Everywhere I look lately there seem to be recipes involving cranberries, this is one that caught my eye! I rarely bake anything involving fruit, not that I have anything against fruit (it is one of my favorite snacks), it just seems that most recipes that catch my eye involve chocolate, peanut butter, butter scotch or candy.
I am deciding what to make for goodie trays I will be making for the Holidays and thought that a recipe using cranberries would be perfect. I wanted something different from your typical cookie or bar recipe and hit the jackpot when this recipe caught my eye.
I changed the recipe a bit based on my preferences. The original recipe is baked in a muffin tin but because I am making these for holiday trays I used a mini muffin tin to make them bite sized (Plus I LOVE how cute they look). I also used finely chopped walnuts instead of pecans because I think their flavor better compliments the cranberries. I partially baked the oatmeal crusts before filling them with the white chocolate fudge but then baked the filled Fudge Cups for a few more minutes. The original recipe did not call for baking the cups after they are filled, so if you’re short on time you can always save a few minutes by not baking them after filling with the white chocolate fudge. I am not sure what difference it will make in the final consistency of the white chocolate fudge, I chose to bake them because the filling is siimilar to the filing in this recipe in which you bake the fudge filled bars.
*I would recommend baking the crusts for 2-4 more minutes before filling if you are not planning on baking the cups once you fill them.
I am very pleased with the end result! They are so cute and the specks of red cranberry in the crust make them perfect for the holidays. The crust is slighlty sweet, with a hint of cinnamon and has a delicate nutty flavor which compliments the sweet and creamy white chocolate fudge filling. They are not overly sweet, but definately will satisfy your holiday sweet tooth. I think you could dress these up a bit after baking by garnishing with a dried cranberry or walnut halve on top and then drizzled with melted white chocolate. As is, they are definitely going to be a welcomed addition to my holiday goodie tray!
I rate this recipe an 8.5
Mini White Chocolate Cranberry Oat Fudge Cups
adapted from here
1 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup brown sugar
3 cups oatmeal (I used quick cooking)
1 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/3 cup dried cranberries, chopped fine
1/3 cup walnuts, chopped fine
White Chocolate Fudge Filling
2 cups chopped white chocolate
1 can Sweet and Condensed Milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350°.
Spray a mini muffin tin with PAM cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, beat together the butter and brown sugar until creamy. Add the oatmeal, flour, salt, and cinnamon. Mix until combined. Add chopped cranberries and walnuts and mix until incorporated.
Drop dough by tablespoon into the preapred wells of a mini muffin tin. Using a tart press or the back of a teaspoons press down on the crust mixture until the crust is formed into a small well.
Bake for 5-6 minutes.
While crusts are baking make the White Chocolate Fudge Filling:
In a small sauce pan over low heat, heat milk and chips until melted and smooth. Remove from heat and add vanilla extract.
Remove the partially baked crusts from oven (should not be brown). If needed, gently use the tart press or the back of a teaspoon to press the crust down to form a well (crust may puff a bit while baking making it difficult to fill the wells unless you press the crust down a bit).
Fill each mini crust with a teaspoon of White Chocolate Fudge being careful not to get any on the mini muffin tin or it will burn.
Return to oven and bake for another 3-4 minutes.
Remove from oven and allow to cool at room teperature.
Chill for 20 minutes or until firm.
Using a sharp knife, gently pry the Fudge Cups out of the tin. They should pop out if you greased it properly and the cups are firm. (I had no problem getting them out at all)
Those look delicious. I love the mini cup look, my girlfriend thinks they are adorable.
There definitely have been quite a few cranberry recipes floating around recently. Though, I must say that this is one of the best looking ones I’ve seen so far!!
Bob, they are cute aren’t they??!!
Sharon: Thank you so much, these are so yummy! I love them cold from the fridge and room temp!
Those look fantastic! And I love the flavor combo.
I love bite-sized treats. I wish I could only have the one bite!
These are so elegant looking! Much better than your typical holiday cookie.
Ooh, I love the look of those. I just made some cranberry cookies yesterday. They are so good!
Oooh these got an immediate star – they look delicious!
Oh my freaking goodness! THis could possibly be the best idea I’ve ever seen!!!! I love all the flavors and the idea of the fudge in the cups?? Genius!
wow – those are adorable and so tasty looking!
Those are too cute!! I love cranberry and orange too. We posted cookies today with that mix:) Can’t wait to try these!
The cranberry white chocolate cups are so different. My husband is a white chocolate fanatic, so he is going to love these!
I have never tried a recipe with cranberries, this sounds good!