Cranberry Snowballs
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These Cranberry Snowballs are made with fresh cranberries rolled in powdered sugar then baked and chilled. Surprise your guests with a burst of delicious cranberry when they bite into these sweet and tangy confections!
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I love entertaining over the holidays. It gives me the chance to whip up some of my family's favorite recipes as well as test some new recipes I've been dying to try.
Today we're making Cranberry Snowballs that ARE NOT cookies. Don't be confused. There ARE cookies called "cranberry snowballs" but today we're making more of a sweet and tangy "appetizer" sometimes called "candied cranberries."
Cranberry snowballs are essentially fresh cranberries you roll in powdered sugar, bake and chill. They are sweet on the outside with a juicy "pop" of fresh and tangy cranberry in the center!
Put out a bowl of these chilled confections over the holidays and watch your guests pop them in their mouths. These little snowballs are often the talk of the party!
And if you have any extra cranberries leftover, I highly recommend trying my Cranberry Fluff or Cranberry Party Punch!
Jump to:
Why You'll Love These Candied Cranberries
- Fresh and Tangy: These baked cranberries are perfect when you want something still slightly sweet but with a pop of freshness!
- Fun Alternative: Tired of the traditional holiday cookie? Make these juicy bites when you want something festive but unique!
- Not Just Dessert: Since these powdered sugar cranberries have a bit of freshness to them, you can serve them as a chilled sweet appetizer or even use them as a garnish for your holiday cake!
Ingredients
Gather the ingredients below to make these delicious cranberry snowballs!
- Fresh cranberries: Make sure to grab a bag of fresh cranberries, not dried cranberries! We want that fresh "pop" of cranberry flavor when your guest bite into these sweet treats. If you're a fan of cranberries, you might also love my Cranberry Fluff-a creamy, festive dish that's always a crowd-pleaser!
- Egg white: The egg white helps the powdered sugar stick to the cranberries. If you don't want to use an egg white, see the alternative below.
- Powdered sugar: The powdered sugar gives these cranberry snowballs the perfect amount of sweetness! I like using powdered sugar so the berries aren't grainy but sweet and smooth!
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Substitutions & Variations
- Simple syrup: If you don't want to coat the cranberries in an egg white, you can use a simple syrup mixture combining ¼ cup powdered sugar into 1 cup water. Then coat the cranberries in the sugar/water mixture before adding the berries to the bag of powdered sugar.
- Marinating Option: For a flavorful twist, marinate the cranberries in a mixture of 2 cups lemon-lime soda and 1 cup orange juice (or pineapple juice) for 24 hours in the refrigerator. Drain and pat dry before rolling in powdered sugar. This adds a hint of citrus and sweetness that complements the tart cranberries.
How to Make Candied Cranberries with Powdered Sugar
Once you've gathered all your ingredients, preheat the oven to 200ºF and follow the steps below for these delicious baked powdered sugar cranberries.
- Step 1: You'll want to start by rinsing your cranberries and gently patting them dry with a towel. Transfer to a medium mixing bowl.
- Step 2: In a smaller bowl, whisk the egg white until frothy.
- Step 3: Pour the egg white over the fresh cranberries and toss to coat.
- Step 4: Pour the powdered sugar into a gallon ziplock bag and add the cranberries. Gently shake the bag until the cranberries are completely covered in sugar.
- Step 5: GENTLY transfer the cranberries to a baking sheet. I like to use a skimmer to prevent the berries from sticking together.
- Step 6: Bake the cranberries at 200º Fahrenheit for 5-8 minutes. Then transfer the berries to a sheet of parchment paper to cool for about an hour before you refrigerate.
Helpful Tips
- Even Coating: To ensure that the cranberries are evenly coated with powdered sugar, gently shake the ziplock bag containing the cranberries and sugar mixture. Avoid vigorous shaking, as it may cause the cranberries to break or lose their shape. Instead, gently rotate and tilt the bag to coat the cranberries from all sides. This gentle shaking technique helps create a uniform and attractive sugary coating on each cranberry.
- Drain Excess Sugar: After coating the cranberries with powdered sugar in the ziplock bag, use a slotted skimmer to transfer them to the baking sheet. Before placing the coated cranberries on the baking sheet, gently shake the skimmer to allow any excess sugar to fall through the slots. This step helps prevent clumping and ensures that the cranberries have a light and even coating of sugar, enhancing their appearance and texture.
- Berries Sticking Together: If any of the berries are sticking together, you can gently shake the skimmer to separate them and allow any extra powdered sugar to fall through the slots. If you don't have a skimmer, you can try and use a slotted turner. It's just a bit more difficult to try to keep the cranberries on a turner because it's flat.
Recipe FAQs
Sugared cranberries originated in Russia, and the recipe dates back to the 1800's. People would stand in long lines to purchase these little confections. They were often enjoyed along with a cup of tea and were a favorite treat among children.
Baking the cranberries softens them so they're not difficult to bite into.
Yes! In addition to just placing them in a bowl for guests to enjoy, you can use them as a garnish for desserts or even as a topping for a holiday cake.
The cranberries should be baked in the oven for 5-8 minutes at 200°F. This short baking time gives the coating a light crunch without making it hard. If your oven tends to run cooler, you might increase the temperature slightly to 250°F, but avoid baking too much longer than 7 minutes to prevent the coating from becoming too hard or cracked.
Cranberry snowballs would typically be categorized as a dessert because of their sweet, sugary coating and the fact that they're often enjoyed as a treat after a meal. However, they could also work as part of a holiday snack or dessert platter.
Yes, marinating adds a flavorful twist! Combine 1 12-ounce bag of fresh cranberries with 2 cups of lemon-lime soda and 1 cup of orange juice (or pineapple juice). Let the cranberries soak for 24 hours in the fridge. Drain them well, pat dry, and roll in 1 cup of powdered sugar. Then, follow the baking and chilling steps as usual for a sweet and tangy upgrade!
Storage & Freezing Instructions
Storage Instructions
Allow the baked cranberries to cool completely on a large sheet of parchment paper before transferring them to a storage container. Cooling the cranberries helps set the sugar coating and prevents them from sticking together.
Once cooled, store the cranberries in an airtight container in the refrigerator until you're ready to enjoy them. Proper storage helps preserve the texture and flavor of the cranberry snowballs, ensuring they stay fresh and delicious.
Freezing Instructions
Once chilled, you can store these powder sugar cranberries in a freezer-safe bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
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Cranberry Snowballs
Ingredients
- 12 ounce package of fresh cranberries
- 1 egg white
- 2 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200º Fahrenheit.
- Rinse the cranberries and pat dry with a towel.
- Transfer the cranberries to a medium-sized mixing bowl. Set aside.
- In a smaller bowl, whisk the egg white until frothy.
- Add the whisked egg white to the bowl of cranberries and mix to coat with egg white.
- Pour the powdered sugar into a gallon ziplock bag and add the cranberries.
- Gently shake the bag until the cranberries are completely covered in sugar.
- With a slotted skimmer, gently transfer cranberries to a baking sheet (Try gently shaking the skimmer to allow any extra sugar to fall through the slots before laying berries onto the baking sheet).
- Bake cranberries for 5-8 minutes.
- Use the skimmer to gently remove the cranberries from the baking sheet to a large sheet of parchment paper.
- Allow to cool for 1 hour.
- Transfer to a container and store in the refrigerator until ready to enjoy.
Notes
- Even Coating: To ensure that the cranberries are evenly coated with powdered sugar, gently shake the ziplock bag containing the cranberries and sugar mixture. Avoid vigorous shaking, as it may cause the cranberries to break or lose their shape. Instead, gently rotate and tilt the bag to coat the cranberries from all sides. This gentle shaking technique helps create a uniform and attractive sugary coating on each cranberry.
- Drain Excess Sugar: After coating the cranberries with powdered sugar in the ziplock bag, use a slotted skimmer to transfer them to the baking sheet. Before placing the coated cranberries on the baking sheet, gently shake the skimmer to allow any excess sugar to fall through the slots. This step helps prevent clumping and ensures that the cranberries have a light and even coating of sugar, enhancing their appearance and texture.
- Cooling and Storage: Allow the baked cranberries to cool completely on a large sheet of parchment paper before transferring them to a storage container. Cooling the cranberries helps set the sugar coating and prevents them from sticking together. Once cooled, store the cranberries in an airtight container in the refrigerator until you're ready to enjoy them. Proper storage helps preserve the texture and flavor of the cranberry snowballs, ensuring they stay fresh and delicious.
Could you use champagne instead if seven up?
Hi Carla! You could try using champagne, but I'm guessing it won’t be as sweet as 7-Up and may slightly alter the flavor and texture of the cranberries. Please let me know if you try and what your results were!
I used orange juice
They pop when you bite them, so that was fun. Just don’t love the strong taste (or lack of flavor) of the powdered sugar. I followed the recipe exactly.
Great recipe! How long do they keep? And should they be refrigerated until ready to enjoy?
Hi Bobbie! Yes, you'll want to store them covered in the fridge. They'll last about 3-5 days in the fridge and longer in the freezer!
If I freeze them after they are chilled , how should they be thawed?? So they don’t turn soft or mushy! TIA
Great question! Freeze them in an airtight container, then thaw slowly in the refrigerator (6–8 hours or overnight). Keep the lid on while they thaw to prevent condensation. Avoid thawing on the counter—room temp can make them soft. If the coating looks a bit dull after thawing, just dust with a little extra powdered sugar before serving.
Love them!
So good so easy!
WOW I will be making these every Christmas. They and easy are so good YUM
Try marinading the cranberries in a 1:2 mixture of orange juice (1 c) and 7-Up (2c) for 24 hours in the fridge and then follow the same recipe. The orange citrus flavor goes well with the cranberries.
Yes, thank you for that! There are tips in the blog post to do just that!
So good!! I can’t stop eating them. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
I'm so glad you're enjoying them, Robyn!
Do you skim the cranberries out of the egg whites, or dump it all in the powdered sugar? I had a sticky mess that refused to dry, even after ten minutes.
Yes, you do skim the cranberries. It is covered in the recipe steps in the post.
Hi Sara
At the top of the recipe the cooking time is 15 minutes, however in the instructions you state 4 minutes. Which is correct. I made the and cooked for 15 minutes they ate delicious but the coating was hard and cracked.
Hi there! I'm sorry the recipe card was confusing to you. We've been going through the site and refreshing the recipe cards and sometimes the cook times have not calculated as they should have. The cranberries should be baked 4-5 minutes. The coating should have a bit of a crunch but they shouldn't be "hard." Hope you try this one again!
Can I use frozen cranberries that have thawed out?
I've always used fresh but you should be able to use frozen cranberries that have thawed. Just be sure to pat them dry to avoid adding excess moisture to the mixture. Good luck!
did you mean 400F or 200 c? i found it wasn’t done when I tried this even twice when I used 200F so I turned it up to 350 x 6 min and it was perfect
The oven temp should be 200 Fahrenheit. If you feel like your oven isn't coming to temp, you could try 300 but I wouldn't go much higher than that.
I too had the same problem. I have made them before with a different recipe and I had a lighter coating with a softer cranberry but the coating didn’t stick as well. I wanted to try this one.The previous recipe had them almost pop when you bit them.This one after 4-5 minutes they were very hard on the inside and bitter. I just baked them for 20 minutes and the outside was still soft and the inside juicy, sweet, and not bitter or tough at all.