Delightfully creamy and absolutely delicious, Cranberry & Pistachio Dream Fudge melts in your mouth and brings the flavors of the holiday alive. This velvety smooth candy is quick and easy to prepare, and is the perfect complement to other holiday goodies. Full of cranberries and nuts, this white chocolate dream is finished with a hint of citrus which awakens the senses with each and every bite. Pair with a glass of sparkling wine to create the perfect after dinner dessert.

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Cranberry & Pistachio Dream Fudge

Delightfully creamy and absolutely delicious, Cranberry & Pistachio Dream Fudge melts in your mouth and brings the flavors of the holiday alive. This velvety smooth candy is quick and easy to prepare, and is the perfect complement to other holiday goodies.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 64 Pieces

Ingredients

• 2 12 oz. bags white baking chips
• 1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
• ¾ Cup dried cranberries rough chopped
• ½ Cup pistachio nuts coarsely chopped
• 2 teaspoons orange zest
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

• Line an 8” x 8” baking dish with foil, extending the foil over the sides and lightly grease with butter.
• In a 2 quart heavy sauce pan, combine baking chips and condensed milk. Melt chips over low heat stirring often until mixture is smooth and creamy.
• Remove saucepan from the heat and stir in about three fourths of the dried cranberries and pistachios reserving the rest for the topping. Stir in orange zest and vanilla. Mix well.
• Pour into prepared baking dish. Level fudge out with a spatula and top with remaining cranberries and pistachios while still warm.
• Cover and chill for about 2 hours or until firm.
• Lift fudge out of pan by the foil and cut into small pieces. Store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to one week.

With all of your busy schedules and long lists of things to accomplish before the holidays, it is nice to find something that will not add to your frustration. These delicious and easy to make turtles require only three ingredients and about 20 minutes to make. They are the perfect way to round out your holiday cookies and candy list without any hassle, and are a great idea for any last-minute gifts too!

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Rolo Turtles

Salty and sweet, these delicious and easy to make turtles require only three ingredients and about 20 minutes to make.

Course Candy, Dessert

Cuisine American, Christmas

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 2 Dozen

Ingredients

• 24 waffle style pretzels
• 24 Rolo candies
• 24 pecan halves toasted

Instructions

• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pecans stirring often. Toast until the nuts pick up a nice color.
• Heat oven to 350°F.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat.
• Arrange the pretzels on the pan, and center a Rolo on each.
• Place in the oven for 4 to 5 minutes.
• Carefully push a pecan half into the Rolo (take care, the caramel it hot).
• Allow to cool completely before removing from pan.

Notes

Unwrapping the candy is the most time-consuming part of this treat. I later found that the ones that come in a bag are not wrapped, and also some stores carry them in the bulk section.

With temperatures in the 50’s and 60’s, and bright blue skies, it is looking as though for the first time that I can ever remember, I might not have a white Christmas.  Now I would guess there are many folks that would welcome the thought of mild temperatures for the holidays, but to me it is devastating.  How can you have a Christmas without snow?  I knew that when I moved from the mountains to Denver, that there would be less cold and winter, which actually has been nice, but for the first time in the dozen years since I moved to town, none?

So me being me, determined to enjoy my holiday as always, even without cold and snow, I decided to try to bring a little winter into the kitchen.  Ice and snow is what is missing for me, and if I can’t have the real thing, well I can try to make some.

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Lollipops

Hard candies molded into colorful lollipops are a great treat for people of all ages.

Course Candy

Cuisine American, Holiday

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 12

Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar
• ½ cup light corn syrup
• ¼ cup water
• 1½ teaspoon flavored extract or 4 – 5 drops LorAnn oils optional
• 3 - 4 drops Food coloring or Americolor soft Gel Paste optional
• Lollipop molds and sticks available at cake supply or craft stores

Instructions

• Prepare your molds by spraying them with non-stick cooking spray and inserting lollipop sticks into the molds.
• Combine the sugar, corn syrup, and water in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves, then brush down the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush. Once boiling, insert a candy thermometer.
• Allow to boil, without stirring, until candy reaches 300 degrees Fahrenheit (Hard crack stage).
• Once the candy reaches 300° F, remove it from heat. Allow it to sit until it stops bubbling completely (this allows the air bubbles to escape in order to produce a clear candy).
• Stir in the flavoring of your choice, and coloring if desired.
• Add some edible glitter to give the lollipops some added sparkle.
• Working quickly, spoon the candy into the mold cavities, making sure to cover the back of the stick.
• Caution: Serious burns can be caused from working with melted sugar. Use extreme caution! If sugar comes in contact with your skin, hold it immediately under cold running water.
• Allow to cool completely and remove from mold when hardened.
• Clean pans and utensils by soaking in very hot water. It may seem that you will never be able to use your pans and spoons again, but don’t worry, the hot water will melt all the sugar off.
• Store Lollipops individually wrapped, in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a month.   Candy bags are available at cake supply and craft stores.

Notes

This recipe makes approximately one dozen lollipops.  The number you yield will depend on the size of your molds.  Be sure to have enough molds to hold all of your melted sugar at once. 

One of the latest crazes sweeping the cake decorating world is the cake pop. These small nuggets of goodness seem to be all the rage, making cupcakes “so last year”. Simply decorated with sprinkles, or turned into beautiful flowers, these delights are both fun and delicious. Presented on a stick as a lollipop, or served as a truffle, these little gems are certain to be a hit.

To prepare Cake Pops:

Cooks Note: Making the cake pops is more of a technique rather than a recipe. Here are some guidelines that will help you. Decorate them as simple or lavish as you wish.

• 1 box cake mix, (your choice)
• 1 can of frosting (your choice)
• Wilton candy melts (again your choice)

Begin by baking a cake, either from a box or scratch. (I might suggest a box cake mix, since the process of forming the balls, dipping them, and then decorating maybe about all you want to attempt). Allow the cake to completely cool. Using your hands, crumble the cake into the bowl of a mixer.

Add about 2/3 of a can of frosting. (Again feel free to make your own if your up to it) and mix into a dough like consistency.

For this batch I used a white cake mix and divided it between 2 eight inch round pans. I added chocolate frosting to one cake and cherry to the other to add some variety.

Use a cookie dough scoop or tablespoon to create even sized balls of the cake and frosting mixture. Roll between the palms of your hands to shape. Place the balls on a wax paper covered baking sheet and stand them in the freezer for about 15 minutes. Move them to the refrigerator to keep them cold. You do not want to freeze the cake pops, only completely chill them.

Temper the candy melts in the microwave.  Drop the balls one at a time into the melted chocolate and carefully turn to completely coat. Remove the balls with a dipping fork and place them on wax paper. Allow the chocolate to completely harden. (If you are going to decorate the cake pops with sprinkles, do so as you remove them from the melted chocolate. This will allow the sprinkles to adhere).

Once the chocolate coating is completely hardened, decorate with more chocolate, royal icing, gum paste, fondant, or however you choose.

I topped these cake pops with candy melts using a decorating bag and a #2 tip. I used red designs to identify the cherry flavored centers.