It’s all about Cranberries in my kitchen. The first of five cranberry recipes I’ll be featuring is these incredibly addictive Candied Cranberries. But before I get started I would suggest that you buy a few large bags of cranberries; freeze one and keep the other in the fridge for immediate use.
Now, let’s get on with the recipe.
Candied Cranberries
Ingredients: Makes approximately 3 cups of candied cranberries
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- 2 cups water
- 3 cups fresh cranberries
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons orange extract
- 1 cup superfine sugar (or as needed)
Directions:
Rinse the cranberries and discard any debris and set aside.
Combine the sugar, salt, extract, and water in a saucepan over low heat, stirring the mixture until the sugar dissolves. Bring to a simmer (Do not boil) and cook until the liquid becomes clear. Remove the simple syrup from the heat and allow it to cool a bit (to about 170°F). The syrup should be warm enough to touch, not boiling.
Pour the warm syrup into a bowl and stir in the cranberries. Place a smaller plate on top of the cranberries to help keep them submerged. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
Evenly spread the superfine sugar over the bottom of a shallow casserole dish.
Remove the bowl from the fridge and strain the cranberries, if you desire, reserve the cranberry syrup. Place the marinated cranberries, in small batches, gently rolling them in the superfine sugar to coat. Gently spread the sugar-coated cranberries in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet and allow them to dry at room temperature for an hour or so. Store the candied cranberries in an airtight container in a cool place for up to a week.
Note: The longer the cranberries steep, the more they will absorb the syrup. The steeping liquid clings to the berries aiding in coating them with the superfine sugar. Make sure your syrup isn’t too hot, or the cranberries will pop when added. However, the heat should still be hot enough to poach the berries. If you don’t have a thermometer, another way to test to determine the level of heat is it should be just a bit uncomfortable when you put your finger in the syrup.
These Candied Cranberries are so easy to make. They can be used as an elegant snack, for gifts, as a garnish for various desserts and on the list goes.
Time to eat…
P.S. Take a moment to check out my new recipe booklet’s for sale on this site and purchase some of the tools I used for this “Candied Cranberries” below. 🙂