Need a quick, pretty holiday snack idea or something to add to the cheese plate this year?
I've been eying these sparkling cranberries ever since I saw them on Heidi Swanson's blog a few years back, and can't quite believe I'm finally getting around to making them. I loved them so much that I couldn't wait to share them with you. The gist of this recipe is that it's hardly a recipe at all (good news for busy holiday cooks!). They do need to soak overnight, but other than that, these shimmery beauties just need a tumble or two in sugar and time to dry. Do know that because they're not technically cooked or softened, you must really enjoy the taste of cranberries to get behind these: essentially they're just pretty-ed up, sugared berries. That being said, the hot simple syrup and overnight soak does take the edge off so they don't feel like you're popping too-tart cranberries.
Heidi recommends they should be a part of every holiday spread, and discusses how they "effortlessly make the transition from savory course to sweet ... for example, I've become fond of serving them as part of a cheese spread, but I imagine they'd be nice as the finishing touch on on a tart or clustered atop a crème brûlée or pudding of some sort."
Personally, I've fallen in love with them as an afternoon snack with a cup of tea and have recently started saving a few for the top of a bit of vanilla ice cream in the evening. Heidi's blog is one of my all-time favorites and has been for many years; simple holiday recipes/ideas like these confirm her thoughtfulness yet again. Enjoy.
Get the Recipe: 101 Cookbooks' Sparkling Cranberries
Related: Can I Make Unsweetened Dried Cranberries at Home?
(Image: Megan Gordon)
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I've been making these for years. In my family we leave them out in a little crystal bowl instead of a candy bowl.
If you're worried about the tartness of the cranberries, pierce them with a toothpick before soaking in the simple syrup. It lets more of the syrup.
Love this idea; simple, festive and pretty too boot.
YES. I am so trying this. But I will prick them, however time consuming that is. Because nothing is worse than biting into a bitter cranberry.
I made this for Thanksgiving this year to accompany the cheese plate! I love em, though I think the tartness threw some people off. But they loved the prettiness of them! I'll have to try megj's trick of piercing them with a toothpick for Christmas.
Thank goodness! A recipe for sparkling cranberries NOT covered in egg white! I hate sugared fruit because no matter what I get a big mouthful of egg white taste when I've had them. Will definitely give this a try!
I made these last year at Christmas. Nice, but I think I'll use my time to try something new this year.
Thank you so very much! I made these when we were first married and had forgotten all about them (you know back in the days when there was no internet!!) I remember spending many an hour pricking cranberries while watching sappy Christmas movies. And to think I have 3 bags of fresh cranberries in the fridge right now!!
It has been years since I last made this one.
Thanks to 101Cookbooks and Heidi. I appreciate her efforts for sharing her recipes in her blogs.
You can also search for new recipes at http://www.gourmandia.com/. According to Gourmandia, online cooking recipe videos are another excellent resource for aspiring chefs.