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This White Chocolate Cranberry Fudge is made with sweetened condensed milk and dried cranberries! With beautiful Christmas colors, this super easy and quick dessert is a great treat for the busy holiday season!
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How to make easy white chocolate fudge
The best white chocolate cranberry fudge
Get the Recipe
So I’m doing something new today and I’m totally excited about it – fudge! And I’m starting off easy with this White Chocolate Cranberry Fudge. White chocolate and cranberries are easily one of the best holiday flavor combinations, so having a quick treat to put together is a must.
Plus, I wanted to make it a little extra special with it being the holidays and all and I added some sparkling sugar to the top. it takes this Easy White Chocolate Cranberry Fudge and turns it into SPARKLING white chocolate cranberry fudge. And who doesn’t love a little sparkle at the holidays?! It makes this fudge would perfect for gifting or for holiday dessert trays.
How to make easy white chocolate fudge
One of the best things about this fudge is how easy it is to put together. With only 5 ingredients, plus some sprinkles, it keeps things nice and simple. All you need is a bowl, a 9×9 inch pan lined with parchment paper and your microwave.
Start off by adding the white chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk to a large microwave safe bowl. Microwave them for one minute, then stir to combine and let the residual heat do as much of the melting as it can. If it needs another 30 seconds or so, go ahead and heat it some more, then stir it until it’s melted.
Once melted, add the vanilla extract, cranberries and a pinch of salt. Use a spatula to combine everything and then quickly pour into the prepared pan. Add the sparkling sugar sprinkles, if you want to use them, and press them into the top of the fudge.
Let the fudge cool to room temperature before cutting into squares. You could also let it cool in the fridge to speed up the process, but it doesn’t have to be refrigerated.
The best white chocolate cranberry fudge
This Easy White Chocolate Cranberry Fudge is so simple to put together and tastes great! It’s smooth and creamy and plenty sweet! The tart pop of the cranberries is perfectly refreshing and cuts the sweetness down just enough. It’s such a perfect pair and festive fudge to try!
5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.9 from 13 reviews
Author:Lindsay
Prep Time:10 minutes
Cook Time:1 minute
Total Time:11 minutes
Yield:20-25 pieces
Category:Dessert
Method:No Bake
Cuisine:American
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Description
This White Chocolate Cranberry Fudge is made with sweetened condensed milk and dried cranberries! It’s a super easy & quick dessert with Christmas colors!
1. Line a 9×9 square pan with parchment paper that covers the sides of the pan. 2. Place the white chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk in a large bowl and microwave for one minute. Stir well to combine and allow the heat to melt the chocolate chips. If needed, microwave for another 30 seconds or so, until the chocolate is completely smooth. 3. Stir in the vanilla extract, dried cranberries and salt, then quickly transfer the mixture to the lined pan and spread evenly. 4. Top the fudge with some sparkling sugar sprinkles, if you’d like to include them, and press them down into the top of the fudge. 5. Let the fudge cool completely to room temperature before cutting into squares. You could also refrigerate it until it’s cool. 6. Cut the fudge and store in an air tight container. Fudge can be stored at either room temperature or the fridge.
Monitor the Temperature with a Candy Thermometer. If you end up with soft fudge that turns into a puddle in your hands or hard fudge that is a bit reminiscent of a crunchy candy, improper temperature is likely to blame. ...
Avoid Stirring Once the Mixture Comes to a Simmer. ...
Once a seed crystal forms, it grows bigger and bigger as the fudge cools. A lot of big crystals in fudge makes it grainy. By letting the fudge cool without stirring, you avoid creating seed crystals.
As it falls to the bottom of the glass, the syrup cools and forms into a ball. Remove the ball from the water and check its consistency with your fingers. For perfect fudge, the syrup should form a soft ball that can be picked up, but easily flattened.
So, the key to smooth yet firm fudge, pralines, and fondant is to first bring the mixture to a high enough concentration and then let it cool off somewhat before starting to stir. And once you do start to stir, stir fanatically and without stopping for the finest, creamiest texture.
It's the size of sugar crystals that makes the knees of fudge lovers buckle…the smaller the crystals, the less they are perceived on the tongue and the more the fudge tastes smooth and creamy. Cooking, and beating after cooking, is the key to successful fudge.
Stir the ingredients to dissolve the sugar until the mixture comes to a boil. If your recipe uses milk, stirring will keep the mixture from curdling. But once it reaches about 236–238 degrees F/113–114 degrees C (the "soft-ball" stage), do not stir it or even shake the pan.
The sugars probably crystallized, a common mistake when making candy like fudge or caramel. If the melting sugar splashes onto the sides of the pan, it turns back into crystals and causes the fudge to seize up. To avoid this issue, swirl the pan instead of stirring it with a spoon.
If your fudge is tough, hard, or grainy, then you may have made one of several mistakes: You may have overcooked it, beaten it too long, or neglected to cool it to the proper temperature.
The team has the process down pat: One person weighs the ingredients—raw chocolate from Germany, sugar from Bay City, and cream and butter—into a copper kettle set over a propane gas burner. The maker constantly stirs with an oak paddle until the sugary mixture reaches a roaring boil, about 16 to 17 minutes.
Combine the sugar, milk, butter and salt. Boil for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the chocolate and stir until melted. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla, nuts and marshmallows until melted; mix well.
Humidity can cause fudge to boil over in the pan or stay soft when set, so try to avoid working on humid days if at all possible. If waiting for a less humid day isn't feasible, you'll need to boil your fudge at a slightly higher temperature than usual — or just order some delicious fudge from Wockenfuss!
How can you fix soft fudge? Put it in a microwave safe bowl that is large enough that it won't boil over. Reheat it to the boiling point and cook for about 3 more minutes. Then you can beat some powdered sugar into it if this doesn't make it set.
Secondly, the pot's material should allow for good heat distribution hence your top choice should be copper cookware or a pot with a copper core. Copper's exceptional heat conductivity offers unparalleled temperature control, an asset when working with finicky ingredients like sugar.
Stir Constantly: Stir the fudge mixture continuously, especially during the melting process, to prevent burning and ensure even cooking. Use Sweetened Condensed Milk: Sweetened condensed milk adds sweetness and creaminess to fudge, creating a smooth texture.
Cream of tartar is used in caramel sauces and fudge to help prevent the sugar from crystallizing while cooking. It also prevents cooling sugars from forming brittle crystals, this is why it's the secret ingredient in snickerdoodles!
How do you fix fudge that is too soft? Bring the fudge back to a boil with 1–2 US tbsp (15–30 ml) of cream. If your fudge is soft or runny, it probably didn't come up to a high enough temperature while it was cooking. Put it back into the saucepan and add 1–2 US tbsp (15–30 ml) of 35% fat whipping cream.
The amount of time you cook fudge directly affects its firmness. Too little time and the water won't evaporate, causing the fudge to be soft. Conversely, cook it too long and fudge won't contain enough water, making it hard with a dry, crumbly texture.
Introduction: My name is Mrs. Angelic Larkin, I am a cute, charming, funny, determined, inexpensive, joyous, cheerful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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