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Sugared cranberries are a beautiful garnish to just about any holiday dessert. Because cranberries are one of few fruits in season during the winter months, I like to capitalize on using them as a garnish. Wow your guests with these beautiful wintery treats!
What Are Sugared Cranberries?
A little sweet, a bit tart, and deliciously crunchy, sugared cranberries are slightly cooked and rolled in sugar. Also called candied cranberries or sparkling cranberries. They will add a beautiful pop of color and taste to your cheese boards, dessert spreads, and holiday decor.
The basic recipe calls for making a simple syrup then allowing the cranberries to soak in the liquid. Some people do this soaking overnight, but you can just stir them in the liquid for a few minutes. Because they soak while it’s hot they will cook just slightly, softening them and lessening the tartness they have when eaten raw.
Then they are rolled in sugar which sticks to the syrup coat creating the most delightful looking snack.
How to Serve Sugared Cranberries
I add mine to any cheese or dessert board during November and December. They’d make a great CharcuterTREE topper, or add them to any Fall themed board. I used them in my Cheesegiving Meal Board.
I usually serve them in a bowl or ramekin so that the sugar doesn’t get on any other items nearby. But if you’re adding them to a dessert board, a little extra sugar never hurt anyone!
Remember that these are still cranberries, they are tart and are often the only acidic item in a Thanksgiving spread. Serve them sparingly and with very rich flavors like brie cheese, creamy frosting, cheesecake, or sweeter fruits like oranges, persimmons, and pears.
These cranberries also make cute decor! String them together (think like a popcorn strand) and add them to any holiday garland, wreath, or table top display. Just don’t leave them for too long, since they may start to get mushy or rotten.
A Breakdown of Different Types of Sugar
Different sugars have slightly different tastes, textures, and uses. Using the wrong sugar in this recipe will probably result in not-so-sparkly cranberries. Fail!
- Standard granulated sugar. Also known as regular sugar. This is the best kind of sugar to coat your cranberries in. You can find (or make) vanilla sugar, which is granulated sugar with added vanilla flavor. Pro tip: vanilla sugar will add a nice depth of flavor to this garnish.
- Superfine sugar. Also called caster sugar. This has smaller granules than regular sugar and is not good for sugared cranberries. It is intended to dissolve, so it won’t show up on your cranberries at all.
- Coarse sugar. Larger than granulated sugar, it might not be best for sugared cranberries but could be a secondary option in a pinch. While coase sugar is too big to be used alone here (it won’t adequately coat your berries) you could roll your berries in granulated sugar then give them a dip in coarse sugar for a secondary texture. Think of using it in the same way you would coarse salt—like a small sprinkle on soft pretzels.
- Decorating sugar. Also called sanding sugar. This is a great secondary addition to your sparkling cranberries. It’s similar to coarse sugar and should be used only sparingly for the cranberries (see note above). It’s often used for cookie decorating. It’s likely more shiny and clear than plain coarse sugar. King Arthur even has a sparkling sugar!
- Confectioners sugar. Also called powdered sugar. This is not the type of sugar you want in this recipe. It will dissolve into the syrup and get goopy. Reserve this sugar for icing on your gingerbread house!
- Brown sugar. Delicious though it may be, it is not for this project. Brown sugar is less refined than granulated sugar and is brown because it still retains some, or a lot of molasses. You probably don’t want dirty looking cranberries.
- Turbinado, Muscovado, and Demerara sugars. These are all various versions of unrefined or semi-refined sugars. They are all brown in color and while delicious, not great for this recipe.
How To Make Sugared Cranberries Video
Tips to Get Really Sparkly Cranberries
It’s best to make sugared cranberries in advance. I often soak mine in the syrup mixture the evening before I’m going to serve them and then roll them in sugar the day-of. Though you certainly don’t have to make it that far in advance… you can soak them in the hot syrup for only a few minutes. However, the minimum for drying on a wire rack is an hour before rolling them in the sugar.
Make more than you’ll need. These are so pretty they’ll look great as decor and you can bag up any that don’t make it to the serving tray and send them home as gifts! Plus they are quite tart still so a few are enough for a serving.
As mentioned above, if you want to do a bit more research on the most sparkling sugars, they are definitely out there. Using a mix of granulated sugar and really clear coarse sugar might look cool. Test out what works best for you!
Show Me Your Sparkling Cranberries
Hope this recipe inspires you to make some festive spreads. Nothing makes me happier than seeing you create beautiful boards from my tips. If you make a spread inspired by this post, please tag me at @ainttoooproudtomeg so I can see and share!
And, If you liked this board recipe, please rate, review and tell me what you paired your sparkling cranberries with!
Sugared Cranberries
Description
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 (12 oz.) Bag of fresh cranberries
- 2 cups Sugar, divided
Instructions
- Combine 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved (around 2-3 minutes).
- Turn heat off and wait a few minutes. Then stir in cranberries until well coated, careful not to leave them in too long. The skin will pop off if they get too hot.
- Use a slotted spoon to transfer cranberries to a wire rack and let dry for at least 1 hour.
- Working in batches, roll cranberries in remaining 1 1/2 cups sugar until well coated; let dry for at least 1 hour.
If I soak overnight do I put them in the refrigerator? Sorry if this is obvious!
This is the only way I’m eating cranberries from now on! So many great tips and tricks for cheese boards across all seasons.
I can’t wait to make these and add to our Christmas board. Such a fun twist on a classic.
These are so easy to make! I agree with her tip to let the cranberries sit a bit longer in the simple syrup as it cuts down on the tartness. I’m going to be making mini boards for each person in my office as it will be covid-safe and these are a nice addition.
I can’t wait to make these! These would look absolutely beautiful on the table on Christmas Day! So so beautiful for guests to pick before the meal!
Made these for my charcuterie boards and LOVE them
I used this recipe and it was a hit for my guest!!
Loved making these! People really enjoy them! I used Organic Cane Sugar (Whole Foods 365 Brand) and it worked perfectly!
These look delicious!
This is my favorite new holiday treat.
Are these tart and sweet? What is the texture?
Yes. Tart and sweet. I normally don’t like cranberries but they are addicting. They are softer once cooked but still hard on the outside enough to pop in your mouth. The sugar on the outside gives a great texture.
Love these! Made them this morning for ones of my boards. They are gorgeous and so good! 🙂
So beautiful!
This is a recipe I have always wanted to try! It’s so easy!!
I made these and I’m pretty sure my baby (18 months) ate 30% of them before I even got them rolled into the sugar! He also ate another 20% after i rolled them in sugar ????
I made these a few days ago to use on my boards, and they were so good everyone in the house started snacking on them – I had to make a second batch! Thanks for the recipe
Great idea!
Made these for thanksgiving and added them to a “Manhattan” version I made. Delish.
We love all your great tips!!
These are perfect for holiday boards! Simple, unexpected, & delicious.
NEED to make this for the holidays! Looks so yummy and beautiful!
I’m really excited about this sugared cranberry recipe! My grandmother used to make these every year for Christmas! She sadly passed away a few months ago and I never asked her how to make these. I’m so excited to try making them using your recipe. I never thought about using them on a cheese board so that’s definitely something we will have to try this year. Thanks for sharing! Your cheese boards are awesome!
I made these to decorate gingerbread houses and needing up giving away four jars for thanksgiving bc they were SO YUMMY!
I love these sugar coated cranberries!
Every time I made cranberry sauce I always took a nibble of the cranberry and thought who the heck eats these raw!! I saw this recipe and tried it. Wow! Game changer! Thanks for the share!
Yum! Can’t wait to try making these on a holiday board! )
These look too pretty to eat! I love how thorough the directions are, down to the types of sugar!
Love these! Soaked them overnight. Like a healthier sour patch kid.
I love cranberries so I really look forward to trying this!
Such a great idea and addition to any cheeseboard. Will be trying these out for Christmas morning brunch. Thanks Meg!
Such a simple yet great recipe! It really makes the board sparkle, I love it!
These are so cute for a Christmas board!
Lovely ????
These are fantastic!! Using them this weekend. Love ur parts and blog ☮️????????
I loved this recipe to use with my leftover Thanksgiving cranberries! Will be adding them to my holiday boards for sure! Thank you!
I’ve always wondered how to make these! Yay, totally making them now!!
Pretty sure I’ve never had these before but these looks SO good!
Definitely trying them out this weekend!
These look so delicious!!!
These are so pretty and would be the perfect addition to a charcuterie board for Christmas! I can’t wait to try them!
I was pleasantly surprised to like these cranberries! I’ve tried raw ones before but way too tart for me. These are so good and pretty addicting! Thanks Meg!
I made these for Thanksgiving and decorated my pumpkin pie with them. We couldn’t stop eating them! So delicious.
I made these cranberries for thanksgiving and Christmas boards and they were so easy! I cut the recipe in half and made some delicious sweet bites. My family loved them!
I’ve made these for photos but never eaten them! You’ve convinced me!
Def trying!!!
Love this recipe! These are such a great way to elevate cheese wheels or throw on top of a festive dessert! I can’t wait for your book!
These are just gorgeous!!!
5⭐️s
This look amazing!! I want to try them for my Christmas charcuterie!
Looks delish!
Looks delicious!
Wow what a neat idea! Can’t wait to see how mine turn out!
These are gorgeous. What a perfect addition to a holiday board!
So delicious and you can’t stop eating them! Definitely wait at least an hour for them to dry after soaking so they get sticky. After coating with sugar, another hour makes the crust hard like candy. So good!!!
I followed your recipe and have made these a couple of times already! Thank you for sharing. They’re beautiful and delicious.
amazing! so happy to hear that!
Super easy to make and these are the perfect garnishment on a holiday charcuterie board!
I’ve always wondered how to make these because they’re so impressive and a gorgeous garnish. Turns out, it’s easy and delicious, too!
YES! I have made these for photo shoots but never eaten. YOU CHANGED MY MIND! And I tried them on a pack of 4 boards for an evening Zoom cocktail hour. They held up REALLY well! Thanks for the awesome trick!
wahoooo! I had no idea I would love them either. so glad you do too.
These were a hit even with the kids! I made a double batch but wondering how long they keep for??
So happy to hear that!!! Mine generally get eaten up pretty quick, so I’m not completely sure of the longevity, but I believe they should be good for 4-5 days. Keep me posted on yours 🙂
These were fun to make and they added a fun color and taste to our board over the weekend. I will definitely be adding these every year to the Christmas boards.
Love the sweet and tart combo!
I thought these were only for looks and maybe not even worth the effort until I saw YOUR recipe and how-to and you said they were actually yummy! Crunchy/tart/sweet/snackable! They’ve leveled up charcuterie boards for me! Keep doing what you do!
Thanks for posting this recipe! I’m going to put these on fancy skewers for drinks on Christmas Eve. I think they’ll look great with Champagne or a Jingle Buck.
I’m going to try these out for Christmas – can’t wait to report back!
These babies have been the hit of all my boards this holiday season! I have used them as accents as well as garnishes in drinks. Add so much festive flare!
Gorgeous! Using them as garnishes for cocktails!
I made the sugared cranberries right after thanksgiving . They were yummy , my first time making them . Can’t wait to make them again .
Wow can’t wait to make these for my Christmas Eve board! Thank you!!
These were delicious!! The kids and adults all loved them. They tasted better the longer they sat, so I’ll make them a day early next time.
These are so pretty!
I’ve been waiting until this week (Christmas) to make these! So excited to try them
Yay! Enjoy 🙂
Adding this to my Christmas spread! Beautiful.
Thank you for the wonderful tips!
i love these! how long do you think these last at room temperature?
I was wondering how to store these if you make them ahead of time? and how early can you make them? Thank you!
They are delicious and beautiful!
What is the best way to store them for a day or two?
How long will they keep?
I was a tad confused by the directions. Wasn’t sure if I was supposed to let the cranberries sit for a while in the warm sugar syrup in the pan or remove immediately. Also I was a little confused if I was supposed to let the berries dry before rolling in sugar. After further googling it seemed I should follow my common sense and roll them while they are still sticky. I ended up removing the berries from the pan immediately. I soaked the berries in the syrup overnight uncovered in the fridge and then in the morning scooped them onto a paper towel and patted them down a bit. Then I scooped them into a bowl of sugar about 10 at a time and transferred them to a wire rack over a cookie sheet. They were dry and hard in an hour. They look beautiful! And they are a nice little snack. They are still pretty tart in my opinion but they are good and my toddler has been enjoying them as a snack! I plan to use these to decorate a charcuterie board for a little Christmas party! Thank you for the recipe!
These are so good. And look so pretty. So easy to make.
These winter “jewels” are so fun to make. Great on a charcuterie board or makes a fun drink. Also will use some to decorate my pavlova or dessert tarts. Easy recipe that I made with my 5 year old daughter.
This was easy to do. I used on a Charcuterie board and in cranberry martinis
I never really liked cranberries but theses are delicious! They look so pretty and festive on any board.