Sugared Cranberries have a sugary crust on the outside, but pop open to reveal their tart insides when you bite them. They’re easier to make than you think, and they’re the perfect accent for all your holiday baking and cocktails.
Our church had a Christmas concert on Sunday night and everyone was asked to bring their favorite Christmas treats to share. (If you follow me on Instagram, you’ve probably already seen the cake and these cranberries. I post a lot of behind the scenes there and would love to connect with you there!) I had seen this Cranberry Ginger and Coconut Bundt cake (my version is in the pictures) a little over a month ago on Beard and Bonnet, one of my favorite food blogs. Everything she posts there is absolutely beautiful, but this bundt cake is one of the prettiest holiday cakes I’ve ever seen. I knew the moment I saw it on her Instagram that I absolutely had to make it for our annual Christmas concert. (Bonus: you can listen to my a capella duet of Silent Night here on Facebook.)
This cake did not disappoint because it tastes amazing too! Even better, it’s gluten-free and dairy-free. (It has eggs, or else it would also be vegan.) It’s perfectly moist, and sweet enough to be a cake without being overly sweet. You can even control how sweet it is by how much icing you add to each bite (hubby loves it with triple icing, I would happily eat it without any icing at all.) I can’t tell you how many people gushed over the cake, so you know it’s a keeper recipe for sure. Hubby is even requesting one to take to work later this week. So yeah, you should probably go check out the recipe.
The real stars of this cake though are the sugared cranberries. Don’t you just love how they look like little frosted jewels? They have this amazing sugary crust on the outside, but when you put them in your mouth and bite down they pop open to reveal their tart insides. I may have eaten that entire little bowl full after I finished this shoot.
For the longest time I thought they were difficult to make, but when I actually made them, I realized they’re super simple! You basically just make a simple syrup, dip the cranberries, let them dry then roll them in sugar. The ones in my photos were in the fridge overnight, so the sugar actually melted a bit into clumps, but I think it almost adds to the charm for them to be a bit irregular.
I can imagine these topping a holiday vodka cranberry cocktail, on a cupcake, on a cookie, on top of some brie and crackers, and on a variety of different cakes, tarts, and other baked goods. Or maybe you’re like me and you just want a fancy snack. Any way you make them, you’ll want to make twice as many because they’re sure to be a hit!
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Sugared Cranberries
- Prep Time: 10
- Total Time: 70
Description
Sugared Cranberries have a sugary crust on the outside, but pop open to reveal their tart insides when you bite them. They’re easier to make than you think, and they’re the perfect accent for all your holiday baking, appetizers, and cocktails.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- 4 cups fresh cranberries, rinsed, picked over for stems, and drained
- another 3/4 cup white sugar for rolling
Instructions
Quick Method (berries will be more tart)
- Simmer (don’t boil) water and sugar in a shallow sauce pan over medium heat until sugar has dissolved into a simple syrup. Remove pan from heat.
- Add 2 cups of the fresh cranberries and roll around until well coated.
- Remove cranberries with a slotted spoon to a wire rack or parchment paper and separate them so clumps don’t form.
- Repeat the syrup coating on the second 2 cups of cranberries. (Working in batches allows you to coat them more simply.)
- Allow coated cranberries to dry for 1 hour, or until the syrup coating is slightly tacky, but not wet.
- Pour 3/4 cup sugar into a bowl and roll the cranberries in the sugar to coat, working a few at a time.
Overnight Method (for sweeter berries)
- Simmer (don’t boil) water and sugar in a shallow sauce pan over medium heat until sugar has dissolved into a simple syrup. Remove from heat.
- Pour the syrup over the cranberries in a bowl, cover, and chill in the fridge overnight. (This will let the syrup soak in really well.)
- The next day, drain the berries on a wire rack or parchment paper for about an hour then roll in the remaining sugar as above in the quick method.
Notes
- Store loosely covered in the fridge for up to 1 week. (or until you eat them all…)
- For drunken berries, swap vodka, rum, bourbon, or wine in for the water in the syrup and follow the overnight method – great for a cocktail garnish!
- Gluten-free: These are gluten-free!
- Vegan/Vegetarian: These are vegan!
Want more cranberry recipes? Try these:
Quick Cranberry Salsa and Goat Cheese Crostini
Turkey and Stuffing Meatloaf Muffins Cranberry Glaze
Your pictures are beautiful! I will have to make that cake as I’ve recently gone GF.
Thanks Catherine! I think these may be some of my favorite photos from 2014. You are sure to love the cake. I’m making another one tonight by special request for hubby to take to work.
I love sugared cranberries. I put some in our friends’ holiday baskets a couple years ago, though, and nobody got it. I think a lot went uneaten 🙁
Oh no! How heartbreaking to waste such an amazing treat. 🙁 I would gobble them up in a hurry if you gave them to me. I’m even thinking of adding some to the holiday cookies I’m taking to a swap on Thursday.
Oh my…. this is fantastic!! I love cranberries (I love making cranberry sauce for thanksgiving and eating it straight) so this is perfect for me. Thanks for the recipe Stephanie!
Glad I could help Daisy! I’ve been a bit cranberry obsessed this year too with these sugared cranberries, cranberry salsa and goat cheese crostini, and my turkey meatloaf with cranberry glaze. Who needs peppermint and pumpkin when you can have cranberries? I hope you love them!
These look so fun… and like you can use them on so many recipes!
They are definitely fun! I just made some plain frosted sugar cookies today and decorated them with a few of these. Easy and elegant. 🙂
Okay these are gorgeous pictures! Plus I really want to try these and make something that pretty for Christmas dinner!!
Thank you Amanda! I hope you do get to make them for Christmas. They’re so beautiful and delicious!
Oh. My. Goodness. This cake and your sugared cranberries are incredible! Your pictures are absolutely gorgeous. I need to make this! Thanks for sharing it with Hump Day Happenings.
Thank you Jenna!! I think these may be my new favorite blog post photos. The light was just perfect that day. They really do taste as good as they look too! I hope you enjoy them!