Sparkling Sugared Cranberries - Happy New Year!

This is the first in a series of "catch up" posts. xo

Hey there, world. Did everyone have a nice holiday season? Having a happy new year so far? Ready for some new posts? I hope so, because we've got a lot of catching up to do. (Well, I guess in this blogger/reader relationship, I'm really the only one who needs to catch up. But I would love for you all to come along for the ride.)

You see, I've got a lot of photos and recipes stacking up in my computer that I've never posted here. I've  wanted to, I really have! But I have been pretty distracted the last couple months, and something had to give. I almost let all those would-be posts slide, seeing as how some of them aren't exactly timely any more. Hello... cranberries? In January? 

But here's the thing. These are some tasty recipes, folks. It would be wrong to keep them from you. Yes, you'll be seeing a few posts in the coming weeks that are a little out of season. So what? Think of it this way: I'm not really late, I'm simply extending the holiday season a little bit longer. And also sharing a little taste of summer in the middle of winter. What's not to love? Besides, if you don't know me by now, you will never, never, never know me.

Maybe one day I'll become one of those bloggers who posts Thanksgiving recipes before Thanksgiving, Mother's Day recipes before Mother's Day, and Christmas recipes before Christmas. Maybe not. Considering the craziness that seems to be dominating my universe lately, for now I am content just being a blogger who posts.

***Thanks to Veggie Belly for inspiring me to make the "floating" cranberries photos in this post!***

Sparkling Sugared Cranberries

There are many recipes for sugared cranberries on the 'net already, so I won't repeat them here. Basically, you soak fresh cranberries overnight (in either simple syrup or maple), drain and roll them in sugar, spread out on a pan to dry for a couple hours. That's it! I adapted recipes from the Yummy Mummy and 101 Cookbooks blogs.

Thanks to the Yummy Mummy, too, for inspiring the apple "bowl" fruit salad in my photos. Love!

A couple tips on rolling the berries: if you want a good crunch, you can coat the berries in batches (as I did with the berries in the very first photo). The sugar will clump somewhat, but no matter. If a more refined, "pretty" look is what you desire (as I did for the tartelettes), you'll have to roll them one at a time, in a small amount of sugar, adding new sugar to the bowl frequently to prevent clumping.

The little tartelettes were delicious, but mostly I ate the sugared cranberries one after another, straight out of the bowl. If you're a sweet+sour person, you'll find these completely addictive. Each bite yields a sugary CRUNCH followed by a tart, juicy cranberry rush. All the berries in these photos were made with organic evaporated cane juice, a blond-colored sugar that is less refined than traditional white sugar but still gives the berries a bit of sparkle and a satisfying crunch. You could certainly substitute white granulated sugar if you like. However, I would not recommend using brown, Turbinado, maple or Demerara sugar, as none of these is appropriate for this recipe. 

You might also like:

Roost Blog: Coco's Cranberry & Almond Upside Down Cakes
Lottie+Doof: Tim's Cranberry & Vanilla Bean Sorbet
Vanilla Garlic: Garrett's Cranberry Jam

Comments

[Heln DiPasquale]

Dawn, again you have blown me away with your creativity !!!! Just when do you have time for this ?? Mom

[Dawn (KitchenTravels)]

Hi Mom - LOL! I don't. That's why I haven't posted anything since November. ;) But seriously, we all need to find time to do the things we love. (Cutting out TV seems to work pretty well for me.) xoxo

[essay example]

Wow this was so much fun reading, hope i can also make a Sparkling Sugared Cranberries, it look so good..

[Paige]

Hey Dawn-
Your pictures are beautiful and your food looks so tasty! Glad that I'm in "class" with someone so creative!
Paige

[Dawn (KitchenTravels)]

Paige - you are so sweet! Thanks for visiting my blog. Great to be sharing a class with you, too. Can't wait to see the redesigns of our blogs!

[T A Woodward]

Hi Dawn, when I saw your blog link on Elise's class I had to check it out. I love cooking and your blog is so inspiring!!!! Can't wait to see how all the blogs develop, your photography is awe inspiring!!!

[Dawn (KitchenTravels)]

Thanks, TW! I always love it when another cook stops by my blog to say hello. Welcome! Hope your redesign is going well. I'm having fun w/ mine, but also pulling my hair out. ;)