POP! How to Make Candied Cranberries Everyone Will Fight Over

My mom always has multiple cranberry dishes on Thanksgiving.

1. A fresh and bright relish with cranberries, pecans, and orange zest.

2. A baked cranberry and apple crumble that is my husband's FAVORITE. It's reaaaally really good.

3. Good ole cranberry jelly in the shape of a can. That's at my request. I think I may be the only one who eats it. Haha!

This year, as I was taking the relish out of the fridge, I noticed a bag with what looked like powdered sugar in it. Mom said, "Oh yeah, that was an experiment. I saw them online and wanted to try them. They're candied cranberries."

She told me that folks were going wild over them and that they were compared to Sour Patch Kid gummies in a video she saw. I was so intrigued, I had to try one. As soon as I crunched down on a sugar-coated berry, it POPPED! Such a satisfying mouth feel, and then the sweetness and tartness combined for the most interesting flavor.

I loved them so much, I had to try and make my own. They hit that sweet treat spot, but I somehow felt better about eating them because they were a fruit and not a little chewy gelatin critter. The only thing I needed were the cranberries, as I already had everything I needed at home.

Ingredients for Candied Cranberries

They're a really cheap and easy little snack to make. Here's what you need:

• bag of fresh cranberries
• orange juice
• powdered sugar

Directions for Making Candied Cranberries

Rinse your cranberries

Soak the berries in orange juice overnight. My mom only soaked hers for a few hours, and they did great. I just put them in a container, poured enough juice to cover the berries, put the lid on, and put them in the fridge.

Drain the juice, but do not dry them.

Pour the wet cranberries into a large Ziploc bag. Using your heart, sprinkle powdered sugar into the bag.

Zip up the bag and give it a good shake. Add more sugar if needed. You want the berries to be completely covered.

Preheat your oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the cranberries out on it. Bake for 5 minutes. Take them out and put them in the fridge as soon as they are cool enough to handle. This turns the sugar into a crunchy coating.

Enjoy the POP!

Get our free mobile app