Sugared Cranberries
Get ready to elevate your holiday snacking with these delightful sugared cranberries! Bursting with flavor, they combine the tartness of fresh cranberries with the sweetness of powdered sugar and zesty orange juice.
These cranberries are perfect for adding a pop of color and texture to your festive gatherings- just like honey fermented cranberries.
This recipe holds a special place in my heart as it was a family tradition during the holidays. I've loved making my candied walnuts with brown sugar and honey walnut cream cheese- everyone in my family absolutely loves them.
This time, I wanted to use up some cranberries that I had, and these candied cranberries seemed like a great idea.
Quick Look: Sugared Cranberries
- 🔪 Prep time: 5 minutes
- 🍊 Soaking time: 24 hours
- 🔥 Cook time: 5–7 minutes
- 🍬 Servings: 4
- 🍒 Main ingredients: Fresh cranberries, orange juice, and powdered sugar
- 🍊 Cooking method: Soak → strain → coat → bake briefly → cool
- ⭐ Difficulty: Easy
- 🎄 Best served: As a festive snack or a dessert garnish- just like Feuilletine flakes.
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What You'll Love About this Recipe
- Making these sugared cranberries is incredibly easy, and you'll need only 3 ingredients.
- They make an easy and inexpensive addition to a holiday spread- just like my cheese Christmas trees.
- You can prepare them ahead of time and keep them refrigerated.They’re just as useful as a garnish as they are for snacking.
Recipe Ingredients
Fresh cranberries: The tart, juicy base of the recipe. Choose firm, fresh berries without soft or damaged spots. I always do this when I make my cranberry feta dip.
Fresh orange juice: Soaks into the cranberries and adds bright citrus flavor.
Powdered sugar: Coats the soaked cranberries with a sweet, snowy layer.
See recipe card for quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
- Use freshly squeezed orange juice for the brightest citrus flavor. Add a little finely grated orange zest to the powdered sugar for extra citrus flavor.
- Reduce the amount of powdered sugar used for coating if you prefer a less sweet finish.
How to Make Sugared Cranberries
Step 1: Combine the cranberries and orange juice, cover and refrigerate for 24 hours.
Step 2: Strain to remove the soaked cranberries.
Step 3: Add powdered sugar and shake until every berry is fully coated.
Step 4: Bake for 5–7 minutes to dry the cranberries.
Shahida's Tips & Tricks
- Rinse the cranberries thoroughly before starting and pat them dry before soaking them.
- Let the cranberries soak for the full 24 hours to allow them to absorb as much of the citrus flavor as it can.
- Drain the cranberries thoroughly before coating them in powdered sugar. Shake the container gently so the berries get evenly coated without becoming crushed.
- Spread the cranberries in a single layer so the sugar coating dries evenly.
- Don't overbake them- 5–7 minutes is enough to dry the coating.
- Let the cranberries cool completely before storing them.
- Use extra cranberries to make homemade cranberry butter or add them to a simple apple cranberry walnut salad.
How to Serve Sugared Cranberries
Candied cranberries are perfect for holiday entertaining because they can do double duty as both a snack and a garnish.
Serve them alongside cookies and other festive snacks like almond flour gingersnaps, cranberry goat cheese truffles, or scatter them over cheesecakes, cakes, cupcakes, and pies for a festive pop of red.
Troubleshooting & FAQs
Once completely cooled, transfer the cranberries to an airtight container and store them in the refrigerator. Keeping them chilled helps maintain their freshness, especially because the cranberries have been soaked in fresh orange juice.
Make sure you drain the cranberries thoroughly after their overnight soak. Excess orange juice can prevent the powdered sugar from coating evenly and may leave the finished berries too wet.
Fresh cranberries are best for this recipe because they hold their shape well during soaking and coating. Frozen cranberries may become softer as they thaw, which can make them more difficult to coat.
More Festive Sweet Treats
If you tried this sugared cranberries recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Sugared Cranberries
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh cranberries
- 2 cups fresh orange juice
- 2 cups powdered sugar with tapioca starch
Instructions
- Rinse the cranberries thoroughly and pat them dry.
- Place the cranberries in a large container and pour the orange juice over them. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 200°F (95°C).
- Strain the cranberries well to remove the orange juice.
- Place the cranberries in a large container with a lid. Add the powdered sugar, cover, and gently shake until every cranberry is thoroughly coated.
- Transfer the coated cranberries to a colander and gently shake off any excess powdered sugar.
- Spread the cranberries in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 5–7 minutes to dry the coating. Do not bake for longer than necessary.
- Allow the cranberries to cool completely before serving.
Notes
- Freshly squeezed orange juice gives the best citrus flavor.
- Drain the cranberries well before adding the powdered sugar.
- Don't overbake the cranberries; the short oven time is only intended to dry the sugar coating.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- Reduce the powdered sugar if you prefer a less sweet coating.
