Easy Chocolate Covered Cranberries

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Chocolate Covered Cranberries

Looking for an easy snack or dessert? Try these Easy Chocolate Covered Cranberries. It literally only takes two ingredients and is a very simple process. Keep reading to find out how to make your own!

Fresh or Dried

Cranberries can be found in fresh or dried varieties. When they come fresh, they are quite sour and can usually only be found in grocery stores around the holidays. Dried cranberries, also known as craisins can be found year-round at your local grocery store. You can sometimes even find chocolate-covered ones at stores such as Trader Joe’s or Blaine’s Farm And Fleet. Did you know that you can also make your own chocolate-covered cranberries, for a fraction of the price? You sure can! Today, I am going to show you how very simple it is to make this tasty treat. 

Cranberries Historically

Cranberries are one of three fruits (along with blueberries and Concord grapes) that are native to North America that are commercially grown.  These significant little red berries were first used by Native Americans for many purposes including dye for fabric, food, and for their healing properties. 

When the Pilgrims arrived, they also adopted the uses for this berry that the Native American’s used it for. The Pilgrims found cranberries to be useful in bartering. Today, over 40,000 acres of cranberries are harvested every year by farmers in the United States. 

Chocolate Covered Craisens

Great For A Treat

Let’s say you are in the mood for a tasty treat that is still on the healthier side. Something that has a balance of sweet and tart, and maybe even a little bit of salty thrown in. These little nuggets of delightfulness will satisfy your craving beyond what you could have imagined. 

One of the great things about making your own cranberry treats is that you get to choose exactly how you want them to be. No matter if you are going for the healthy aspect, or if you simply want to choose the kind of chocolate, it all plays a factor. The customization is something that you cannot choose when buying from the store. Typically, there is only one option available. 

Dark, Milk, Or White Chocolate

The main way that I have made chocolate-covered cranberries is by dipping them in dark chocolate, milk chocolate, or white chocolate. Each one of these were very good, however, I think my favorite was when I used dark chocolate. 

Dark chocolate tends to not be quite as sweet as other chocolates. Using dark chocolate also provides a little extra heath to your snack. 

Milk chocolate is very good, however, because of the sweetness in the chocolate itself, this type of chocolate is best paired with fresh cranberries. While it can work with dried cranberries, beware that these are extra sweet. 

White chocolate is perfect especially when you are making chocolate covered cranberries at Christmastime. The colors alone provide a festive flair to the treat. White chocolate is also a good balance between sweet and tart. 

Cranberries, chocolate chips and white chocolate chips

How To Make Chocolate Covered Cranberries

The process of making these treats is very simple. There is no need to complicate what tastes delicious when combined with simple ingredients. Also keeping your ingredient list simple, makes sure that this process is quick and easy. 

There are two main ingredients here. The ingredients you will need are:

Cranberries or craisins
Your choice of chocolate

To make these, you will need to begin by melting the chocolate. I prefer to use my microwave and place my chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl, for 30 seconds at a time. In my microwave, it takes a total of 1 minute 30 seconds to completely melt my chocolate chips. Depending on your microwave, it might take slightly more or slightly less time. This is why I recommend you stir it every 30 seconds to prevent burning your chocolate.

If you need to use your stovetop, I recommend placing a pan with water in it directly on your burner. Then inside that pan, place a heat-safe pan or bowl with your chocolate chips in it. This is so that your chocolate does not burn as easily. Melt your chocolate over medium-low heat. 

After your chocolate is melted, pour your cranberries into your chocolate and coat with chocolate. The best way is to use a rubber spatula to mix the cranberries and chocolate until they are well coated. 

Remove the cranberries from the chocolate, using a fork. You can remove them one at a time, or in small clumps, however, you prefer. 

Place chocolate-covered cranberries on a baking sheet lined with wax paper or parchment paper. Place in the fridge or freezer to allow the chocolate to set up. 

Store chocolate-covered cranberries in the fridge or freezer in an airtight container or plastic bag. Remove when you are ready for a treat, otherwise keep in a cool location. 

Tips and Tricks

We have a few tips and tricks for you, that we have learned along the way. Being careful to read this first, will help you to not make mistakes that we ran into. 

If you are using frozen cranberries, when you place them into the chocolate, be sure to keep the cranberries from touching. If they touch when they are frozen they will be stuck together. It is better to cover each frozen cranberry individually and then place it on parchment paper to finish drying. 

Second, place your finished cranberries in the fridge or freezer right after you have finished coating them with chocolate. This will help them to dry out, as well as help the chocolate to set, and not melt again right away. 

When you are removing the cranberries from the melted chocolate, I have found that a fork works best. This way you will not take a lot of extra chocolate with you. The outcome is the best when using a fork, over any other utensil.

After dipping in chocolate, be sure to place your covered cranberries on wax paper or parchment paper while they set up. This will be the easiest surface to get them off from. 

 For best results, store in the freezer. You can also keep them in your fridge if you prefer, but they definitely need to be kept chilled. 

Storage

No matter if you intend to eat them right away or savor them at a later date, your chocolate-covered cranberries should be stored in an airtight container or plastic bag that can seal. Keep them in your fridge or freezer depending on your preference. 

Chocolate covered cranberries in a jar

Variations

One of the great things about making chocolate-covered cranberries is that you can mix it up any way you want! Mixing chocolate-covered cranberries with plain or chocolate-covered nuts adds an extra sweet and salty component to your berries that is delicious. 

You could also try adding dried fruit, such as raisins that are chocolate-covered, or just leave them plain. Either way, it tastes delicious. You could also try substituting raisins for your cranberries if desired. 

Another idea for a variation on your chocolate-covered cranberries is to drizzle them with caramel. This provides an extra dimension for your taste buds. 

Finally, you could also choose to top your chocolate-covered cranberries with anything you wish. Some of my favorite toppings are coconut, sprinkles, and large flakes or sea salt or sugar. When you are adding a topping, be sure to sprinkle it on top before your chocolate has fully dried, or it will not stick to the chocolate. 

Chocolate Covered Cranberries Are Great For:

There are several different things that chocolate covered cranberries are great for, no matter what the time of year. 

Treats all year round. No matter what time of the year it is, these little nuggets are a delicious snack to enjoy! 

Christmas snacks. Because of the use of cranberries during the Christmas season, chocolate-covered cranberries can make a festive snack for Christmas in December, or even for Christmas in July! 

Christmas gift. If you are like me and like to start your Christmas shopping and idea collecting early, keep these treats in mind. Chocolate-covered cranberries make the perfect holiday gift for that special someone you just don’t know what to give. 

These Chocolate Covered Cranberries are a delicious little snack and are so easy to make, that they are difficult to beat. Give them a try to satisfy your chocolate craving! You will be amazed at how delicious these little nuggets are. 

Have you tried this recipe? Write to us and let us know what you think! We love to hear from you! 

Looking for ideas for your next meal? Try making this Chicken Fried Rice Calories and Easy Recipe! It is perfect for any occasion. Also try out this delicious dessert with this recipe for Copycat Marie Callender’s Chocolate Satin Pie. It is sooooooo good!

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We here at CookThink have been cooking and baking for many years! We love to share our recipes, and hope you will enjoy them too!

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