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Orange Vanilla Candied Cranberries Recipe

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5 from 141 reviews

These Orange Vanilla Candied Cranberries are a delightful holiday treat made by soaking fresh cranberries in a flavorful orange-vanilla cinnamon syrup before coating them in sugar. The result is a sweet, tangy, and crunchy-coated cranberry perfect for festive garnishes, snacks, or desserts.

Ingredients

Scale

Cranberries

  • 1 12-ounce bag of cranberries

Syrup

  • 1.75 cups water
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • Zest and juice of 1 orange (approximately 1/2 cup fresh juice)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 whole cinnamon stick

Sugar Coating

  • 1.5 to 2 cups white sugar (recommended: 3 parts granulated sugar to 1 part clear sparkling sugar)

Instructions

  1. Prepare Cranberries: Wash the cranberries thoroughly and discard any stems or spoiled berries to ensure freshness and quality.
  2. Place Cranberries in a Bowl: Transfer the cleaned cranberries to a heat-safe bowl, ready for the syrup infusion.
  3. Make Syrup: In a 2-quart stockpot, combine water, orange zest and juice, vanilla extract, granulated sugar, and the cinnamon stick. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat.
  4. Simmer Syrup: Reduce heat to low and let the syrup simmer for 5 to 7 minutes until it thickens slightly, concentrating the flavors.
  5. Cool Syrup: Remove the syrup from heat and allow it to cool for a few minutes so it remains warm but not hot enough to burst the cranberries upon contact.
  6. Combine Cranberries and Syrup: Pour the warm syrup along with the cinnamon stick over the cranberries, ensuring that all cranberries are submerged for even flavor absorption.
  7. Chill Overnight: Cover the bowl and refrigerate overnight to allow the cranberries to absorb the syrup and develop flavor.
  8. Drain Syrup: Place a colander or fine mesh sieve over a large bowl. Pour the cranberries into the colander to drain off excess syrup, reserving the syrup for other uses like cocktails.
  9. Dry Cranberries Slightly: Let the cranberries rest in the colander for 30 minutes to 1 hour to become tacky, helping the sugar coating adhere better.
  10. Prepare Sugar Coating: Spread the white sugar mixture evenly on a sheet pan, creating a bed for coating the cranberries.
  11. Coat Cranberries with Sugar: Gently roll half of the cranberries in the sugar to coat them evenly. Then roll the remaining cranberries in the rest of the sugar, arranging them in as close to a single layer as possible for even drying.
  12. Dry Candied Cranberries: Leave the coated cranberries out to dry for at least 3 hours. The cranberries are ready when the sugar coating hardens and becomes crisp.

Notes

  • Reserve the leftover syrup for use in holiday cocktails or to sweeten other recipes.
  • Clear sparkling sugar adds extra sparkle and a delicate crunch to the coating but can be substituted with standard granulated sugar if unavailable.
  • Store candied cranberries in an airtight container at room temperature to maintain their crisp sugar coating.
  • These cranberries make excellent garnishes for cocktails, desserts, or holiday charcuterie boards.

Keywords: candied cranberries, orange vanilla cranberries, holiday cranberry recipe, candied fruit, festive garnish

Find it online: https://spatulaqueen.com/orange-vanilla-candied-cranberries-recipe/