Tart and sweet, frosted like snow, with a pop when you bite in. Good on a charcuterie board, as a dessert topping, or in a dish to add colour to a table or buffet.
I had attended a roller derby event that had a potluck and someone brought candied cranberries. They were surprisingly really good! A teammate, Lashes, found the recipe on Instagram (@ourbestbites) and forwarded it to me, as we both enjoyed them at the event.
Ingredients
- 340 g (12 oz) fresh cranberries
- Equal parts granulated sugar and water for the syrup, enough to cover the berries (about 1 cup each)
- About ½ cup coarse sugar, for rolling
- About ½ cup granulated sugar, for rolling
Method
Wash the cranberries and pick out any damaged or squishy ones.
Make a simple syrup: bring the sugar and water to a boil in a saucepan, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Let it cool to room temperature.
Pour the syrup over the berries and refrigerate overnight. The syrup thickens a little and the sugar sticks better. If you’re short on time you can go straight to the next step, but the berries will be more tart.
Lift the berries out of the syrup with a slotted spoon and set them on a cooling rack over foil to drip. Let them dry until they have just a thin, tacky coating of syrup, 45 minutes to an hour.
Roll the berries first in the coarse sugar, then in the granulated sugar to fill the gaps.
Spread them on a baking sheet and let them dry completely, a couple of hours or overnight. The outsides turn crisp and crunchy, and the berries burst when you bite in.
Notes
- Best served the same day. To store, leave them uncovered at room temperature, or in an airtight container if it’s humid.
- If they look wet when you go to serve them after storing, give them a quick roll in sugar.