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–+ servings
in serving bowl

Candied Cranberries

Kitchen Ready Betty
Crunchy, tart, and sweet, these poppable, sugared cranberries with a hint of citrus flavor are the perfect sparkly accent for winter cocktails, desserts, Christmas charcuterie boards and more!
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Resting Time 2 hours 15 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 25 minutes
Course Confections, Desserts, Holidays, Snacks
Servings 8
Calories 135 kcal

Equipment

  • 2 medium mixing bowls
  • small saucepan
  • stirring spoon
  • medium rimmed cookie sheet (lined with parchment paper)
  • large slotted spoon

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Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup fresh cranberries do not use frozen
  • ¾ cup lemon lime soda I use diet soda
  • 1 & ¼ cups cane sugar divided

Instructions
 

  • Place the cranberries in a medium mixing bowl.
  • In a small saucepan, add the soda and ¾ cup sugar. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves; remove from heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
  • Pour the cooled syrup over the cranberries and stir; allow to soak for 15 minutes.
  • Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Use a slotted spoon to remove the cranberries from the simple syrup. Place the wet cranberries on the pan (spread them out so they're not touching).
  • Allow the cranberries to dry for 1 hour. They will be sticky!
  • Place remaining ½ cup sugar in a dry mixing bowl. Use the slotted spoon to transfer the sticky cranberries to this bowl. Gently stir to coat.
  • Place coated cranberries on a new sheet of parchment paper. Allow them to set for 1 hour, then transfer to an airtight container.

Notes

Store Candied Cranberries in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to 1 week. Do not freeze.
If the cranberries start to get sticky again, coat them with additional sugar.
We found that the darker and larger fresh cranberries were less tart once coated, and had a better balance of tart and sweet overall. Try to avoid using small or pale cranberries for this recipe (unless you crave more tart than sweet!).
You can save the simple syrup for cocktails and mocktails!

Nutrition

Calories: 135kcalCarbohydrates: 35gProtein: 0.1gFat: 0.1gSaturated Fat: 0.001gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.01gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.003gSodium: 3mgPotassium: 11mgFiber: 0.5gSugar: 34gVitamin A: 8IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 2mgIron: 0.1mg
Keyword candied cranberries, cranberries, cranberry, lemon-lime soda, simple syrup, sugared cranberries
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