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Candied cranberry snowballs are snowy white, bright cheery red, sweet, and bursting with tangy juice. These adorable white snowballs are fresh cranberries coated in a shell of powdered sugar and baked til juicy. Once you bite into these delectable treats you will be surprised with a bright pop of flavor hidden away within the sweet snowy shell. Serve candies in a bowl for any holiday get together or use them to garnish desserts. Candied cranberry snowballs are perfect for gift giving, parties, and more! Merry Christmas!
What Are Candied Cranberry Snowballs?
I first discovered this sweet treat while on a trip to Riga, Latvia. Simple white boxes were filled to the brim with adorable little white snowballs. I was pleasantly surprised when this candy popped and had a delicious tangy center!The sensation almost reminded me of popping boba. It’s insane how something so pure and simple can be mind blowing and awesome! Candied cranberry snowballs consist of cranberries, pasteurized egg whites, and loads of powdered sugar. Simple, easy, and delicious…what more could you ask from a Christmas candy recipe! Candied cranberry snowballs are a real crowd pleaser. Even if you aren’t the hugest fan of cranberries, this cute candy might change your mind forever!
How Do You Get Them to Pop?
Initially I thought they injected these sweets with liquid to get that fun juicy filling. Turns out all you need to do is bake them. That’s it! Baking the cranberries makes them soft, releases the juices, and creates that delicious pop when you bite into them. Other cranberry snowball recipes I have found only bake the cranberries for about four minutes. That allows the outer shell to harden but doesn’t cook the cranberries through. Instead, I bake mine low and slow for 15-20 minutes. This ensures the berries are juicy, and perfectly poppable! Once in a while, a little red juice will leak through, but they still taste delicious either way.
Let’s Make Some Candied Cranberry Snowballs!
Let’s make some candied cranberry snowballs! Read through the whole recipe to avoid missing any important steps. For reference, watch the video below!
Step 1: Rinse and Dry
First, rinse and thoroughly dry your cranberries. Remove any berries that are mushy or bad.
Step 2: Whip the Eggs
Whip the eggs til frothy. This takes about 30 seconds to 1 minute. It doesn’t need to be fluffy like meringue. The egg whites are used to coat the cranberries so the sugar sticks and creates a shell. Once your eggs are whipped, gently fold in the cranberries.
Step 3: Let It Snow!
Add half of the sugar to a gallon sized ziploc bag. Using a slotted spoon or mesh strainer, gently spoon half of the cranberries into the bag. Seal the ziploc bag and gently shake to fully coat every cranberry in sugar. Remove the cranberries from the bag and repeat with the other half of the sugar and cranberries.
Helpful tip: The amount of sugar you use can be eyeballed. The only big no-no with this recipe is overcrowding the bag. Too much liquid in the bag means the cranberries won’t be fully coated or the coating won’t be thick enough. Make sure you put lots of sugar in the bag!
Step 4: Bake
Arrange the cranberries in a single layer on a baking sheet. Try to make sure all the berries are not touching each other. Bake at 200 degrees for about 15-20 minutes. Turn off the oven and let the cranberries cool down and continue to dry for 45 minutes-1 hour in the oven. Remove from the baking sheet and store in a bowl. You can leave them out for a day or two, but it’s best to store candied cranberry snowballs in the refrigerator.
The Cranberry Possibilities Are Endless!
There are so many fun ways you can bring out the candied cranberry snowballs during the holiday season. Wrap them up and give them as gifts for neighbors, friends, teachers, and family! As a teacher, I would LOVE to get a bag of these as opposed to loads of chocolate. I have made some beautiful gift labels you can download for free. You can find them here! Arrange them on a charcuterie board, garnish desserts, or serve them by themselves. Candied cranberry snowballs are the perfect Christmas candy.
Happy eating!
~Anna
Candied Cranberry Snowballs
Ingredients
- 12 oz Fresh cranberries
- 3 tbsp pasteurized egg whites
- 5 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200β. Thoroughly rinse the cranberries and pat them dry with a towel. Pick out any squashy or bad berries. Set aside. In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk the egg whites on high with an electric mixer for about 1 minute until foamy. Pour in the cranberries and mix to coat all the berries in the egg whites.
- Pour 2 1/2 cups of powdered sugar into a gallon ziploc bag. Carefully transfer half of the cranberries into the powdered sugar using a slotted spoon or strainer. As much as possible, avoid excess egg whites going into the bag with the cranberries. Too much liquid makes it soggy. Gently shake that bag side to side until the cranberries are thoroughly coated in sugar. Ideally, they should be all white. If you have lots of cranberries that don't look fully coated, add another cup of sugar. The cranberries need to be fully coated before baking.
- Pour the whole bag onto the cookie sheet pan and spread the berries out into a single layer by gently shaking the pan. Try not to have the berries touching each other if possible. For the remaining half of the cranberries, add another 2 1/2 cups of sugar to the bag. Spoon in the rest of the cranberries, shake, and spread onto the pan. If your cookie sheet is small, you might need to use two cookie sheets.
- Place the cranberries on the middle rack and bake for about 15-20 minutes. Keep the oven door closed, turn off the oven, and let the candies cool down for 45 minutes-1 hour.
- Use a slotted spoon or strainer to gently spoon the candied cranberry snowballs into a serving dish. Store in the refrigerator until ready to enjoy!
