Sugared Cranberries Recipe

Sugared cranberries seem to be all the craze this year. Not sure why -- but when I saw that these wintry-looking gems were so easy to make, I could not wait to try them. I figured they would be a perfect holiday topping to my daughter's favorite birthday brownies. Of course, she probably won't eat them, and neither will she eat the dollop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream that goes between the two. But that's OK. This will be the thing that makes a kid's birthday sweet, into a grown-up treat.

ingredients:
2 cups fresh cranberries
2 cups superfine sugar
' 2 cups water
3/4 cup superfine sugar


1. Place cranberries in a strainer and wash thoroughly. Put aside.

2. Place 2 cups sugar and water in a sauce pan, and heat until sugar is completely dissolved. Be careful not to boil simple syrup.

3. Take syrup off heat. Let cool slightly, if the liquid actually came to a boil. Place cranberries into the syrup and place bowl or pan into fridge and let cranberries soak over night or for at least 4 hours. You can place a plate over the container to make sure the cranberries stay submerged.

4. Drain cranberries, capturing syrup for other use or for another batch of cranberries.

5. Place 3/4 cup of fine sugar in a shallow plate, and roll cranberries in sugar until complete coated. Place on lined baking sheet to dry for at least an hour. You can roll the cranberries again to get better coverage if you like.

serves 6-8