Ahhh, sugared cranberries are such a fun treat! You need four ingredients, a little time, and voila--a gorgeous sparkling sugary snack that looks drop dead gorgeous on your holiday table, in an arrangement, on top of pies and other desserts, or just because you deserve to eat them.
"I used a combination of white sugar and red sugar to give more color variation, but you can absolutely use all white."
Notes: Cranberries are fresh, by Ocean Spray.
VANILLA SUGARED CRANBERRIES
Ingredients: 1 vanilla bean pod, 1 1/2 cups vanilla sugar, 1/2 cup red decorator's sugar, 1 cup water, 3 cups fresh cranberries.
Makes 3 cups.
Make vanilla sugar: Three days before, split the vanilla bean pod and scrape out the seeds, reserving them for another use. Bury the pod in at least 4 cups of sugar: a fresh bag of sugar, or the sugar you already have on hand. You won't use it all in this recipe, but extra vanilla sugar is the bomb.
In a small saucepan bring water and 1 cup vanilla sugar to a simmer while whisking to dissolve the sugar. When sugar is dissolved, pour over the cranberries within a large bowl. Stir to coat. Refrigerate 4 hours to overnight.
Drain cranberries. Mix 1/2 cup vanilla sugar and 1/2 cup red sugar together. Roll cranberries in sugar to coat. Turn out onto parchment paper lined baking sheet in a single layer for at least an hour or until dry. Store in an airtight container up to 5 days.
eeks, I cant make the vanilla sugar, can I add vanilla extract to the sugar and water?