Cranberry Chocolates are a fun homemade festive treat! With simple ingredients and a little time these can be created for gift giving and parties. Chocolate covered dried cranberries with nuts using 2 simple techniques to create homemade chocolates is no bake minimal effort deliciousness.
Recipes like my Rocky Road Chocolate and Malteser Rocky Road combine ingredients to thrill with texture and chocolate that melts in your mouth.
My Christmas Rocky Road is a sweet treat that is perfect for the holiday season. My Cranberry Jalapeno Dip another way to use this beautiful dried fruit ❤.
Jump to:
❤ Recipe Highlights
Everything you will come to know and love about this recipe is summarised in the points below:
- Not only is this recipe quick and seriously easy, the chocolates are insanely delicious!
- Using only 3 basic ingredients, we combine them to make a quick sweet treat, that needs only time in the fridge to set.
- Taste and texture: the combination of ingredients is set to bring a variety of textures all with their own unique taste to the chocolates.
- Melting the chocolate in the microwave does not require a thermometer, stove top or oven!
- Whether you want to whip this up for gift giving or make it for a movie night, I have taken it back to basics to share this recipe with you.
🥗 Ingredients
The photo below is to show you exactly what you need to make the recipe. Please refer to the printable recipe card for ingredient measurements.
As you can see, the recipe calls for:
- Crushed nuts: I am referring to crushed peanuts here. They are sold in the cooking aisle with the dried fruits and might be labelled 'granulated nuts'. They offer great texture, convenience and are great from anything like ice cream through to using as a salad ingredient
- Dried cranberries: these are available all year round in the cooking section of the supermarket, near the sultanas and raisins.
- White chocolate: we need to use cooking chocolate when making the recipe. You can use chocolate melts (as shown in photos), chocolate bits, pieces or a block of chocolate broken into pieces. It is important to measure the chocolate and use 300 grams or 11 ounces.
Tasty Tip: you will be able to purchase the ingredients needed to make the chocolates from your local store. Be it Walmart, Safeway, Aldi, Tesco, Woolies or Coles. I also have a kitchen wares store at my local shops, so purchased the chocolate moulds from there. If you don't have a kitchen supplies store, I recommend looking online as there are plenty out there! Another alternative is to use silicon ice cube trays 😉.
🍳 Instructions
Here are the step by step instructions to make the recipe. As mentioned above, you will need a chocolate mould. The one I use is silicon and measures 4cm or 1.5 inches, with 15 domes. You don't have to get the exact brand and size, other brands will sell very similar if not the same with matching dimensions.
- Chop the dried cranberries (Photo 1)
- Add nuts and stir to combine (Photo 2)
- Spoon the cranberry nut mixture into the chocolate mould (Photo 3)
- Melt the chocolate (Photo 4)
👩🍳 How to Make Cranberry Chocolates
To make the chocolates, start by using kitchen scissors to roughly chop the dried cranberries. Once that is done add the crushed peanuts to the bowl and stir to combine. The next step is to then spoon the cranberry nut mixture into the chocolate mould. Once that is done, place the white chocolate into a heatproof microwave jug. It will take 3 minutes in 1 minute increments to melt (remove and stir after the 1 minute mark each time).
- Pour chocolate over cranberry nut mixture.
Once you have poured the melted white chocolate over the cranberry nut mixture for each dome, you can then place the chocolates into the fridge to set.
Tasty Tip: the silicon mould is flexible and curvy. If you place it onto a chopping board for support, you can then hold this in one hand and use your other hand to open the fridge. Otherwise you have 1 hand at each end of the mould and no hands to open the fridge.
- Add cranberry nut mixture to melted chocolate (Photo 6)
🍬 Cranberry Chocolate
For the 2nd technique you can use to make the chocolates, add the remaining cranberry nut mixture to the melted chocolate and stir to combine. This results in the chocolates being more like a rocky road, there their identification is hidden in the coating of white chocolate.
- Stir to combine (Photo 7)
Once the cranberry nut mixture has been stirred into the melted chocolate, it is ready to fill the chocolate mould. For this use 1 or 2 teaspoons and fill each mould. You can also flip the spoon to its back side and use that to gently push the mixture down into the mould ensuring that the dome shape will be filled with the mixture and result in a smooth surface.
- Spoon the white chocolate cranberry mixture into the moulds (Photo 8).
Again with this technique, much like the 1st, once you have filled each mould with the wet chocolate mixture, it is time to transfer it to the fridge.
Tasty Tip: refer back to my tip after the 1st technique regarding supporting the chocolate mould as you transfer it to the fridge 😉.
🍽 Serving Suggestions
To serve the chocolates, you simply need to push them out of the mould and break off any excess chocolate bits. Use can use a knife for this process if you like. The excess chocolate is the bit that sits on the perimeter of the individual dome which will form a tail to the half round shape of the individual chocolates.
They will pop out easily and it will only take 2 minutes to remove all of the chocolates from the moulds.
If you want to use both techniques, like I have done, it will mean that you get a diverse range of chocolates for presentation.
Some will look like the photo above and some will have their cranberry mixture more 'hidden' to be revealed by the 1st bite. These ones will look like some shown on the plate in the photo below. So you can see the results of both techniques at the same time. Personally as it really doesn't involve much effort to do the 2 techniques across the one recipe, I like and enjoy doing this. You are best using 2 chocolate moulds in this case 1 for each technique. Chocolate anyone? 🥰.
😉 Substitutions and Variations
Here are my subs ins and outs that you might like to consider as you make the recipe.
- If you prefer you can use milk or dark chocolate instead of the white chocolate.
- You can use a different nut, like pistachios in place of the peanuts.
- You can use sultanas or raisins (roughly chopped) as an additional ingredient in the chocolates.
- Add some coconut as an additional ingredient with the cranberry nut mixture if you like.
👍 How to Guide
How to Store
Store the chocolates in an air tight container in the fridge. They will last for 2 weeks or more.
🤓Frequently Asked Questions
Are dried cranberries good for you?
Yes, dried cranberries are a good nutritional option. They are packed with antioxidants, making them a good choice for snaking and baking.
What chocolate is best for making chocolates?
Cooking chocolate is the best chocolate to use when making chocolates.
You can choose from chocolate melts, bits, pieces, a block broken up or chocolate chips.
What is the trick to melting chocolate?
The trick to melting chocolate is to not overheat it. Overheated chocolate becomes seized. This means instead of it being liquid soft and pliable it is more fudge like and past the point of saving. Sometimes open packets of chocolate that have been stored in the pantry won't melt the way they are expected to due to excess moisture in the air. In the case of this happening, discard that chocolate and start again with a fresh packet that you open and an alternate dry, clean heatproof jug.
😍 More Easy Chocolate Recipes
How good is chocolate, everyone loves it right? No bake means fuss free and super easy. Here are some more recipes along those lines:
- Malteser Fudge
- White Chocolate Crackles
- Marshmallow Chocolates
- Microwave Chocolate Fudge
- Microwave Marshmallow Fudge
- Turkish Delight Fudge
- Snickers Fudge
You can also find all of my fudge recipes or chocolate recipes in their own categories so you can get set to satisfy those sweet tooth cravings!
Adrianne
PIN and save the recipe for later!
Hunger still got you? You can SUBSCRIBE to receive the latest recipes, follow me on Pinterest, Instagram or Facebook.
📖 Recipe
Cranberry Chocolates
Equipment
- 1 Medium sized mixing bowl
- 1 Soup Spoon
- 2 Silicon 4cm, 1.5 inch 15 domes chocolate moulds
- 1 Heatproof jug 2 cup, 16 oz minimum
- 1 Chopstick handy to stir the melted chocolate
- 2 Teaspoons
Ingredients
- 300 grams/ 11 oz white chocolate Note 1
- 1 cup dried cranberries roughly chopped, Note 2
- 3 tablespoons crushed peanuts Note 3
Instructions
Technique 1
- Dried cranberries: add the cranberries to a medium sized mixing bowl and use kitchen scissors to roughly chop them.
- Cranberry nut mixture: add the crushed peanuts to the chopped cranberries and use a spoon to stir and combine.
- Spoon filling into moulds: use 2 teaspoons to spoon ½ of the cranberry nut mixture into the chocolate moulds.
- Melt the chocolate: add the white chocolate to a heatproof jug. Microwave for 1 mins, remove and stir, then 1 more minute, remove and stir, then microwave for 1 further minute.
Technique 2
- Fillings: add the combined cranberry nut mixture to the melted chocolate and stir to mix in together.
- Moulds: use 2 teaspoons to spoon the combined wet rocky road mixture into the chocolate mould. Repeat to fill each dome.
- Set: carefully pick up the filled chocolate mould with 1 hand either side and place into the fridge (either open it 1st or get someone to open it for you) for a minimum of 1 hour. Note 4
- Serve and enjoy: once the chocolates are set, remove from the fridge, place mould on chopping board and push from the back to pop the chocolates out. Repeat for remaining chocolates.
Notes
- Note 1 - Chocolate: You can use chocolate melts, chocolate bits or a block of cooking chocolate broken into pieces. Ensure you measure it using kitchen scales or purchase exact quantity ie 300 grams which is approximately 11 ounces.
- Note 2 - Dried cranberries: you will be able to get these from almost all local grocery stores, be it Walmart, Safeway, Tesco, Aldi, Woolies or Coles. We need to use kitchen scissors (or a knife and chopping board) to roughly chop them up.
- Note 3 - Crushed nuts: I use crushed peanuts, which I purchase from the cooking and nut section called crushed or granulated nuts. These are handy as it saves taking out the food processor to chop them. Their small crunchy texture is a delightful addition to ice creams, salads and more!
- Note 4 - Mould info fridge : the silicon mould is flexible and curvy. If you place it onto a chopping board for support, you can then hold this in one hand and use your other hand to open the fridge. Otherwise you have 1 hand at each end of the mould and no hands to open the fridge. You can open it before putting the mould into the fridge or ask someone in the house to open it for you also.
- Note - Melting the chocolate: some recipes that talk about melting chocolate, will say microwave the chocolate in 30 second increments. However, I have tried this and let me tell you nothing happens after 30 seconds!!! So I microwave for 1 minute, remove (use an oven mit as the handle is hot) and stir, microwave for 1 minute, remove and stir, then return to the microwave for 1 final minute and stir after that time. It works perfectly!
Liza says
These look pretty I want to try them and am hungry for chocolate now. Thanks for sharing.
Adrianne says
No worries Liza, thanks for your feedback!