How to Make Sugared Cranberries

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Sugared cranberries are the perfect easy decoration for holiday cakes, cupcakes, cheesecakes, and truly any baked good that needs a pop of color! I particularly love them as a garnish on my Yule Log Cake, No-Bake Eggnog Cheesecake, and Cranberry Orange Cake. They’re made with just three ingredients and can be made up to three days ahead of time, so you have them ready to go on decorating day. You can also serve them as a festive snack for those of us who enjoy sweet-yet-tart flavored things. 

3-Ingredient Sugared Cranberries

Sugared cranberries have just the following three ingredients:

• Fresh cranberries. It’s important not to use frozen cranberries because they contain too much liquid content once thawed. Fresh cranberries are key here. 
• Water. For combining with the sugar to create a simple syrup that coats the cranberries and makes them tacky. 
• Granulated sugar. This is used for making the sugar syrup that coats the cranberries, then once they’re tacky, you’ll roll the cranberries in more granulated sugar to create the sweet exterior.

How to Make Sugared Cranberries

Step 1: Make the simple syrup. In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, combine the water with half of the granulated sugar and whisk occasionally until it starts to simmer.

Step 2: Add the cranberries. Remove the syrup from the heat and add the cranberries in, toss to coat them, then quickly use a slotted spoon to transfer them to a parchment-lined baking sheet. 

Step 3: Dry, then roll. Allow the cranberries to dry for about 1 hour, until they’re tacky. Then, roll them through the remaining sugar to coat them. I find that using a fork is helpful to roll the cranberries and gently separate the ones that got stuck together.

How to Store Sugared Cranberries

You can make sugared cranberries up to 3-5 days ahead of time depending on how you store them. Here are 2 ways to store sugared cranberries:

• Room Temperature: if your kitchen is pretty cool and dry, store sugared cranberries at room temperature in a Tupperware container with the lid slightly ajar. They will last up to 3 days this way.
• Refrigerator: if your kitchen is humid, store sugared cranberries in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. There’s a chance they may get soggy as the sugar absorbs into the cranberries, so you may need to re-roll them in sugar after taking them out of the refrigerator to freshen them up.

NOTE that if they start to weep at any point of the storage process, you can easily re-roll them in fresh granulated sugar and they’ll look good as new! 

Desserts to Garnish with Sugared Cranberries

Here are some of my favorite desserts to garnish with sugared cranberries, all from my blog:

• Yule Log Cake 
• Cranberry Orange Cake
• No-Bake Eggnog Cheesecake
• Sugared Cranberry Cupcakes
• Spiced Chai Bundt Cake
• Easy Chocolate Mousse Cake (for a holiday version)

I hope you love these sugared cranberries and find the perfect dessert to pair them with! Let me know if you make them in the comments below and feel free to tag @sugarandsparrowco on Instagram if you post a photo of your cranberry garnished dessert. I would love to see it!