Boozy Sugared Cranberries

2 cups
10 min

These Boozy Sugared Cranberries are the perfect garnish for all of your holiday cocktails or just a delicious little treat to add to your holiday spread. Soaked in orange liqueur and rolled in sugar, you can't go wrong with this sweet and sour combination. This post will take you through step-by-step how to make Boozy Candied Cranberries and there is also a kid-friendly version too! Not only do you get some delicious Boozy Sugared Cranberries, but you also get a Cranberry Orange Liqueur Syrup. Talk about two-for-one! These small and delightful treats are sweet and sour and pack a ton of flavor!

A bowl of Boozy Sugared Cranberries

Boozy sugared cranberries being drained from cranberry orange syrup, great to keep for cocktails!

Boozy Candied Cranberries

Boozy Sugared Cranberries
Recipe details
  • 2  cups
  • Prep time: 5 Minutes Cook time: 5 Minutes Total time: 10 min
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Ingredients

  • 1½ cups sugar, divided
  • 1 cup water
  • 2 cups fresh cranberries, rinsed
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 tsp orange liqueur (such as Grand Marnier)
Instructions

Place 1 cup of sugar, the water, vanilla extract, and orange liqueur in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar completely dissolves but do not bring to a boil. This will take only a few minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cranberries. Place something heavy on top to keep the cranberries submerged (be careful not to overflow the pan). I had a round flat bowl that worked perfectly or a small plate should work as well.
Once the mixture has cooled enough, cover with foil or plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least 12 hours or overnight to allow the cranberries to soak in all of that delicious syrup.
After soaking, strain the cranberries through a fine-mesh sieve over a bowl. Once fully drained, place the syrup in a sealable bottle or container, place it in the fridge, and save for cocktails!
Put the remaining sugar in a container with a lid (or a small bowl if you don't have one). Gently put the cranberries in the container, put on the lid, and gently shake and turn to fully coat the cranberries with sugar (if your cranberries are in a bowl, use a spoon to carefully mix the cranberries in the sugar to coat).
Place the cranberries on a piece of wax paper to dry for at least an hour. Make sure they are separated so they have room to dry.
Once dry, place the cranberries in a sealable container until you are ready to use or serve. They should last up to a week.
Tips
  • If you are going to have kiddos around and want to make them their own sugared cranberries without the booze, all you need to do is substitute the orange liqueur with orange extract. You can also leave out the orange entirely and just have regular candied cranberries. Everything else stays the same.
Emily | emilyfabulous.com
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Comments
  • DebD DebD on Dec 04, 2020

    What do you use for the kids version?

    • See 1 previous
    • DebD DebD on Dec 05, 2020

      Orange extract, of course! Thank you for the info.

  • Pam Williams Pam Williams on Dec 16, 2022

    If you put the cranberries through a sieve, how do you then sugar coat them? Isn't that just the skin left?

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