberries to my wedding cake for decoration only & yours look beautiful! Since I will need mine to remain firm, would you recommend your soaking method? Or should I just toss the berries in the syrup, dry them and roll them out?
Sue says
After 3 days can I store these in a canning jar, until the party?
Loved these tastes great!
Penny says
Making these to go with winter white cosmos for the signature drink at an upcoming wedding. I volunteered to make the cranberries, so fingers crossed that I can make them look as beautiful as yours! Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Emilie says
Hi Penny! Sounds fantastic! You know, although these cranberries are very easy to make I would suggest giving them a test run before the big day. You never know what can happen! Perhaps divined the recipe in half to experiment. If you have any questions let me know! Have fun. :)
Shelsy says
Thank you for posting this. I made these last week and they turned out amazing! So simple yet the results are impressive. I was wondering if this same technique could be done with other berries (blueberries???)? I plan on making these again soon!
Emilie says
Hi Shelsy!
That is so great to hear! I’m sure your cranberries looked wonderful :)
As far as sugar covered blueberries go, I’ve never done it myself. You could test it out by using the same method as the cranberries, minus soaking them in the sugar syrup (blueberry skin is a lot thinner and it might become soggy). Maybe make a small batch of syrup, quickly dip the berries, and then dry right away with paper towels. Roll in sugar. I think that might be your best bet! You would probably have to make the blueberries on the same day that your are going to serve them, to prevent sogginess.
If you end up experimenting with this, please let me know how it turns out! Good luck :)
Kate from Scratch says
These look beautiful! I will have to try this soon.
Barbara | Creative Culinary says
I wanted to add some sugared cranberries to a dessert recently but didn’t have time to wait overnight so I cooked them in sugar syrup for maybe 3 minutes; as soon as I heard the first one pop I removed them from the heat. From there steps are similar but I have to say I was totally unprepared for how much I loved them. I’m tempted to do the overnight maceration to see if there is a difference but mine were sugar crisp on the outside and semi-soft on the inside; I could have eaten the whole batch by hand!
Emilie says
Hi Barbara, welcome!
I like your method of cooking the berries directly in the sugar syrup. Sounds like you caught them at the right time too. Were they sweet on the inside as well?
Compared to the overnight maceration method,one difference I’m sure of would be the texture on the inside. Mine were not semi soft. They were crisp, and made this snappy sound when you ate them (if that makes any sense…). The flavor was tart, but coupled with the sugar on the outside it was quite nice. Your’s might have been sweeter too.
Hope this helps! If you have any other questions, please let me know. Thanks for stopping by :)
Emilie says
Oh, I hope so Anne. They will look so pretty :) Hope you are enjoying this holiday season!
Anne @GtSlamseysFarm says
These look divine and so wonderfully festive. If I get time, I shall make these and put them on the table for Christmas Day supper.
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InTolerant Chef says
Oh aren’t these pretty indeed! I’m glad you didn’t give up :)
Emilie says
Yeah me too! They were definitely worth it. Thanks for stopping by!!
Merryl Chantrell says
They look so pretty don’t they? Good job!
Emilie says
Hi Merryl! Thanks! They’re so sparkly and festive, they look great just sitting in a plain old bowl. You don’t have to do anything to them :)