Sugared Cranberries

The idea of making my own sugared cranberries intimidated me for a long time. I just thought they looked way too fancy and way too time-consuming for me to even consider making in my own kitchen. Most of my recipes on Something Swanky focus on “realistic” recipes for the modern home baker.

And, in my mind, there was no way these cranberries would meet my requirement for a “realistic” and attainable recipe.

But I’m happy to report that I was very, very wrong. Sugared cranberries couldn’t be easier! Here’s how it works.

Start by making a simple syrup. This does NOT require a candy thermometer or boiling until you hit the softball stage. This just means you’ll cook equal parts of water and sugar over the stove until the sugar dissolves and it looks like water again. It just took me a few minutes.

Then you’ll pour it into a bowl and let it cool for a few minutes. Once it’s not boiling lava temps anymore, you can add the cranberries.

You have two options at this point:

A) you can leave the berries in the simple syrup for up to a few days in the fridge. This will make them sweet, perfect for snacking on. Or,

B) you can transfer them to a wire rack to dry and get a little sticky (they’ll stay tart, but I didn’t mind that since I was using them mostly for decoration).

Whether you leave them in the syrup for three days or three minutes, the next step is letting them dry off a little bit. Use a slatted spoon to transfer the cranberries to a cooling rack.

As they dry, they’ll become slightly tacky.

Once they’re dry and sticky, they are ready for a sugar bath! After a quick mix in the sugar, they look beautifully frosted and are ready to top your cakes and holiday confections.

Tip: if you’re storing these for a few days, place them in an airtight container with rice to absorb any moisture.

Enjoy!!

Sugared Cranberries