by White Christmas Recipe
If you are a fan of white chocolate, you will love White Christmas. I’m not sure where this recipe originated from and how the name came about, but it is ridiculously easy to make and serves well as a sweet treat throughout the festive season, not to mention that they are great as Christmas gifts too.
I have always thought it was strange to buy chocolate and then melt it in order to make, in effect, chocolate. Once I got past this conundrum, I was happy to accept that it was a quick and easy base for many desserts and sweets.
As the main component of this recipe is white chocolate, it makes sense to buy the best quality chocolate you can afford.
Green & Blacks have a delicious white chocolate bar in their range which is flecked with vanilla seeds, a sign of a high-class product. But as I love white chocolate in general, I’m also happy to use the supermarket brand in my baking.
That said, the supermarket brand chocolate sold in Switzerland is made by the popular Swiss chocolate factories, which no doubt explains why they taste pretty good. So you might want to be more selective if you live outside of Switzerland …
There are countless recipes for White Christmas, some with rice bubbles or rice krispies, others containing some variation of fruits and nuts.
The following recipe is merely a blueprint and you can substitute the dried cranberries and pistachios for other dried fruits and nuts of your choice.
White Christmas with Pistachios & Dried Cranberries
Ingredients
- 500 g (1 lb) white chocolate, chopped
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- 100 g (½ cup) pistachios, shelled and unsalted
Instructions
- Line a 17 cm x 27 cm baking tin with baking paper or grease-proof paper.
- Melt the chocolate in a bain-marie or a bowl over a pan of simmering water.
- Set aside a handful each of the dried cranberries and pistachios.
- Mix the remaining dried cranberries and pistachios into the white chocolate. Pour the mixture into the lined baking tin and spread it evenly. Sprinkle the reserved dried cranberries and pistachios on top.
- Place the tin into the fridge for a few hours (or overnight) for it to set.
- Cut the White Christmas into small pieces to either give as gifts or to serve with coffee.
- If the White Christmas is cold from the fridge, let it rest for about 30 minutes to come to room temperature before cutting it, otherwise the chocolate may crack and you may not get even slices (not a bad thing but it’s good to know).
Kitchen Notes
- OVEN & STOVE TEMPERATURES
All recipes on this website have been tested on an induction stove and/or with a conventional oven (i.e. an oven without fan). All recipes on this website use temperatures for a conventional oven, unless otherwise mentioned. Convection ovens (i.e. fan-forced ovens) are typically 20°C/70°F hotter than conventional ovens, but please check your manufacturer’s handbook. - CONVERSIONS
To convert from cups to grams, and vice-versa, please see this handy Conversion Chart for Basic Ingredients.
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Oh my stars! These look heavenly! And I say that as a person who does not like white chocolate! Dark can probably be substituted but I think the beauty of it, the jewel colours of the fruit and nut would be lost.
I love the process shots! :-))
Oh you can definitely use dark chocolate in this recipe, but I guess it won’t be called “White Christmas” then 😉 One year, I did make a batch with dark chocolate (60% cocoa), also with pistachios and dried cranberries, and they looked great next to the white chocolate version which I had made with walnuts and dried apricots. Depending on the dried fruit and nuts which you use, they can still provide a nice contrast in colour to the chocolate. Such an easy-peasy recipe!
This is so beautifuland yummy!!!
Great for Christmas time
Have a nice day
Thanks, manu! Indeed, these are wonderful at Christmas. I like to keep some on hand for when friends pop by at short notice, though I usually have to stop myself from eating all of it!
Love the photographs. Feels Christmas is here, on your blog, today.
Thank you, Anita! I’m getting into the Christmas spirit early this year 🙂
I agree with Anita above. I love the Christmas cheer your photographs provide. So festive and happy. What a great little recipe, and as you say, perfect for gifts, too!
This looks so festive and gorgeous. Beautiful colour contrast.
I just discovered your blog and love it! Your recipes and photos are wonderful! I shared this recipe on FB and my friend are already asking me when I’m bringing some over for them.
Oh that’s wonderful to hear! 🙂 Have fun making these! Just remember to save some for yourself!
I love this. G&B white is fabulous but I, and everyone i’ve grumbled to, has a terrible time melting it. I can do any other white no matter how expensive or cheap but not G&B. Please share any tips you may have. Please!!!
I make a lovely dark version of this with orange zest and pistachios. I think i need to add this white cranberry one to my list. In the US they call this chocolate bark and i love playing around. Another good version has crushed peppermint candy canes in, so lovely at xmas.
I didn’t know that G&B white chocolate was difficult to cook with! I’ve only ever bought in the US and I had no trouble melting it at all. Perhaps the G&B in the US has different ingredients than in the UK? I know this is the case with other brands where they might add, for example, wax to stop the chocolate from melting quickly, especially in countries like Australia where the weather is warm. So it’s a mystery to me why the G&B white chocolate in the UK does not melt easily …
Now that you’ve mentioned chocolate bark, this White Christmas is indeed just a variation. The French also do something similar and call it mendiant au chocolate. I absolutely love the version with crushed peppermint candy canes!! Williams Sonoma have a wonderful version of this which comes in the most gorgeous tin!
Love it! This is defenitely worth trying!
I’m a real pistache fan.
Looks beautiful and tasty! Yummy! This made me drool.