Welcome Thanksgiving! It is my favorite holiday! I love going by myself to the store and buying food treasures for the holidays. One of the most fun things to buy are bags of cranberries. Oh how I love cranberries, and making cranberry sauce. A few years ago I made my own for the first time. I guess I never did before because I really do like that jellied stuff in the can (you can find my recipe for that here), but the recipe in this post has more texture because of the bits of berries, and it’s sweeter too. And it’s so fun to make, watching the cranberries pop and the mixture congeal. I get so excited, like I’m watching a movie waiting for the plot to thicken, except I’m watching my cranberry mixture thicken. Alright, I’m easily amused, but I promise it’s fun to watch.
Each year, I also make sugar-frosted cranberries, which mimic snow-kissed holly berries. Encrusted in shell of sugar, the outside sparkles like twinkling lights. When you bite into the cranberry you taste the sweet, crispy outside, then on then POP! The inside gives a tangy bite — the layers work perfectly together to make a absolutely addicting combination. My little daughters love to help me make these treats. We started a fun tradition with these cranberries. Hurray for Thanksgiving!
Cranberry Sauce
1 cup sugar
1 cup apple cider or apple juice
1 (12-ounce) package fresh cranberries
Combine sugar, apple juice, and cranberries. Bring ingredients to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat, ad simmer until cranberries pop, about 5 to 10 minutes. Stir occasionally. Chill.
Sugar-Frosted Cranberries
3 cups of fresh cranberries, room temperature
2 cups of water
3 cups of sugar or superfine sugar (If using regular sugar, pulse in food processor), divided
Dissolve water and 2 cups of sugar in a pan over low heat, stirring often. After the water mixture has reached a simmer and all the sugar has been dissolved, immediately pull off heat and let sit for 2 minutes. Pour into a bowl, and add cranberries. Carefully stir to coat cranberries. Place bowl in refrigerator at least 5 hours.
After the time has passed, drain cranberries. Roll cranberries in sugar, and place on a cookie sheet. Let harden at room temperature. Do not store in the refrigerator, because condensation will compromise the sugar coating. I store mine, uncovered in a cabinet. Don’t worry, they won’t last long enough to worry about long-term storage!
I just made your sugar frosted cranberries. Such a beautiful extra Thanksgiving treat and they are delicious! Thank you for the recipe!
Yea!!! So glad you liked them. Thank you for your comment. Happy Thanksgiving!
Oh how I love those sugar frosted cranberries! I can’t stop eating them! It’s hard to imagine how good they are until you try one (or one dozen!).
How I love your cranberry sauce. This recipe is the best! The sugared cranberries are festive and fun to eat! YUM for both of these.