These are mind. blowing. If somebody had told me last week that eating totally RAW cranberries covered in a thin layer of sugar was safe enough to avoid a WHOLE FACE pucker at the insanity that is cranberry tartness, I would have laughed. But gosh dangit I’m a total convert to sugared cranberries. They aren’t just for incredible cake decoration! I’ve eaten 20 of these in a row, popping them like halloween candy at age 10, and I had to lock the rest away in a tupperware so I wouldn’t end up eating 3 cups of these tart garnet beauties which would have undoubtedly led to disastrous consequences. And they’re ridiculously easy to make, so that’s perfect. Just be sure you either have neighbors to give these to or can ship them off with other socially distant edible holiday gifts or else you may end up like me on a cranberry sugar high.
If you’re still not convinced, hear me out. There are a grand total of three steps and three ingredients in these bad boys, all listed below so I won’t bore you with them here. The only real downside is waiting an hour or two for them to completely dry, but honestly if you intend to just snack on them like the craziest skittles you’ve ever made at home, don’t bother waiting that long. The secret is in the sugar syrup that you toss and coat all of the berries in first, which provides a handy barrier between your taste buds and the mouth-exploding-tartness a whole, raw, unsweetened cranberry surely has (I haven’t actually tried this so if you’re skeptical, go for it). The extra layer of sugar adds crunch and wintry-wonderland-pep which make them gorgeous little gifts to leave out in bowls for guests (as long as those guests are in your “pod” and you aren’t hosting a giant COVID party – that’s a no no) or in cute little gift baggies for your distant relatives and friends.
Now that I’ve waxed poetic about the benefits of making these unexpected winter treats, why not go make some? They also serve as lovely decoration on the tops of festive holiday bundt cakes, cupcakes, other cakes, you get the picture. Stay tuned for another bake that is decorated with dozens of these gems that is perfect for the holiday table! If you’re looking for other edible gifts to make for folks, try our crème fraîche chocolate truffles, or these chocolate hazelnut snow cookies, or these iced gingerbread cookies, or these bourbon balls/truffles, or these dark chocolate sesame cookies, or these caramel-stuffed macadamia nut cookies! SO MANY COOKIES.
Gluten Free Sugared Cranberries
Equipment
- Small saucepan
- Drying rack
- Parchment paper
- Large bowl
Ingredients
- 3 Cups fresh whole cranberries
- 1 Cup water
- 3 Cups white sugar
Instructions
- First, heat the water with 1 cup of the sugar over medium low heat until the sugar fully dissolves. Let simmer for 2-3 minutes, then turn off heat and pour sugar syrup into a small bowl to cool to room temp.
- Once syrup is cooled, line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and lay your drying rack over the covered sheet. Then toss the cranberries with the syrup in a large bowl until all berries are completely coated. Scoop out berries with a slotted spoon and let them all dry on the drying rack for 45 minutes.
- Once nearly dry, toss cranberries with the remaining white sugar until coated, and let dry again on the drying rack or in the bowl for 1-2 hours before eating/using as decoration on cakes!
Tag @sisterssansgluten on Instagram if you snap a photo of your cranberries!
Food photography and styling by Amelia Farber
