Description
Delight in these Festive Cranberry Jelly Candies, a perfect sweet treat made with 100% cranberry juice and a luscious sugar coating. These candies are gelatin-based, combining tart cranberry flavor with a satisfyingly crunchy sugar crust that develops after a few days of drying. Ideal for holiday gifting or festive snacking, this recipe requires some patience but yields vibrant, jewel-like candies that burst with cranberry goodness.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Jelly Candies
- Nonstick spray, for greasing tin and knife
- 240 milliliters cold cranberry juice (1 cup)
- 35 grams powdered gelatin (five 7-gram packets, or about 3 1/2 tablespoons)
- 650 grams granulated sugar (about 3 1/4 cups, plus more for coating candies)
- 180 milliliters boiling cranberry juice (3/4 cup)
Instructions
- Prepare pan: Line an 8×8-inch square tin with parchment paper in a criss-cross pattern, making sure to allow for a 1-inch overhang on all sides. Grease the lined pan generously with nonstick spray and set aside.
- Combine gelatin and cold juice: Pour the cold cranberry juice into a large stock pot. Evenly sprinkle the powdered gelatin over the juice and whisk thoroughly until combined.
- Add boiling juice and sugar: Pour in the boiling cranberry juice along with the granulated sugar. Whisk the mixture together to dissolve the sugar completely.
- Cook the mixture: Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, which should take about 5 minutes. Then reduce the heat to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally with a heat-resistant spoon. Continue cooking until the mixture reaches 107°C / 225°F on a digital thermometer, which can take 20 to 25 minutes or longer.
- Remove bubbles: Take the pot off the heat. Using a skimmer or fine mesh strainer, gently remove any large bubbles that have formed on the surface to ensure a smooth candy texture.
- Pour into pan: Carefully pour the gelatin mixture into the prepared pan. Don’t worry if bubbles or foamy spots remain, as these will not be visible once the candies are coated in sugar.
- Refrigerate to set: Refrigerate the pan until the jelly is firm, at least 4 hours or preferably overnight for best results.
- Prepare sugar coating: Line a large tray with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Coat a large chopping board with 2-3 scoops of granulated sugar evenly.
- Coat jelly slab: Using the parchment overhang, flip the set cranberry jelly slab onto the sugared chopping board. Peel away the parchment from the slab. Then spread granulated sugar by hand over the entire surface and both sides until fully coated.
- Mark cutting guide: With the back of a knife, lightly score the surface to create cutting guides, either 7 x 7 rows (49 candies) or 8 x 8 rows (64 candies), depending on your preferred candy size.
- Cut candies: Using a sharp, well-oiled chef’s knife, cut the jelly slab following the scored lines into individual squares.
- Roll candies in sugar: Roll each candy square thoroughly in granulated sugar to coat all sticky surfaces completely.
- Arrange and dry: Place the sugar-coated candies on the prepared tray making sure they do not touch. Leave them uncovered to dry at room temperature for 1-2 days, allowing the sugar coating to crystallize and develop a crunchy texture.
- Store candies: Layer the dried cranberry jelly candies between sheets of parchment paper and store in an airtight container at room temperature. They will keep for up to one month.
Notes
- Use 100% cranberry juice rather than cranberry juice cocktail to avoid overly sweet candies due to added sugars in cocktails.
- A digital thermometer is essential to reach the precise temperature for the candy mixture; a probe or clamp thermometer both work well.
- Powdered gelatin is used here, but leaf gelatin is an alternative; convert accordingly if preferred.
- Plan ahead as candies require 1-2 days at room temperature to develop the characteristic crunchy sugar coating.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 candy (approx. 6 grams)
- Calories: 30
- Sugar: 7 grams
- Sodium: 1 mg
- Fat: 0 g
- Saturated Fat: 0 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 7.5 grams
- Fiber: 0 grams
- Protein: 0.3 grams
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
