Sparkling cranberries are an easy, impressive garnish for your holiday table. They’re completely edible, and will take any holiday charcuterie board, pie, or platter of Christmas cookies to the next level. Perfect for Christmas or Thanksgiving!
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DIY Frosted Cranberries
I love the shimmery, sparkly look of these easy sugared cranberries, and they’re absolutely perfect for garnishing your winter desserts this holiday season! They’re made by gently cooking whole cranberries in a simple syrup, then drying them just a bit before tossing them in a sweet sugar coating.
In the end, they have a wintry appearance that makes them the perfect garnish! Add the sparkling cranberries to a Christmas cake or sprinkle some into a festive cocktail to elevate any holiday display.
Although this recipe requires a bit more cane sugar than we typically use in our recipes, these sugar-coated cranberries really require it for that frosted look, and they’re typically only enjoyed as a garnish – not a snack. This is a great way to add a little balance to your holiday festivities!
Why We Love These Candied Cranberries
- So easy to make: This is basically a two-ingredient recipe, and although it takes an hour for the cranberries to dry, the active time is really only about 10 minutes.
- Perfect for Christmas or Thanksgiving: The frosted look immediately makes it feel like winter! They look like little cranberry jewels, and they’re wonderful to serve during any of the late fall and winter holidays.
- Versatile: Once you make one batch, you’ll find yourself sprinkling these sugar-coated cranberries onto cakes, cupcakes, cookies, cheese boards, and more. They’re even a beautiful garnish for your table!
Ingredient Notes
- Fresh cranberries: It’s best to use fresh cranberries, but you can actually use frozen ones, too! Dried cranberries are not a good substitute.
- Granulated sugar: This is used in two ways – for the simple syrup and to coat the tart cranberries. You can use regular sugar or superfine sugar.
- Water: Water is a key part of the simple syrup, and you’ll want to use some to rinse and dry your berries first.
How to Make Sugared Cranberries – Step-by-Step Instructions
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment or wax paper.
- In a medium saucepan, heat the water and ½ cup of the sugar over medium heat until sugar dissolves, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Add the cranberries and stir to coat, let cranberries sit in the syrup for 10 minutes.
- Use a slotted spoon to remove the cranberries to the parchment paper-lined baking sheet, separate berries into a single layer with a spoon, and allow them to dry for 1 hour.
- Toss in the reserved sugar. Use as desired.
Keep scrolling to the recipe card below for the full printable recipe!
Recipe Tips:
- This cranberry recipe can be scaled up or down. It’s a great way to use up a leftover bag of cranberries or you make a large tray!
- Be sure to wash and dry your cranberries before starting this recipe.
Recipe FAQs
It’s best to use fresh cranberries for this recipe since the sugar syrup doesn’t evenly coat the frozen cranberries, which can leave them with bare spots when you go to sugar them.
These only last for a few days at most. They need to be in a cool, dry place, so I usually keep mine at room temperature. They can last for one day, sometimes up to two.
Although you can freeze your leftover cranberries, they will lose their shimmery appearance after thawing. The sugar and syrup will start to liquefy instead of holding their icy look. It’s best to make them fresh.
Cranberries have the lowest amount of sugar of all fruits! There are just 4 grams of sugar in an entire cup of fresh cranberries. This makes them suitable even for people who need to minimize sugar. Of course, rolling them in sugar will add extra sweetness, but you typically eat so few of them that it doesn’t amount to that much.
How to Store Sugared Cranberries
Store leftover sparkling cranberries in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 days. You can also refrigerate them, but they may lose some of their sparkle.
They can be frozen, but the sugar will melt after thawing.
How to Use Sugared Cranberries
This is the fun part! These sugar cranberries add a festive touch to any display.
- Use to garnish your holiday desserts (like this Trifle Recipe with Custard)
- Add some to your Christmas fruit wreath or Christmas wreath salad
- Spear several together on a toothpick or sprinkle some in your holiday cocktails
- Enjoy as a sweet and tart holiday treat (they’re surprisingly yummy!)
- Serve on your cranberry sauce as a decoration
- Place cranberries around your holiday table with fresh rosemary and dried oranges
- Add some sparkle to this Christmas tree charcuterie board or charcuterie wreath
- Sprinkle these little gems around a yule log cake
Recipe Variations
- Make a spear: Spear 2-3 cranberries on a cocktail stick or sprigs of rosemary to garnish cocktails or mocktails, like this pomegranate sparkler or non alcoholic Christmas punch.
- Add orange zest: Add the zest of two oranges to the simple syrup to add another layer of flavor to the sweet syrup.
- Change the sweetener: Although you need to use regular white sugar for the candy coating, you can use maple syrup in the syrup mixture. They might not set quite as firmly, but it’ll work!
More Similar Recipes
- Ultimate Charcuterie Board
- Christmas Fruit Tree
- Easy Christmas Fruit Salad
- Watermelon Christmas Trees
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Easy Sparkling Cranberries Recipe
Ingredients
- 12 ounce bag fresh cranberries
- 1 1/2 cups sugar divided
- 1/2 cup water
Instructions
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment or wax paper.
- In a medium saucepan, heat the water and ½ cup of the sugar over medium heat until sugar is completely dissolved, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Add the cranberries and stir to coat, let cranberries sit in the syrup for 10 minutes.
- Use a slotted spoon to remove the cranberries to the prepared baking sheet, separate berries with a spoon, and allow them to dry for 1 hour.
- Toss in the reserved sugar. Use as desired.
- Store leftovers at room temperature for up to 1 day.
Notes
- This recipe makes about 3 cups of sparkling cranberries. The nutritional values are calculated for about 4-5 cranberries.
- Be sure to wash and dry your cranberries before starting this recipe.
- This cranberry recipe can be scaled up or down. It’s a great way to use up a leftover bag of cranberries or you make a large tray!
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