Tart cranberries rolled in sugar make for a simple, 2-ingredient, no-bake snack for the holidays! It’s also perfect as a garnish for all your holiday treats.
I’ve always been a fan of candy that is both sweet and sour. Why? I don’t know. But Sour Patch Kids? Ohhhhh. I’m all over those.
Cranberries aren’t sour, but they are tart – which, to me, makes them the perfect candidate for my first sweet and tart “candy”: Sugared Cranberries.
I’m going to apologize right now for including so many pictures – they’re just so pretty, I couldn’t help myself!
I wanted my final cranberry recipe for the month of November to be simple. Easy to create during the busy holiday season. Something that requires practically no brain power because the post-Thanksgiving food coma is still lingering.
Luckily, making these were step number one in the next recipe I’ll be posting this week. Not so luckily, that meant they had a purpose and I couldn’t just sit down and inhale them all. Therefore, I was forced to make a double batch.
[snaps fingers] Gosh darn it.
These are super easy and only require two ingredients, if you don’t count water as an ingredient (which I don’t). You boil some water and sugar together until the sugar dissolves and then add the cranberries to coat.
Let them set a bit on a wire rack (aff link), and then coat them in sugar. Voila! You now have sugared cranberries. They make a gorgeous garnish as well as a delicious snack.
Even though they’re coated in sugar, they’re not overly sweet thanks to the natural tartness of the cranberries themselves.
I like to keep them in a little bowl in my fridge because I really love them as cold as I can get them – but they’re the perfect little snack to set in a decorative bowl, out on the counter during a party to let your guests snag a few if the mood strikes them.
After you’ve made this recipe, please consider coming back to share your experience with others by leaving a comment below with a star rating!
Sugared Cranberries
Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar, divided
- ½ cup water
- 1 cup fresh cranberries
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine ½ cup sugar and water. Stir frequently until sugar has dissolved and remove from heat.
- Add cranberries and stir to coat. Let sit for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure they're well coated.
- Transfer cranberries to wire rack to cool (placing parchment paper underneath to catch the dripping sugar syrup). Allow to cool for an hour.
- Place remaining sugar in a large bowl and add half of the cranberries. Toss to combine. Using a slotted spoon, transfer coated cranberries to clean parchment paper to set. Repeat with the other half. Let set for at least an hour, then enjoy!
Nutrition
The Janitor
Do you need a dust cloth? Your cranberries look really dirty. You should vacuum before you roll innocent berries around on the floor.