Every year I always have the same thought: the holidays come and go much too fast. As soon as Thanksgiving is over, BOOM! It’s Christmas 24/7, but as soon as December 26th shows up, the decor goes away, the lights come down, and all of our favorite holiday treats stop getting baked until the following Christmas season.
Just writing that, knowing that in a few short days the 26th will be here, and I’ll be up bright and early, taking down all of the holiday decor and getting my home back in order, saddens me. I don’t know what I’m grieving for more, the food, the decor or maybe even the music.
Cranberries, I think, are an often overlooked berry all year until Thanksgiving, and then they get 5-6 weeks of glory just to be forgotten about again. Well, I’m here today highlighting these beautiful, red tarty jewels, and sharing a recipe that you could really make all year long if you wanted too.
Sugared Cranberries are a super easy and beautiful way to dress up a holiday dish or a plain old salad, or to elevate brie bites into a fancier appetizer. Did I mention that they are addictive? Or how fun they are to munch on while preparing said salad or appetizer? You could even top cupcakes with these sugared cranberries! How adorable would that be?
However you choose to use them, they will be a hit on any plate and super cute way to embrace the holidays or a normal ordinary day.
- 2 cups heaping cranberries
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup sugar
- ¾ cup sugar for rolling the berries in
- Combine the ½ cup water and ½ cup sugar in a pot and bring it to a simmer, stirring occasionally until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and cool allow to cool briefly.
- About one cup at a time, pour the cranberries into the pot, tossing to coat in the simple syrup and using a slotted spoon, remove the berries from the pot and allow the excess liquid to drip off.
- Move the berries to a foil lined baking sheet that has a wire rack placed over it. The rack will catch some of the berries, but it’s okay if some of the berries fall through. Let them dry for an hour or two.
- In a shallow bowl, place the ¾ cup of sugar in it and a handful at a time, roll the cranberries through the sugar making sure they are evenly coated and move them back to the wire rack and repeat the process until all the berries are coated in sugar.
- Store berries in an airtight container in the fridge. The berries will keep for about one week.
Used In This Project:
- Circle Labels • I chose the “Holly Rustic” style in green.
- Scallop Hang Tag • I chose the “Holly Rustic” style in green.
SHOP EVERMINE’S HOLIDAY COLLECTION >
Chels is a native Oregonian who dreams of living with all four seasons in Central Oregon. She's a wife and stay at home mom to her three vivacious kiddos whom she home schools. When she's not schooling or chasing after her munchkins, she enjoys reading, bubble baths, and finding clothing/kitchen treasure at thrift stores. But more than all of that, she finds refuge in her kitchen where she and her husband can be found cooking and baking up a storm for their family and friends. You can read more about her culinary endeavors at Catzinthekitchen.com.
Oh My Mom…those cranberries are irresistible…
Great food photography you have here. I hope my mom could make this awesome mouth watering sweets.
Thanks for the pictures, it will really helpful too.
They are really tasty! I gave a jar to my mom to have over Christmas and she can’t stop eating them. 🙂
ooo Nice . I Like this …:-)
Thanks so much! 🙂
Beautiful idea! 🙂
Aren’t they cute and festive! I would say you could keep making these until Valentine’s Day. They would be so pretty on top of some luscious dessert.
Cranberries are only available in the fall because that is when they are harvested. You cannot get fresh cranberries in the summer because they are still growing during those months. So no, you cannot make these all year, just in the fall and early winter.
Yes, cranberries are only in season for a short amount of time. However, if you take advantage of when they are in season and buy them for freezing, then you could make them all year long. That is what I meant and probably should have explained better. 🙂 Thanks for the comment Sue 🙂