Description
Festive Cranberry Jelly Candies are delightful, tangy-sweet treats made from pure cranberry juice and gelatin, coated in sugar for a crunchy finish. These homemade jelly candies are perfect for holiday gifting or festive gatherings, combining a satisfying chew with a beautiful crystalline sugar coating.
Ingredients
Scale
Candy Ingredients
- 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 allowing a 1-inch overhang on all sides. Generously grease the parchment with nonstick spray to prevent sticking. Set this prepared pan aside.
- Mix Gelatin with Cold Juice: Pour the cold cranberry juice into a large stock pot. Sprinkle the powdered gelatin evenly over the surface and whisk to combine, allowing the gelatin to bloom into the liquid.
- Add Boiling Juice and Sugar: Add the boiling cranberry juice and granulated sugar to the pot. Whisk thoroughly to dissolve the sugar and blend all ingredients evenly.
- Cook to Temperature: Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, which takes about 5 minutes. Then reduce heat to medium and simmer, stirring occasionally with a heat-resistant spoon, until the mixture reaches 107°C (225°F) on a digital thermometer. This step takes 20-25 minutes or longer, requiring patience to avoid scorching.
- Remove Bubbles and Pour: Remove the pot from heat. Use a skimmer or fine mesh strainer to gently remove any large bubbles that have formed on the surface to ensure a smooth jelly. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin. Don’t worry about residual bubbles or foam; these will be masked when coated with sugar.
- Refrigerate Until Firm: Refrigerate the pan for at least 4 hours or overnight until the jelly slab is firm and set.
- Prepare Sugar Coating Area: Line a large tray with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Generously coat a large chopping board with 2-3 scoops of granulated sugar for rolling the candies.
- Unmold and Sugar Coat: Flip the chilled cranberry jelly slab onto the sugared chopping board and peel away the parchment liner. Use your hands to spread granulated sugar all over the slab, coating both sides thoroughly to prevent sticking.
- Score the Candy: Lightly mark the candy slab with the back of your knife into squares as a cutting guide. You can mark 7 x 7 rows for approximately 49 candies or 8 x 8 rows for about 64 candies.
- Cut Candies: Using a sharp, well-oiled chef’s knife, cut along the guidelines into squares carefully.
- Roll in Sugar: Roll each individual candy square in granulated sugar to coat all sticky surfaces completely, enhancing texture and preventing sticking.
- Arrange and Dry: Place the coated candies on the prepared tray, ensuring they do not touch each other. Leave them uncovered at room temperature to dry for 1-2 days. During this time, the sugar crystallizes forming a crunchy outer coating.
- Store Properly: Once dried, layer the cranberry jelly candies between sheets of parchment paper and store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one month.
Notes
- Use 100% cranberry juice rather than cranberry juice cocktail to avoid overly sweet final candies due to added sugars in juice blends.
- A digital thermometer is essential for accurate temperature measurement; use either a standard probe or one that clamps to your pot to free your hands.
- This recipe uses powdered gelatin, but leaf gelatin can also be used with appropriate conversion. Understanding the differences helps in ensuring texture consistency.
- Plan ahead as after coating, the candies require 1-2 days of drying at room temperature to develop the characteristic crunchy sugar coating.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 candy (approximate)
- Calories: 70 kcal
- Sugar: 17 g
- Sodium: 5 mg
- Fat: 0 g
- Saturated Fat: 0 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 18 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 0 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
