Cranberry White Chocolate Fudge and Christmas Baking

Whew! I swear Christmas has come and gone at the speed of light. Here I was thinking I had all the time in the world to get everything done before Christmas but then, BAM, Christmas was here and I was racing around trying to play catch up.

I did manage to get one full day of baking in with my daughter. One of these days I’ll have to share pictures of my kitchen with you so you can see what a feat it is to get all this baking done.

I managed to get a few other things made here and there during the week, just in time for family Christmas. Except for sugar cookies. Big fail this year. I did get some cut out and baked and a few decorated but it was simply slapping some frosting on them and then giving them away. I really have to plan better next year.

Cranberry White Chocolate Fudge is one of my favorite holiday treats. It has a beautiful creamy texture with chewy bits of tart cranberries and a nice little crunch from the nuts. But beware, it’s very sweet and rich, thus very small pieces are necessary.

Cranberry White Chocolate Fudge

1 teaspoon plus 1/2 cup butter divided
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup sour cream
1 (10-12 oz) vanilla or white chips
1 jar marshmallow creme (7 oz)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts (or pecans)
1 cup dried cranberries coarsely chopped

Line an 8 inch square pan with foil and butter the foil with 1 teaspoon butter; set aside. In a heavy saucepan, bring the sugar, sour cream and remaining butter to a boil over medium heat. Cook and stir until a candy thermometer reads 234 degrees (soft-ball stage), about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in the chips, marshmallow creme and vanilla until smooth. Fold in nuts and cranberries. Pour into prepared pan. Let stand at room temperature until cool. Using foil, lift fudge out of pan. Discard foil; cut fudge into 1-inch squares. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Makes 3 lbs.

The recipe says to store in the refrigerator but I never have and it stays fine in a tightly sealed container. The fewer things I have to keep in my fridge the happier I am.

Hope you give this candy a try, it really is tasty. I was just thinking that a smidge of fresh orange zest would really put this over the top. I will have to remember that and give it a try next year.