Sugared Cranberries | Sugared Blueberries

Sparkling sugared cranberries and sugared blueberries make a beautiful egg-free simple garnish for cakes, puddings, charcuterie platters, frozen tarts, ice cream bowls, cocktails and more.

Sugared cranberries and sugared blueberries are also called candied berries and they make the easiest prettiest garnish. Each takes only 2 ingredients, and under 20 minutes. My recipe does not use eggs. Just water. Sugar and water and berries. Try them on my chocolate cream pie or my peanut butter pie or use them to top your yogurt at brunch.

Why You'll Love This

Fast Healthier Process. Traditional recipes for candied cranberries have you dipping berries in egg white - not safe and not necessary, water is perfect. Similarly other candied berry recipes also have you waiting an hour for the dipped berries to become sticky before rolling them into sugar. My way is much quicker, and double dipping gives a heavy coating.

Ingredients

• Berries. Here I used blueberries and cranberries. 
• Cane sugar

Steps to Make

Just two simple steps:

1. Make a simple sugar syrup by microwaving sugar and water together for one minute. Let it cool, then dip each berry.

2. Roll the berries in sugar and let them dry. That's it! You can apply two coats, directions are in the recipe card below.

Storage

Store sugared cranberries or sugared blueberries or any berry you sugar coat in a sealed container at room temperature for up to two days.

You can refrigerate for longer, up to 4 days, but spots of sugar may melt. If that happens, just reroll the berries in fresh sugar to repair the bare spots.

Freezing will not work as the berries will collapse.

Ways to Use

I put them on my chocolate cream pie here, but you can do so many things with sugared berries. Here are a few ideas you can add them to:

• Cakes and pies and tarts
• Ice cream and pudding dessert bowls
• Charcuterie platters for splashes of color and sweet
• Speared on tooth picks for cocktail garnishes
• On their own as a dessert

FAQS

Can You Eat Sugared Fruit?

You can eat these straight instead of using as a garnish. Of course the berries are nutritious but the sugar isn’t so I’d pop a few but not have a bowl of sugared berries for my breakfast lol.

How Do You Sweeten Blueberries?

Easy, just use my sugared berries recipe right here. Blueberries are a bit sour so they are the perfect berry, just like cranberries, to coat in sugar.

Can You Use Frozen Berries To Decorate A Cake?

Of course, but sugared berries are even prettier.

Can You Eat Raw Cranberries?

Yep! Sugared cranberries cut the sourness however.

Are Cranberries High in Sugar?

No, quite low, so are blueberries. That's what makes them the perfect candidate for sugared berries.

Desserts To Garnish

Chocolate Cream Pie
Dairy Free Chocolate Cake
Vanilla Cake
Sweet Potato Ice Cream

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Sugared Cranberries | Sugared Blueberries

Created by Dee Dine

Sparkling sugared cranberries and sugared blueberries make a beautiful simple egg-free garnish for cakes, puddings, charcuterie platters, frozen tarts, ice cream bowls, cocktails and more.

5 from 2 votes

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Prep Time 11 mins

Cook Time 15 mins

Total Time 26 mins

Course Dessert, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine American

Servings 8

Calories 113 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

Sugar Syrup

• ½ cup organic cane sugar
• ¼ cup water

Berries & Sugar to Roll

• ½ cup organic cane sugar
• 1 cup blueberries
• 1 cup cranberries

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Instructions

 

Prep

• Rinse and pat dry fresh berries. Remove any soft berries or those that are gone. Set aside.
• Set out a cooling rack with a protective paper or cookie sheet beneath to catch loose sugar.
• Add ½ cup sugar to a bowl to prepare for rolling the berries to coat.

Make Sugared Berries

• First, make the simple sugar syrup by adding ¼ cup of sugar to ¼ cup of water and set into microwave for 1 minute. Remove cup and stir until all sugar is melted. Quickly add in the remaining ¼ cup sugar and stir again until dissolved.

  Microwave another 15 seconds if you need to dissolve any further.
• Set the syrup aside to cool, about 15-30 minutes. Don't use it warm or it will pop the berries.
• 1st coating: When the syrup is at room temperature, dip each berry using a fork to coat it completely. Lift the berry, let excess syrup drip off, then roll in the sugar in the bowl. Set coated berry on cooling rack to dry. Do this until all berries are coated.
• 2nd coating (optional): If you want to apply a second coat, dip freshly coated berries twice in the bowl of sugar - NO NEED to dip in syrup again or to allow first coating to dry first. Set twice-coated berry on rack to dry.

  Drying: It takes about 30 minutes at room temperature to dry the berries well enough to be able to work with them.

Store Sugared Berries

• Store them uncovered in the refrigerator for 4 days. If they get wet and the sugar coating seems to dissolve, simply roll them in sugar to refresh.

Notes

Strawberries. You can make candied strawberries, just chop into similar sizes first.

Raspberries. Use very unripe and firm berries. Over-ripe berries will not work.

Herbed candied berries. As you make any candied berry, add herbs such as rosemary needles, mint leaves, even sage leaves in with the liquid syrup, and sugar coat those along with the berries. Use the candied herbs to garnish the candied berries.

Nutrition

Calories: 113kcalCarbohydrates: 29gProtein: 1gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 1mgPotassium: 25mgFiber: 1gSugar: 12gVitamin A: 17IUVitamin C: 3mgIron: 1mg

Keyword candied berries, candied cranberries, egg-free sugared berries, sugared berries, sugared blueberries, sugared cranberries

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