Sugared Cranberries

So…this is my first attempt at making sugared cranberries. I wanted to use them as garnish for a Thanksgiving-themed cupcake I made (coming Wednesday!) You’ll notice they don’t look quite as sugary as the usual sugared cranberries you see, but…I like them that way. Not too Sour Patch Kid-like. These are cranberries that have been steeped in a hot sugar-water mixture, to make them sticky, and then rolled in superfine sugar for a nice sugary coating.

Here’s how to do it.

SUGARED CRANBERRIES

Ingredients

• 1 part water
• 1 part granulated sugar
• 1 part fresh cranberries*
• some superfine sugar**

* You can find these at the grocery store during the Thanksgiving season. I recommend calling before you go pick them up though, because not all stores will have them! Cranberries are so elusive.

** I got this at Harmon’s ,which is a grocery store in Utah that is almost at-par with Whole Foods but not quite there. So you may have to go to a higher-end market for this. (It’s also known as “baker’s sugar,” by the way.)

Method

1. Add the water and granulated sugar together in a saucepan over low heat.
2. Stir the water and sugar together until the sugar has dissolved completely. You want the water to be hot here, but not quite to a simmer. Otherwise, the cranberries will pop when the hot water touches them.
3. Meanwhile, your cranberries should be in a large, heat-proof bowl. Once the sugar in the hot water has dissolved, carefully pour the sugar water over the cranberries in the bowl. Stir this mixture together, cover, and then transfer to the fridge.
4. Let the bowl chill overnight, or for at least 8 hours.
5. Remove the bowl from the fridge and drain the cranberries.
6. Pour some superfine sugar over a large plate, and then add the cranberries to the plate. Roll them around in the sugar until they’ve been evenly coated. (You may need to repeat this process.)
7. Lay the cranberries out on wax paper and let them dry completely (which should take about an hour.) It helps if you roll them a little bit in this time frame so all sides have a chance to dry.