Cranberries in Sugar

Rinse the berries, remove the leaves and stems. If there are crushed or soft berries, it's better to remove them immediately. Prepare a baking sheet or a large cutting board, on which you will roll the berries in powdered sugar (a baking sheet is more convenient because its edges will prevent the berries from rolling). Line the baking sheet with parchment paper (this is optional, just to make it easier to clean later) and sprinkle with a layer of powdered sugar (about a quarter of the sugar will be used for this). It's better to sprinkle the sugar through a sieve to break up any lumps right away.

Let's prepare the syrup: heat water with sugar over medium heat until the sugar dissolves and the syrup becomes completely transparent. You can add a little orange zest, cinnamon extract, or vanilla for flavor. Lower the berries into the ready syrup and gently mix to coat all the berries with the syrup.

Using a slotted spoon, remove the berries from the syrup, trying to shake off the remaining drops of syrup as much as possible. If a lot of syrup gets into the powdered sugar, it will instantly turn into liquid glaze. Transfer the berries to the baking sheet and sprinkle with powdered sugar on top as well. Some of the sugar will dissolve immediately because the berries are moist, so add enough to keep a dry layer covering the berries.

Gently roll the berries with your hands to coat them with sugar from all sides. This is a quite sticky stage of the process, the sugar coating will not only be on the berries but also on your fingers. You can use thin gloves if desired. The finished cranberries coated in sugar can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Immediately after preparation, some of the powder may come off, but due to moisture during storage, a crispy sugar crust will form around the berries.