These pretty little cranberries are dressed up in their sparkling best, just waiting to be placed on your bridal shower table. Simple to make, and delightfully tart and sweet, sugared cranberries should be included on every shower menu this holiday season. The best part about them (besides the eating part, of course) is how versatile these berries are: they add beautiful seasonal decoration to cakes and other desserts (oooh: cheesecake!), they are a fantastic addition to savory cheese plates, and they are absolutely dazzling all on their own in a pretty bowl. These little beauties are so impressive, your guests will never guess how easy these were to make…it will be our little secret.

Sugared Cranberries
While very simple to prepare, sugared cranberries do require an 8-hour refrigeration period, so be sure to start them the day before you’re planning to serve them. The berries will keep in covered containers for up to a week, so they also make perfect shower favors – packaged up and adorned with a personalized gift tag, of course! Also, the cranberry-infused simple syrup can be used to create delicious holiday cocktails, so be sure to save it (refrigerated) after you drain your berries.

2 cups fresh cranberries, sorted and rinsed
2 cups water
2 ¾ cups granulated sugar, divided

In a small saucepan, bring the water and two cups of sugar just to a simmer; remove from heat to cool for a few minutes. Meanwhile, rinse the cranberries and remove any imperfect berries; place them in a large bowl and set them aside until your syrup is ready. Pour the slightly cooled syrup over the berries (your cranberries may burst if the syrup is too hot), stir them a bit, then cover the bowl and place it in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours. Drain your berries (reserving the now-infused simple syrup, if you’d like). Place ¾ cup granulated sugar (you may wish to use super-fine sugar for this step – it makes for quite a pretty presentation, but it is certainly not necessary) into a bag or a shallow dish. Working in small batches, roll or shake the cranberries around in the sugar until they are coated. Remove the sugared berries to a baking sheet to dry for at least one hour. Once the cranberries are dried they can be stored at room temperature in a covered container for up to a week.

Enjoy!

Posted by Shannon, a Dot-arilla blogger