Sugared cranberries are an easy yet beautiful garnish for so many festive delights, from pumpkin pie to gingerbread waffles. They're also very tasty as a sweet snack all on their own! You need just 3 ingredients to make these sparkly treats, and you can use the same method with fresh rosemary. A version of this recipe is also in my cookbook, Sally's Baking 101.
Recipe by Sally on November 16, 2023
Prep time: PT30M
Cook time: PT5M
Total time: PT2H35M
Rating
4.8 stars ( reviews)
Keywords
sugared cranberries
Ingredients
1 cup (120g) fresh cranberries (do not use frozen)
3/4 cup (180g/ml) water
1 and 1/4 cups (250g) granulated sugar, divided
Categories
Dessert
Cuisine
American
Steps
Place the cranberries in a medium heat-safe bowl. Set aside.
In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, bring the water and 3/4 cup (150g) of sugar to a simmer, whisking until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes.
Pour the sugar syrup over the cranberries and stir. Cover the bowl and set aside for 15 minutes.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cranberries from the sugar syrup and place them on the prepared baking sheet. Allow to dry, uncovered, for 1 hour. The cranberries will be quite sticky at this point.
Pour remaining 1/2 cup (100g) sugar into a large bowl. Toss the cranberries in the sugar, coating them all the way around. Return the sugared cranberries to the lined baking sheet and let them dry, uncovered, for at least 1 hour at room temperature or in the refrigerator.
Use immediately or store them, tightly covered, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. If they start to look a little wet, toss them in a little more sugar.
Reviews
Tracy B on 2025-12-24 (5 stars): Making these again, as they were a hit on Thanksgiving. I did refrigerate the syrup coated berries for only a 1/2 hour and the sugar adhered perfectly. I did rosemary twigs too. My reserved/leftover simple syrup will go in cranberry margaritas! Merry Christmas
Cynthia Pickard on 2025-11-18 (5 stars): Would like to know if I can soak The Cranberries in the syrup overnight in the refrigerator or at room temperature
Kim K. on 2025-12-02 (3 stars): I made these to top the cranberry curt tart, but was surprised they were not candied at all. I had a very difficult time getting the granulated sugar to stick. I followed the recipe exactly, but wonder if maybe the cranberries didn’t candy because they were very large cranberries. Do large cranberries need to sit in the hot simple syrup for longer than small ones?
When the sugar didn’t stick, I wet them again to make them sticky. I live in a semi desert area. Maybe that’s why they dried so quickly.
Cynthia M. on 2025-12-23 (5 stars): Store tightly covered, or lightly covered?
Both ways are noted. Please clarify, many thanks :)
Anna on 2026-01-08 (5 stars): I made frosted cranberries and rosemary for a winter wonderland cake I made and they came out amazing! Great recipe. Received many compliments how beautiful they looked. They were an excellent touch to decorate my cake.
