Sugared Cranberries (Candied Cranberries)
These Vanilla Orange Candied Cranberries are the perfection combination of tart and sweet, with a crunchy layer of sugar that creates a delicious texture! These festive treats are great to add to your holiday desserts or serve on their own as a little snack!
Candied Cranberries AKA Sugared Cranberries
I took my dog for a walk this morning and reveled in the clean crisp air, gingerly scented with decomposing leaves and pin needles.
I don’t know what it is about that earthy aroma that makes me so happy. Like a whispering woodland fairy, it always reminds me to start planning for the holidays. No time to waste.
I always like to make Vanilla Orange Candied Cranberries in preparation for the holidays. Candied or sugared cranberries are extremely simple to make and impressive on any Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Year’s table.
Like nature-made Sour Patch Kids, candied cranberries are sweet and tart.
Plus they are so pretty!
Ingredients for Candied Cranberries
- Granulated sugar
- Water
- Vanilla extract
- Orange extract
- Fresh cranberries, washed
How to Make Sugared Cranberries
- Combine part of the sugar, water, vanilla, and orange extract in a medium saucepan. Heat over medium until the sugar has completely dissolved, but not boiling.
- Pour in the cranberries and stir. The hot syrup will loosen the skin, saturate the berries, and adhere to the berries over time. Cover the cranberries with a small plate to keep them mostly submerged. Then cover the pan and place it in the refrigerator overnight.
- Place the remaining sugar in a rimmed dish. Strain the cranberries with a slotted spoon and place them in the sugar. Shake until they are completely coated. Carefully transfer them to a baking sheet to dry, about an hour.
- Once the sugar coating is hard and at room temperature, place them in an air-tight container and keep them in a cool spot for up to a week.
Get the Full (Printable) Sugared Cranberries Recipe Below!
How To Use Candied Cranberries
Just think of all the wonderful ways to use these sugared cranberries:
- Place them in a candy dish to be gobbled up by the handful as a holiday treat.
- Use as a fancy garnish for holiday pies, cakes, cocktails and mocktails, cranberry sauce, or savory dishes.
- Fill martini or champagne glasses with them to decorate your holiday table.
- Place them in little tins or gift bags for small edible gifts.
- One more bonus, the leftover vanilla-orange simple syrup absorbs the essence of cranberry, so save it for irresistible holiday cocktails.
Sugar-coated Cranberries are a must-make this holiday season. Just soak the berries in vanilla orange syrup, then shake in sugar. Viola!
Recipe Variations
Mix up the flavors of the candy coating by swapping the vanilla and citrus extracts with other extracts such as: coconut, almond, lemon, chocolate, rum, and/or raspberry extract.
Looking for More Holiday Recipes? Be Sure to Also Try:
Sugared Cranberries Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 3/4 cups sugar, divided
- 1 3/4 cups water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons orange extract or Grand Marnier
- 12 ounces fresh cranberries (1 bag) about 3 cups
Instructions
- Combine 2 1/2 cups of sugar, water, vanilla, and orange extract in a sauce pan. Heat over medium until the sugar has completely dissolved, but not boiling.
- Pour in the cranberries and stir. The hot syrup will loosen the skin, saturate the berries, and adhere to the berries over time. Cover the cranberries with a small plate to keep them mostly submerged. Then cover the pan and place it in the refrigerator over night.
- Place the remaining 1 1/4 cup of sugar in a rimmed dish. Strain the cranberries and place them in the sugar. Shake until they are completely coated. Carefully transfer them to a baking sheet to dry, about an hour.
- Once the sugar coating is hard, place them in an air-tight container and keep in a cool spot for up to a week.
delicious way to eat cranberries
They look beautiful and I bet they taste even better… and the cranberry infused syrup would make a delicious addition to some iced tea!
Sommer
those cranberries look amazing and are so simple to make!! I can't wait to try them!! Thanks so much for passing along this wonderful creation!
Cheers
Dennis
I too make sugared cranberries for a holiday garnish. Yours looks so festive!
Those are so festive and pretty! They also look like their easy to make. I am going to give this one a try!
Beautiful!!!
What lovely photos and what a lovely idea! I am so excited the holidays are around the corner. Thanks for sharing your recipe and congrats on the top 9 too!!!
These are lovely for the holidays. The cranberries look like they are spinkled in snow! P.S. Your dog is very cute!
wow love these and the snap of you and your dog is adorable
Hi, Sommer! I feel like we haven't chatted in a while, although I am not sure why! Let's remedy that! These cranberries look WONderful, and I love your dog, although I am rather partial to my own. ;)
What a wonderful idea! These sugared cranberries look gorgeous. I imagine that they would look beautiful on a holiday table. You are adorable, by the way. Thank you for sharing. I hope your weekend is full of love and fun.
They look so pretty and festive. Great for the holiday table!
these look fabulous! I will definitely be making these at Christmas time!
Oh, beautiful, Sommer! These photos are gorgeous (as are you!)! I love the idea of making amazing edible decorations. You are helping me feel festive already – wish I were there to enjoy all the activities. ( :
Your sugared cranberries are so cute that I'd throw a party just to make them to show off to my guests :d
thanks for sharing it
What a terrific recipe. And I just love your photos. This is a great idea and looks so beautiful and festive.
Thanks for sharing,
Joanne
I love these! I love your pictures too :)
Candies cranberries are my favorite thing ever! I made a whole bunch last year nd they were gobbled up in minutes. I used plain old simple syrup but lov ethe extra flavors in your version. Thanks for the reminder to make them again.