Cranberry Fudge 2 Ways

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      Even though I've been finding ways to use Cranberries for the past week and a half, I feel like I have barely scratched the surface of the things that can be done with them.  Now that I'm finally getting to the end of my supply, I realize that there are a few things that I wanted to try to do that I just didn't get around to doing.  
      Fortunately, I was able to make time for today's cranberry recipe, not only once, but in two different ways!  

      Are you in the dark chocolate camp, the milk chocolate camp or the white chocolate camp?  I tend to lean towards the sweeter, less healthy milk chocolate camp and I like white chocolate as well. I have people in my family who are adamant that dark chocolate is the tastiest and others who won't eat anything but white chocolate.  The nice thing about today's Cranberry Fudge Recipe is that you can actually use whichever of the chocolates that you prefer! 
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      The first time I made this fudge was with my granddaughter Emily when we were visiting them at their house.  We used semi-sweet chocolate chips.  Emily burnt her finger, and the fudge came out tasty, but didn't set as well as it should have.  So, not really a success.  But, it did taste good, so I decided to try again because I figured I knew what had gone wrong. 

      After two more attempts, one semi-sweet again and a white chocolate version (that is very festive!) the fudge has come out very tasty and has set.  Also, I've learned a few tips for success. 

      Most of the recipes that you will find online will be made with Craisins instead of fresh cranberries, and that wasn't going to help me at all.  But, Ocean Spray does have a recipe on their website that uses fresh cranberries that I used and made a few adjustments to.  First, here are some tips:

• First, when you put the corn syrup and the cranberries on to boil, you might think, this is strange, there is hardly any liquid.  But within a few seconds the cranberries will start bursting and releasing their juices.  The corn syrup will help draw those juices out.  Allow the cranberries and corn syrup to simmer for about 5 minutes until there is barely any liquid left in the pot. It will start to look kind of jammy.  Then, turn off the burner.
• I didn't bother with parchment or plastic wrap in my pans.  I just sprayed them with cooking spray and the fudge came out easily.  I used an 8x8 pan for the dark chocolate fudge and an 11x7 for the white chocolate.  The red fudge came out slightly thinner than the dark chocolate, but that is okay because it is sweeter than the other fudge and you don't need as much. 
• After you turn off the burner. add the milk and powdered sugar and mix slightly.  Then add the chocolate chips of your choice and stir them and stir them until they are melted and everything is blended.  
• Smooth the fudge into your prepared pan and put in the refrigerator to harden.  This fudge is still slightly softer than a lot of other fudges, but the tanginess of the cranberries goes so well with the fudge! 
• Because this fudge has fresh cranberries in it, I wouldn't try to make it last more that a few days.  Or, you could always freeze it until you are ready to serve it at a party or family gathering.  

      It is surprising how different these two fudges taste when the only difference it the type of chocolate chips. I used the white chips and of course the cranberries changed the color to that deep pink, which looks so festive!  
        This fudge is on the softer side, so you could even use it for truffles if you wanted I think!  Hmm, there is another idea! 
        Well, click on the recipe to get the printable version of it and let me know what version of the fudge you would like best! 

Past Cranberry Recipes You Won't Want to Miss:

• ​Cranberry Star Bread
• Cranberry Juice
• Cran-Cherry and Cran-Blackberry Juices in the Instant Pot!
• Cranberry Lime Bars
• Cranberry Sauce for Canning
• Cranberry Salsa