Sugared cranberry cupcakes are bakery favorites! Tender and buttery, they’re crowned with swirls of rich buttercream frosting and candied cranberries. Enjoy these holiday cupcakes on Thanksgiving and Christmas.
With an elegant presentation, these hand-held desserts are the ideal choice for potlucks and parties throughout the holiday season.
To make things easy, transport the frosted treats in a cupcake carrier or a Christmas ornament box. Once you arrive at the party, garnish them with cranberries and fresh sprigs of rosemary.
At Thanksgiving gatherings, these desserts are just as popular as traditional pies and tiramisu. On Christmas day, serve cranberry cupcakes for breakfast or brunch. Make these holiday cupcakes a family tradition!
INGREDIENTS
SUGARED CRANBERRIES
- Water
- Granulated sugar
- Fresh cranberries
VANILLA CRANBERRY CUPCAKES
- Whole milk
- Vegetable oil
- Large eggs, room temperature
- Pure vanilla extract
- Granulated sugar
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Sea salt
- Fresh cranberries
BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
- Salted butter, room temperature
- Powdered sugar (confectioners sugar)
- Pure vanilla extract
- FOR GARNISHING: Sprigs of fresh rosemary
EASY INGREDIENT SUBSTITUTIONS
Missing an ingredient for these sugared cranberry cupcakes? Don’t put on your shoes and head to the market. Instead, head to your fridge or pantry. Check for these easy ingredient swaps.
It’s convenient and money-saving to use ingredients you already have on hand! Especially during stay-at-home times.
- WHOLE MILK: Sub with 2% low-fat milk. You can also use half and half that’s been lightly diluted with water. If you have heavy cream on hand, use 60% cream to 40% water. Or use dairy-free vanilla milk.
- VEGETABLE OIL: The best substitute is canola oil. Other swaps include a 1:1 substitution: melted butter or melted coconut oil.
- ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR: Great 1:1 substitutes for this ingredient include cake flour and pastry flour.
- PURE VANILLA EXTRACT: Use maple syrup, bourbon, brandy or amber rum.
- BUTTER: This ingredient gives frosting structure. The best substitutes are vegetable shortening or margarine. For the filling, use margarine.
- POWDERED SUGAR: Make your own powdered sugar from granulated sugar. Process sugar in a blender or food processor until fine and fluffy. One cup granulated sugar yields about 2 cups powdered sugar.
RECIPE STEPS
Assemble these delicious holiday cupcakes in 3 simple phases: sugared cranberries, vanilla cranberry cupcakes, and buttercream frosting.
SUGARED CRANBERRIES
RECIPE PREP: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a reusable silicone baking mat.
- STEP 1: In a small saucepan over medium heat, add water and granulated sugar. Stir and cook until sugar has dissolved. If desired, add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Briefly swirl the pan to incorporate the liquid.
- STEP 2: Remove pan from heat. Add the cranberries. Toss to combine. With a slotted spoon, remove cranberries from the pan, leaving the syrup behind. Arrange them in a single layer on prepared baking sheet. Let the berries dry for 45 minutes.
- STEP 3: Transfer cranberries to a medium bowl. Sprinkle remaining sugar over the top. Toss with a spoon until all berries are evenly coated with sugar. Set the bowl aside for 45 minutes.
VANILLA CRANBERRY CUPCAKES
RECIPE PREP: Adjust oven rack to the center position. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a 12-well cupcake pan with paper liners.
- STEP 1: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together milk, vegetable oil, eggs and vanilla extract. Add in the sugar. Whisk until just combined. Add flour, baking powder, and sea salt to the bowl. Mix just until no large lumps remain. Don’t over-mix, or the cranberry cupcakes will be heavy and dense.
- STEP 2: Add fresh cranberries to the bowl. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold them into the batter.
- STEP 3: With a 1/4 measuring cup, evenly divide the batter between the prepared wells of the cupcake pan. Bake 15 to 17 minutes, or until a cake tester (or toothpick) inserted into the center comes out clean.
- STEP 4: Transfer cupcakes to a wire rack. Let them cool for 1 hour. It’s important to let all heat shed before frosting the little cakes.
BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
- STEP 1: Gather the ingredients together. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the soften butter. Beat butter on medium speed for 30 seconds or until smooth.
- STEP 2: Drape a lint-free kitchen towel over the stand mixer to protect your countertop. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the powdered sugar. Once it’s been fully incorporated, add the vanilla extract. Beat the frosting on high speed for 1 to 2 minutes, or until light and fluffy.
- STEP 3: With a spatula, transfer the buttercream frosting to a piping bag fitted with an open star metal tip. My favorite for cranberry cupcakes: the Wilton 6B or Wilton 8B. Pipe swirls onto the surface of the cooled cupcakes leaving an unfrosted area in the center for the sparkling cranberries.
- STEP 4: Garnish each dessert with the prepared candied cranberries. As a finishing touch, add sprigs of fresh rosemary to the top of each cupcake.
RECIPE FAQ
These are the most commonly asked questions when making sugared cranberry cupcakes, and the most helpful answers for recipe success.
Although fresh cranberries contain natural sugar, they’re still very tart. Most recipes, like this one, call for sugar (or other natural sweeteners) to offset that tartness.
Orange zest. For flavorful cranberry orange cupcakes, add a sprinkling of the zest to the cupcake batter.
Toss the fruit in flour before adding it to the cupcake batter. This will give the batter something to grip onto, holding the small pieces of fruit in place and preventing them from sinking during baking.
Assemble the sugared cranberries up to 3 days in advance. They’re super simple to make, they just need time to set. Store them in an air-tight container and refrigerate. This will help speed things up on the day you’re baking and frosting the cranberry cupcakes.
Use cream cheese frosting or white chocolate buttercream. In addition to the sparkling cranberries, garnish cupcakes with thin slivers of white chocolate.
Make sure the frosting is thick yet pipeable from a decorating bag with metal tip. If needed, whip in a bit more powdered sugar until it reaches the desired thickness for structure. You can also chill the icing for 25 minutes in the fridge. Chilled frosting will pipe out into beautiful swirls.
Turn them into sugared cranberries! They add sparkle to appetizers, drinks and desserts. They also make wonderful hostess gifts during the holiday season. Add them to mason jars. Tie red/white ribbons around the lids. Or use the leftover berries for cranberry sauce.
MORE HOLIDAY CUPCAKE RECIPES
If you love these sugared cranberry cupcakes, then you’ll also enjoy these holiday favorites. Each is ideal for Thanksgiving and Christmas dessert. Print the recipes for later, or pin them to Pinterest.
- BUTTER PECAN CUPCAKES
- THANKSGIVING CUPCAKES
- MINT CHOCOLATE CUPCAKES
- PUMPKIN SPICE CUPCAKES
- TIRAMISU CUPCAKES
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When these gorgeous holiday cupcakes arrive at family gatherings, everyone is so delighted! They’re the star attraction on the dessert table.
If you agree that these sugared cranberry cupcakes are fabulous, give them a 5-star rating in the comments. Then be a recipe hero! Share it with a friend.
SUGARED CRANBERRY CUPCAKES
- Total Time: 2 Hours 5 Minutes
- Yield: 12 Cupcakes 1x
Description
Sugared cranberry cupcakes are a welcome addition to any holiday table. They’re tender, buttery and sweet with a festive presentation.
Ingredients
SUGARED CRANBERRIES
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, divided
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 cups fresh cranberries
VANILLA CRANBERRY CUPCAKES
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 cup small fresh cranberries
BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, softened
- 2 1/4 cups powdered sugar (confectioners sugar)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
OPTIONAL GARNISH
- Fresh rosemary
Instructions
SUGARED CRANBERRIES
RECIPE PREP: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a reusable silicone baking mat.
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, add water and granulated sugar. Stir and cook until sugar has dissolved. If desired, add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Swirl the pan to incorporate the liquid.
- Remove pan from heat. Add the cranberries. Toss to combine. With a slotted spoon, remove cranberries from the pan, leaving the syrup behind. Arrange them in a single layer on prepared baking sheet. Let the berries dry for 45 minutes.
- Transfer cranberries to a medium bowl. Sprinkle remaining sugar over the top. Toss with a spoon until all berries are evenly coated with sugar. Set the bowl aside for 45 minutes.
VANILLA CRANBERRY CUPCAKES
RECIPE PREP: Adjust oven rack to the center position. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a 12-well cupcake pan with paper liners.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together milk, vegetable oil, eggs and vanilla extract. Add in the sugar. Whisk until just combined.
- Add flour, baking powder, and sea salt to the bowl. Mix just until no large lumps remain. Don’t over-mix, or the cakes will be heavy and dense. We want our cranberry cupcakes light and fluffy!
- Add fresh cranberries to the bowl. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold them into the batter. With a 1/4 measuring cup, evenly divide the batter between the prepared wells of the cupcake pan. Bake 15 to 17 minutes, or until a cake tester (or toothpick) inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Transfer cupcakes to a wire rack. Let them cool for 1 hour. It’s important to let all heat shed before frosting the little cakes.
BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the soften butter. Beat for 30 seconds on medium speed, or until the butter is smooth.
- Drape a lint-free kitchen towel over the stand mixer to protect your countertop. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the powdered sugar. Once it’s been fully incorporated, add the vanilla extract. Beat the frosting on high speed for 1 to 2 minutes, or until light and fluffy.
- With a spatula, transfer the buttercream frosting to a piping bag fitted with an open star metal tip. My favorite for cranberry cupcakes: the Wilton 6B or Wilton 8B.
- Garnish each dessert with sugared cranberries. As a finishing touch, add sprigs of fresh rosemary to the top of each cupcake.
Notes
HOW TO STORE LEFTOVER CUPCAKES: Transfer the cakes to an air-tight container. Store them in the fridge for up to 3 days.
WHAT TO DO WITH LEFTOVER CRANBERRIES: Save them for cranberry sauce, or turn them all into sugared cranberries. Use them to garnish appetizers, drinks and desserts. Or add them to mason jars for hostess gifts. Tie each lid with a red/white ribbon.
- Prep Time: 20 Minutes
- Rest Time: 90 Minutes
- Cook Time: 15 Minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: Cranberry Cupcakes, Sugared Cranberry Cupcakes, Holiday Cupcakes
CRANBERRY CUPCAKES > JOIN THE CONVERSATION
Have you ever enjoyed a sugared cranberry cupcake? Was it for Thanksgiving or Christmas? Would you like to make a batch of these holiday cupcakes for a party, potluck or gathering? Share your thoughts below!
Cup cakes are always been symol of occassion and chritsmas is about to come. so this is going to be cooked in chritsmas. thanks for sharing this.
so nice of you always come with new ideas.
★★★★★
These cupcakes look amazing! What a great dessert idea for the holidays.
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These cupcakes are absolutely adorable! Love the cranberry flavor, perfect for the holidays!
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I just pinned these to make for family over the holidays. They are GORGEOUS!!
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These cupcakes are so festive and beautiful! I love the vibrant color and flavor of the cranberries!
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These look so lovely for Christmas! I love the sugared cranberries and rosemary decoration. So festive and delicious!
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