How to Make Sugared Cranberries

Learn how to make sugared cranberries. They’re easy-to-make and  festive dessert toppers, cocktail garnishments or use them as Christmas decor too! Make them with just three ingredients! They’re Vegan and gluten-free.

These beautiful, festive sugared cranberries are a great way to dress up holiday desserts like Cranberry Cheesecake or cocktails like Cranberry Orange Mimosas. They’re great for any Christmas brunch buffet table!

Add them to a Fruit Christmas Tree to make a festive centerpiece for Christmas brunch, dinner or Christmas morning. Add the sugared cranberries to a cocktail toothpick before or after adding sugar. See step 5 in instructions below. 

You can even use them as Christmas decor. Oh, the possibilities.

Sugared Berries

Although sugared cranberries are edible, you may not like the taste because they’ll taste more like a raw cranberry. Therefore, if your child or pet ate one, they’d be o.k.! You may get a sour-looking face as they taste it. But, no need to worry.

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cup of sugar, divided
• 1 cup of water
• 1 cup of fresh whole cranberries

Instructions

1. First, in a medium saucepan on medium/high heat, add water and sugar to make a simple syrup. Stir until the sugar is dissolved and the simple syrup is clear but, not yet boiling. Let it cool 5-10 minutes.
2. Then, add the whole cranberries and mix them to coat them in the syrup. Let them sit in the syrup for an hour.
3. Next, drain the cranberries from the simple syrup.
4.  Coat them by hand or roll them in sugar. Make them as heavily sugar-coated as you like. 
5. Optional- Add them to cocktail toothpicks to use them for a Fruit Christmas tree, cocktails, etc. You may find it easier to add them to the toothpicks before sugar-coating them.

What can I do with extra cranberries?

• Make them into sugared cranberries as stated above.
• Add them to the top of cheesecakes.
• Put them in cocktails such as, mimosas. 
• Use them as Christmas decor.

See more Christmas recipes.