Cranberry Christmas Fudge

American Dessert Recipes

16 oz. semisweet chocolate (2 packages) 1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk 2 tsp. vanilla 4 oz. white chocolate 1/2 c. cream cheese 1/2 c. dried cranberries or craisins

NEW for Christmas 2007 *Happy Holidays!* First, prepare the pan: line an 8x8 square baking pan with aluminum foil and spray it with nonstick. Make room in the refrigerator for the pan. In a large microwavable bowl, break chocolate into 1 oz. or 1/2 oz. pieces. Pour sweetened condensed milk over the chocolate. Microwave for 1 minute. Using a silicone spataula, stir vigorously. (Do not use a regular rubber spatula, the melting chocolate will melt your spatula. Ick.) The chocolate mixture will be lumpy. Return to microwave. Microwave for 30 sec., then stir vigorously again. If after a good hearty stir it's still really lumpy, return to the microwave for another 30 sec. hit. Once the mixture is melted and homogenous (nice and smooth), it's time to add the flavoring: add vanilla extract. Traditionally, this is flavored with vanilla extract. If you're looking to experiment, try adding the same amount of another extract or of your favorite liqueur. I've never seen cranberry liqueur on the shelf, but be guided by what you'd drink if you had cranberry juice as a mixer. Stir vigorously to a glossy sheen. Turn into the prepared pan and spread into an even layer. Set aside. In a separate bowl, break the white chocolate into 1 oz. or 1/2 oz. pieces. Microwave for 30 sec. Stir vigorously. If it needs more time, give it 30 sec. more in the microwave. Once the chocolate is melted, stir in the cream cheese. The cream cheese helps it stay soft once it's been chilled. Stir in cranberries. (Use either unsweetened dried cranberries or the sweetened flavored kind.) Spread this white chocolate mixture over the top of the dark chocolate. It will be a thin layer, but the two-layer makes it look very fancy like you worked really hard. Refrigerate 3 hours or overnight. Cut into 1 inch (2.5cm) squares. And watch them disappear!

Submitted by Gretchen Grant
Contributed on: Saturday December 23rd, 2006 and modified on Saturday December 23rd, 2006