Sugared Cranberries

The 2018 Holidays are just around the corner and if you're like me, you're looking for some new and creative ways to use the lowly, sometimes much maligned cranberries sitting in the back of your refrigerator. There are so many ways to use them: jams, jellies, salads, and more.
But right now let's focus on those little round, red, jewels of sugary goodness in the photo above.
You're right.
They're the juicy, sweet-tart sugared cranberries, and they are super-easy to make.
Here's the recipe:

Sugared Cranberries

Ingredients:
As many crispy, fresh cranberries as you'd like to make. The following amount of sugar syrup will easily steep about a cup of berries, but you can reheat the syrup and steep several batches, one after another.

Equal amounts of sugar and water. For the 1 cup of berries, use 1/2 cup each water and sugar.
Extra sugar, about 1/4 cup

Equipment:
Medium heavy-bottomed saucepan with lid
Slotted spoon
Cooling rack covered with parchment

Let's make 'em!
Place the 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup sugar in the saucepan, stir to dissolve the sugar and heat just to boiling. Remove from heat and place cranberries in the sugar syrup, give them a stir, and cover with the lid. Allow to steep about 10 minutes. Remove the berries from the syrup with the slotted spoon and place on the rack covered with parchment to cool.
Once they are cooled, place them, a few at a time, in a bowl of sugar and toss to cover. Remove to a parchment-covered plate and refrigerate. You can put them in an airtight container for a short time, but they will get weepy, so if you're planning to use them the next day or beyond, leave them uncovered on that plate.

Eat them one-by-one like candy! They have a tart and juicy squirt of flavor tempered by the sugar. Or use them as garnish on desserts, salads, or that Thanksgiving turkey. Yum!

Save that sugar syrup to use in drinks recipes.

Let me know how you like them!