It’s easy to decorate your holiday desserts and cocktails with sugared fruit. Depending on the number of desserts or cocktails with sugared decorations, I may sugar half a bag of cranberries and a few rosemary sprigs. This can also be made a few days ahead. Give it a go and see how easy and fun it can be. This is a great project for little hands too, once the simple syrup has cooled of course.
Making a Simple Syrup
In a small sauce pan, bring to a boil 1/2 cup of water and 1/2 cup of granulated sugar to make a simple syrup. When the sugar is dissolved, turn the heat off and allow to slightly cool before adding the cranberries. Allow them to steep for a few minutes. Remove from the syrup and place on parchment paper to dry until tacky, about 30 minutes.
Note: Don’t discard the cranberry flavored simple syrup, you can use it for cocktails.
Dip and remove the rosemary sprigs in the syrup. Place on parchment paper to dry until tacky, about 15-20 minutes.
Prepare a small bowl with 1/2 cup of granulated sugar and when the cranberries and sprigs are tacky to the touch, drop a few at a time in the bowl and roll them around until they are covered with sugar. Place them on a baking/cooling rack to completely dry before using or storing. I set them aside and forget them for a few hours.
To store in the refrigerator, place in an air tight container with a handful of rice in a cheesecloth. This will keep them from getting soggy and will keep for a few days.
