I first made these sparkling sugared cranberries for my gingerbread {men} pancakes. I was so in love with them that over the holidays I have kept a bowl of cranberries chilling in the sugar syrup in the refrigerator so that I can toss small batches of them in sugar as needed. They will definitely be a part of my holiday spread going forward. They are simple to make and can be used in so many ways: as a garnish for desserts and beverages, as gifts, and as sweet snacks, to name a few. A couple of them dropped in each champagne glass made our Christmas cranberry mimosas beautiful and festive.
I referenced many recipes, including one from Cooking Light and one from 101 Cookbooks, and found that the methods and recipes are all pretty much the same.
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups cranberries
- ¾ cup sugar
- Combine the 2 cups sugar and 2 cups water in a saucepan and heat over low, stirring, until the sugar dissolves.
- Bring the sugar syrup to a simmer and then remove it from the heat, being careful not to let it boil (otherwise the berries will burst).
- Stir in the cranberries and let cool, then chill overnight in the refrigerator.
- Drain the cranberries (saving the sugar syrup if desired).
- Working in small batches so that the sugar does not clump up, roll the cranberries in the ¾ cup sugar to evenly coat them.
- Place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet and let them rest at room temperature for 1 hour or until dry.
- Store the sugared cranberries in a sealed container at cool temps for up to a week.
