Pumpkin Cranberry Fudge
Pumpkin Cranberry Fudge is sweet and creamy with a subtle pumpkin spice taste and a beautiful tart cranberry swirl. You only need a few minutes to mix it and just a handful of ingredients from the pantry
Pumpkin Cranberry Fudge is sweet and creamy with a subtle pumpkin spice taste and a beautiful tart cranberry swirl. You only need a few minutes to mix it and just a handful of ingredients from the pantry
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1.5 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 2 3/4 cup white chocolate chips ((it's usually two packages or 1 pound))
- 3/4 cup canned evaporated milk
- 1/2 cup canned pumpkin purã©e
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin spice
- 1/4 cup chopped walnuts ((optional))
- 1/4 cup canned whole-berry cranberry sauce
- Carbohydrate 17.7740418792964 g
- Cholesterol 3.81625 mg
- Fat 7.751880625 g
- Fiber 1.59701877817512 g
- Protein 0.950256875005256 g
- Saturated Fat 4.64549325 g
- Serving Size 1 1 serving (26g)
- Sodium 12.2703750012264 mg
- Sugar 16.1770231011213 g
- Trans Fat 0.38156125 g
- Calories 131 calories
Step-by-step
- Prepare an 8x8-inch square baking form. Line it with foil for easy cleanup, then line it with parchment paper for easy removal. Alternatively, use just foil and spray with cooking oil.
- Place white chocolate chips in a large heat-proof bowl. Set aside.
- Place semi-sweet chocolate chips in a medium heat-proof bowl. Set aside.
- In a medium pot, combine the evaporated milk, canned pumpkin purée, unsalted butter, brown sugar, and pumpkin spice.
- Place the pot on the stove over medium heat and bring to boil, constantly whisking.
- The pumpkin caramel will go from thin to thick very suddenly. Once the butter melts, it'll start coming to boil. The milk will foam and very rapidly climb up the sides of the pot. Make sure to keep whisking so that the milk doesn't over-boil.
- Cook for 1-2 minutes from the moment the pumpkin caramel comes to boil and becomes very thick.
- Immediately pour half the boiling mixture over the white chocolate chips and the other half over the dark chocolate chips.
- Important: There's no need to formally measure how much you are pouring over each chocolate but if you aren't sure, it's better that the dark chocolate has a bit more caramel than the white chocolate. If there's too much liquid in the white chocolate, then it won't set.
- Working fast, so that the mixture doesn't have time to cool, mix the dark chocolate until it melts completely.
- Then mix the white chocolate until it melts completely, add the chopped walnuts (if using) and mix well.
- Evenly spread the dark chocolate fudge at the bottom of the prepared form.
- Pour over the white chocolate fudge and spread evenly over the dark chocolate layer.
- Using a small teaspoon, add small spoonfuls of cranberry sauce over the pumpkin fudge. Then take a chopstick or a toothpick and create beautiful swirls by dragging the cranberry sauce lightly through the fudge.
- Place the fudge in the fridge to cool and set. About 1 hour.
- Alternatively, if you need to speed up the process, place in the freezer until it's set.
- Cut into 32 pieces and enjoy.
- Storage: Place the cut up fudge onto a tray and freeze. Once frozen, transfer the pieces into an airtight container and keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- The fudge will keep in the fridge for a week or maybe a bit more.
The Chemistry of Boiling Milk and Chocolate Bases
Traditional candy making relies on precise sugar crystallization, but this method uses evaporated milk and chocolate chips to bypass sugar thermometers entirely. When combining evaporated milk, canned pumpkin, butter, brown sugar, and pumpkin spice on the stove, watch the physical reaction closely. The mixture transitions from thin to thick very suddenly once the butter melts and the liquid comes to a boil. Evaporated milk contains less water than fresh milk, causing it to foam and rapidly climb the sides of the pot within seconds. Constant whisking prevents scorching during this one to two minute boiling window. Pouring this hot caramel mixture over white and dark chocolate chips melts the solids without seizing, provided the ratios remain balanced. Excess liquid in the white chocolate layer prevents proper setting due to the high fat and sugar content of cocoa butter. Dark chocolate requires slightly more of the caramel liquid to achieve the correct pouring consistency.
Layering, Swirling, and Cold Storage Mechanics
Constructing dual-layer confections requires working quickly before ambient temperature drops harden the chocolate. Spread the dark chocolate layer at the bottom of an eight-by-eight-inch pan lined with parchment paper. Layer the white chocolate fudge containing optional walnuts directly over the dark base before applying the whole-berry cranberry sauce. Dragging a toothpick or chopstick through the cranberry dollops breaks the surface tension to create suspended fruit pockets. Chilling the pan in the refrigerator for one hour firms the structure by solidifying the cocoa fats. Freezing accelerates this hardening process if time is constrained. Storing finished pieces in an airtight container in the freezer preserves texture for up to three months without sugar bloom. Dietary adjustments remain straightforward by substituting dairy-free butter and plant-based white and dark chocolate alternatives.
