Description
A simple recipe for making beautiful, jewel-like candied cranberries that are perfect for holiday desserts, cocktails, or as a festive treat. The tartness of cranberries is balanced by sweet orange and warm cinnamon.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 cups fresh cranberries, rinsed and picked over
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup granulated sugar, divided
- Zest and juice of 1 large orange
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cinnamon stick
- Additional granulated sugar, for coating
- Clear sparkling sugar, for coating (optional)
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, combine 1 cup water and 1 cup granulated sugar. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves completely. Add orange zest, orange juice, and cinnamon stick. Bring to a gentle boil, then simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, strain into a clean bowl, and stir in vanilla extract. Let cool slightly.
- Gently place rinsed and dried fresh cranberries into the slightly cooled sugar syrup. Stir to ensure each cranberry is submerged. Allow to soak for at least 1 hour, or up to 4 hours for a more tender texture.
- Carefully drain the cranberries, reserving the syrup if desired. Let the cranberries sit in the sieve for a few minutes to drip off excess syrup.
- Spread the drained cranberries in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Air dry at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours until slightly tacky.
- Place additional granulated sugar (and optional sparkling sugar) into a shallow bowl. Gently roll the slightly tacky cranberries in the sugar until evenly coated.
- Place the sugar-coated cranberries back onto the parchment-lined baking sheet. Allow to dry for at least another hour, or until the sugar coating feels firm and crisp.
Notes
- Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
- Use as a garnish for desserts or cocktails.
- Prep Time: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/4 cup
- Calories: 120
- Sugar: 27g
- Sodium: 1mg
- Fat: 0g
- Saturated Fat: 0g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 31g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 0g
- Cholesterol: 0mg