This cranberry orange white chocolate fudge combines the sweet, creamy flavor of white chocolate with the festive flavors of tangy dried cranberries and fragrant orange zest. Macadamia nuts are folded into the fudge for crunch and big, buttery flavor. This festive fudge looks beautiful on a holiday cookie tray and it’s made from only 5 ingredients because the holiday season is busy enough. Let’s keep our recipes simple without sacrificing the quintessential holiday flavors.
That crunch though…
Macadamia nuts bring the crunch. The nuttiest, tastiest crunch there is. I rough chop the nuts in this recipe because chopping them into fine pieces wouldn’t give us that BIG crunch factor but keeping them whole can be a bit much. My suggestion is to chop them roughly into halves to get the best of both worlds. This method gives us the perfect amount of fudge/nut ratio in each bite.
That citrusy orange flavor
You can use orange extract or orange zest in this recipe. If you choose to use the orange zest, be careful to avoid the white pith under the peel. The pith is bitter and will add an unpleasant taste to the cranberry orange white chocolate fudge. You’ll want to remove as much moisture as possible from the zest before adding it to the fudge. Once you’ve zested your oranges, squeeze the zest with a paper towel or kitchen towel. I allow mine to sit out for 20 minutes or so before I adding it into the fudge.
Trader Joe’s does it again
If you’re fortunate enough to live close to a Trader Joes, be sure to stock up on their dried and sweetened orange slices. You can find them in the nuts/dried fruit section. They’re one of my absolute favorite TJ finds. I use them in my holiday tea, cocktails and on charcuterie boards. I even snack on them right out of the bag.
Chop the slices and add a small piece to the top of each piece of fudge before refrigerating it. This ingredient adds extra orange flavor and makes the presentation extra special.
Ingredients in Cranberry Orange White Chocolate Fudge
White chocolate chips
Sweetened condensed milk
Orange extract or orange zest – Orange extract keeps this recipe super simple and it can be found in the spice aisle of most grocery stores.
Dried sweetened cranberries
1/3 cup macadamia nuts or pistachiosÂ
Dried sweetened orange slices or candied peel for garnish (optional). If you live close to Trader Joes, they sell these amazing dry sweetened orange slices during the holiday season. When I go I buy about a bazillion packages of them and use them in all sorts of fun drinks and desserts. I even pop one in my morning tea for a subtle kick of orange flavor. For this recipe, I cut them into small pieces and use them as a garnish.
Variations of cranberry orange white chocolate fudge
- Substitute the macadamia nuts for pistachios
- Swap out the white chocolate chips for semi-sweet chocolate chips or dark chocolate chips
Cranberry Orange White Chocolate Fudge
Ingredients
- 3 cups white chocolate chips
- 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
- 2 teaspoons orange extract
- â…“ cup Macadamia nuts chopped roughly into halves
- â…“ Dried sweetened cranberries
- 2-3 dried, sweetened orange slices cut into small pieces optional garnish
Instructions
- Line an 8"x8" cooking pan with parchment paper.
- Add the condensed milk, white chocolate chips and orange extract to a medium saucepan and stir to combine. Heat on low until combined and thoroughly melted, continuing to stir while it heats. Remove the pan from the heat and fold in the Macadamia nuts and dried cranberries
- Pour into the lined cooking pan.
- Place the optional garnish on top and refrigerate at least 2 hours before cutting and serving.
Looking for other ideas for that holiday cookie exchange? Here’s what we’re cooking up this season!
- Chocolate Covered Cranberry Snowball Cookies
- Cake Bite Snowballs
- Chocolate Dipped Holiday Sprinkle Butter Cookies
Orange Chocolate Macadamia Nut Fudge
Ingredients
- 3 cups semi sweet chocolate chips or dark chocolate chips
- 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
- 1 teaspoon orange extract or the zest of an orange. Be sure to squeeze the zest with a paper towel to remove excess moisture before adding it to the fudge.
- 1 cup Macadamia nuts chopped roughly into halves
- Dried sweetened orange slices or candied peel for garnish optional
Instructions
- Line an 8"x8" cooking pan with foil or parchment paper.
- Add the condensed milk, chocolate chips and orange extract to a medium sauce pan and stir to combine. Heat on low until combined and thoroughly melted, continuing to stir while it heats. Remove the pan from the heat and fold in the Macadamia nuts.
- Pour into the lined cooking pan.
- Place the optional garnish on top and refrigerate at least 2 hours before cutting and serving. Store in the refrigerator up to one week.
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