Published December 17, 2021. This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
These tasty, sugared cranberries are incredibly easy to prepare and make for perfect sweet snacks or to decorate cakes with. They are also great to put into alcoholic beverages as a garnish.
If you are looking to take your cake decorating skills to the next level, then try putting these sugared cranberries on top of my sour cream Bundt cake or pound cake.
I must admit, I’m not a huge cranberry fan outside of cranberry sauce. However, these sugared cranberries do a great job of cutting back on the bitterness after taste that cranberries can leave behind. They are perfect for eating and do a great job of sprucing up the aesthetics of your sweet cakes, tortes, or cupcakes.
If you are a huge cranberry fan then you can use these in a myriad of ways, from adding to a bowl of ice cream, to serving them with coffee after dinner as a sweet snack.
Ingredients for Sugared Cranberries
- Cranberries – Fresh cranberries work best for this recipe.
- Sugar – Plain granulated sugar is great to use.
- Water – Tap water is perfect for this.
How to Make Sugared Cranberries
Follow along with these easy step-by-step procedures for making these tasty, sugared cranberries:
- Add the water and sugar to a small-size pot and heat over medium heat until the sugar is completely dissolved into the water to make a simple syrup. Do not boil the mixture.
- Remove the pot from the burner and cool slightly for 3-4 minutes.
- Put the cranberries into the pot and stir for 1 to 2 minutes to coat.
- Remove the cranberries using a slotted spoon and spread out over a cookie sheet tray lined with parchment paper and cool for about 30 to 45 minutes.
- Next, toss the coated cranberries in a bowl of sugar, in batches, to completely coat them and give them a frosted look.
- Set them on a separate cookie sheet tray lined with parchment paper for a further 30-45 minutes or until the sugar has dried onto them.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Make-Ahead: You can make these sugared cranberries up to 2 days ahead of time.
How to Store: Keep covered at room temperature for up to 3 days. Cover and keep in the refrigerator for up to 7 days. Freeze covered for up to 3 months.
chef notes + tips
- You can use frozen cranberries in this recipe.
- Dried cranberries will not work for these.
- It is ok if you are using pure organic cane sugar that has a light brown tint to it.
- If you accidentally boil the simple syrup wait 10-15 minutes away from the burner before putting in the cranberries or else they will pop.
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Easy Sugared Cranberries Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- ½ cup water
- 1 cup fresh cranberries
Instructions
- Add ½ cup of sugar and the water to a small size sauce pot and heat over medium heat until the sugar is completely dissolved. Do not boil.
- Remove the pot from the burner and mix in the cranberries and stir for 1 to 2 minutes until they are coated.
- Remove the cranberries using a slotted spoon and spread them out over a cookie sheet tray lined with parchment paper and let them cool for about 30 to 45 minutes. They will be sticky so try to spread them out from one another.
- Next, toss the coated cranberries in batches in a small size bowl of sugar to completely coat them and give them a frosted look.
- Set them on a separate cookie sheet tray lined with parchment paper for a further 30-45 minutes or until the sugar has dried onto them.
Easy Sugared Cranberries Recipe