White Chocolate Bark with Cranberries and Pistachios

Christmas Candies is the theme for this week's Blogging Marathon. Everyone is busy baking cookies, cakes and bread but how can we forget the candies!! Chocolate treats, Rice Krispies, Truffles, Fudges, Candies and so many other treats are a favourite not only among the kids but in adults too. My first post for this week's Theme is White Chocolate Bark with Cranberries Pistachios. The creamy White Chocolate paired with tangy dried Cranberries and very finely chopped Pistachios or any kind of nuts make it a much relished Christmas Candy that is a must-have in your Christmas goodies menu. Pack it nicely in pretty candy wrappers and gift to your loved ones.

One has to be very careful while working with White Chocolate as it has a lower burning point than the milk chocolate and dark chocolate. If the White Chocolate overheats it becomes lumpy and grainy and cannot be used in for making candies and truffles though you can fix it a bit and use in desserts and cakes. Will cover details on all this in a separate post. I usually prefer a double boiler method for melting white chocolate. I used the White Chocolate Baking Chips for making the candies. You can use any good quality White Chocolate to make the treats. For me, the trick to get a perfectly creamy and smooth white chocolate is heat on the boiler though it can be conveniently melted by microwaving by reducing the power to 50% to avoid the Chocolate getting burnt.

Steps for melting White Chocolate on Double Boiler. I make the double boiler using my kitchen pan and bowl.

• Take a pan a pan and a bowl that fits over the pan. Fill 2-3 inches of water in the pan. Let the water boil.
• Carefully arrange the bowl on the pan. Make sure that the bowl does not touch the bottom of the pan or the surface of the water inside the pan.
• Finely chop the chocolate or add chips to the bowl over the water and let it sit there for a while, stir the chocolate until most of it is melted.
• Take away from the heat and stir the chocolate continuously, until it melts completely if some lumps remain to keep it back on the boiler and stir again until the chocolate completely melts.

To melt chocolate in a microwave, take chocolate in microwave-safe bowl, reduce the power to 50% or medium and melt for 30 secs, take out and stir. The chocolate may not look melted initially. Melt it again for 30 sec, and stir it. Wait for a few minutes, the chocolate will melt in its own heat. Use as required.

To make this White Chocolate bark, I have used cranberries and pistachios, I love the tartness of cranberries and the nutty flavor of pistachios that combines with the creamy white chocolate to make a perfect Christmas candy bursting with flavors. Few drops of orange oil or dried orange zest adds up the much needed citrusy flavor to the bark. You can add your choice of nuts or dried fruits like blueberries, cherries or even tutti frutti.

Let's see how I made this treat that is bursting with flavors and with the right crunch.

Make these sweet treats and other goodies for the Christmas from the blog and have a "Merry Christmas" with all your loved ones!!

Christmas time or any other celebration, make this treat and share it with your loved ones, it will be loved by all age groups.

Taking my White Chocolate Bark with Cranberries and Pistachios to Blogging Marathon Week 4 Day 1..

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Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing this BM#95.

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