Description
Sweet candied cranberries elevate holiday desserts with a festive sparkle. Crimson jewels coated in sugar crystals offer a delightful balance of tart and sugary flavors you’ll savor.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 cups (200 g / 7 oz) granulated sugar
- 1 cup (240 ml / 8 fl oz) water
- 2 cups (200 g / 7 oz) fresh cranberries
- ½ cup (100 g / 3.5 oz) additional granulated sugar
Instructions
- Syrup Preparation: Dissolve sugar in water over gentle heat in a saucepan, stirring continuously until crystals vanish completely without boiling.
- Cranberry Infusion: Submerge fresh cranberries in cooled syrup, allowing them to marinate for a minimum of one hour or overnight to maximize flavor penetration.
- Initial Draining: Using a slotted spoon, transfer cranberries onto a wire rack positioned above a baking sheet, enabling excess syrup to drip away and initial air-drying to commence.
- Surface Transformation: Let cranberries rest for approximately one hour, developing a slightly adhesive exterior that will facilitate optimal sugar coating.
- Sugar Crystallization: Meticulously coat each cranberry in granulated sugar, ensuring a uniform, sparkling layer that creates a stunning, gem-like finish.
- Final Drying and Setting: Return sugar-encrusted cranberries to the wire rack, permitting them to dry completely for another hour, which solidifies the sugar coating and enhances their glossy appearance.
- Storage and Preservation: Once fully crystallized, transfer candied cranberries to an airtight container, maintaining their texture and flavor at room temperature for two to three days, ready to elevate desserts or enjoy as a standalone delicacy.
Notes
Maintain Sugar Syrup Temperature: Gently heat without boiling to prevent caramelization and preserve delicate cranberry texture.
Control Soaking Time: Longer immersion intensifies flavor absorption, but avoid over-soaking to prevent cranberries from becoming mushy.
Select Fresh Cranberries: Choose firm, unblemished berries with vibrant color for best visual appeal and crisp sugar coating.
Manage Drying Process: Ensure proper air circulation on wire rack to create even, glossy sugar crystallization and prevent clumping.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 2 hours
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Simmering
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 9
- Calories: 130
- Sugar: 23 g
- Sodium: 0 mg
- Fat: 0 g
- Saturated Fat: 0 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 33 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 0 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg