BEAUTIFUL SUGARED CRANBERRIES DIY

One of the wonders of Christmas I’ve discovered this season is how to make sugared cranberries! They are easy to make into sugar plummed beauties and they are so so delicious. Let’s make frosted sugared cranberries!

Making sugared cranberries is so easy and not only do you get these gorgeous snowy-looking berries you also get can gorgeous colored orange cranberry flavored simple syrup you can use in drinks and libations!

I used these little gems to embellish a delicious CRANBERRY ORANGE BUNDT CAKE and they were so surprising delicious I have used them in a salad (see it below) and added them to the top of yogurt and have been eating them by themselves. YUM!

FOR THE BEST SUGARED CRANBERRIES

Here are a few things to keep in mind to make this recipe successful…

• Start with fresh cranberries. They should be plump and not wrinkled. Keep them refrigerated until you are ready to use them.
• Use a good quality, not from concentrate orange juice. You can even use fresh-squeezed.
• You don’t have to make the 2 cups of cranberries called for in the recipe. Make smaller batches as you need them. This is a very flexible recipe.
• When the cranberries come out of the sugar syrup bath they are sticky. Try not to handle them. I used a spoon to scoop them out of the syrup bath a few at a time and then put them in a strainer with a bowl under it. Then place them, not touching each other, on a piece of parchment.
• Let the cranberries sit for about an hour on the parchment so they get very sticky before putting them into the sugar. I have rolled them in the sugar after letting them sit for just 15 minutes with great success. They just can’t be too wet.
• To help get the cranberries off the parchment I sprinkled just a little sugar over a few at a time and rolled them in it right on the parchment paper. Then I could pick them up with my hands and put them in a bowl of sugar to make sure they were very coated.
• Remove the sugared cranberries on another piece of parchment to let the sugar completely dry on them.
• I left my cranberries in a little bowl on the counter for a couple of days and they were fine. I did not put them in the refrigerator so if you do please email me and let me know if the sugar stayed on them.
• They are addictive! I made several batches with the same orange simple syrup. When I was done making the first batch I put the syrup in a mason jar with a lid and kept it in the refrigerator.
• To make another batch of sugared cranberries just heat the syrup to a simmer and repeat the process.

I picked through the cranberries and only used the freshest ones. As you can see a few cranberries on the top don’t look as plump. I did not use those.

These little syrupy cranberries are so sticky! Make sure they are not too clumped together.

Ready to make these little gems?

USE THESE SUGARPLUMS TO DECORATE A CAKE

This Cranberry Orange Bundt Cake is not only beautiful it is wonderfully delicious! And doesn’t it look so so pretty?

It is moist and quite easy to make! This cake freezes beautifully and would be a perfect addition to your Christmas menu.

See the recipe HERE.

CHRISTMAS BLEU CHEESE AND SUGARED CRANBERRY SALAD

I used the sugared cranberry to make a scrumptious salad that has some delicious flavors that are Christmas worthy!

This is such a scrumptious salad that is savory, sweet and tangy.

Because it is not rocket science you can add cooked chicken to make it heartier. Also add your favorite cheese and nuts instead of bleu cheese and sugared cranberries.

Ready to make a special salad?

I hope you will try this easy recipe. It truly will add lot of flavor to a dish. And they look so pretty!