WANT A QUICK AND EASY HOLIDAY CANDY TREAT?
Have I got the candy dessert for you! It’s a quick and simple way to bring a festive homemade candy to a Holiday party or to have for your family and friends at home! It’s my White Chocolate Cranberry Pistachio Candy drops! They are sooooo easy and everyone LOVES them! And, they’re gluten free!
The idea came to me when I had to bring a bite size dessert to my friend’s house for a dinner party during the Holidays and the part was on a Friday night. Of course in my “Madeline style”, I procrastinated all week until the day of, and ran to Wegman’s near work at lunchtime, debating whether to just buy one of their Holiday treats. But I just couldn’t bring myself to buy something. I always cook and bake something homemade and do it from my heart. Call me crazy!
Now I have a recipe for Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter drops, but I was hoping to find something more Christmas-like in color, using a few ingredients that just feel like the Holidays! I saw these chocolate turtle candies at the store, and thought what if I did white chocolate, and had cranberries instead of raisins, and pistachios instead of peanuts or walnuts! White to represent snow, red for cranberry and green for pistachio! BAM!
WHAT ARE THE INGREDIENTS AND WHAT EQUIPMENT DO I NEED?
Hersey’s White Chocolate Chips, Dried Cranberries and Pistachios (already shelled). (OK, so I cheat on the pistachios and buy them shelled.) Then, all you need is a Small-Medium Size Saucepot and Parchment Paper! If you want to use the mini muffin cups you can, but I also just drop them on parchment paper and they look lovely! They take no time to set up and they’re ready to serve or package for a gift or to take to a party!
So have at it this Holiday season with one of the easiest treats for family and friends! Hope you enjoy!
Until next time….
Let’s get cookin’ and bakin’.
Madeline
Holiday White Chocolate Chips, Cranberry and Pistachio Candy Drops
Equipment
- Medium size sauce pot
- Parchment Paper
- Mini-muffin wrappers (optional)
Ingredients
- 12 ounces Hershey's White Chocolate Chips (1 regular bag)
- 1 cup Ocean Spray Dried Cranberries
- 1 cup Wonderful Pistachios (shelled)
Instructions
- Pour chocolate chips in saucepan and heat on low-medium heat.
- Begin to stir as chocolate chips melt, making certain that the chips are not burning in the pot.
- As chips are almost fully melted, add the cranberries and pistachios. Stir until well blended.
- Remove saucepan from heat.
- Drop by tablespoons onto parchment paper or in individual mini-muffin wrappers.
- Let set up for 30 minutes. Plate and serve! Keep candies in a closed container or can for up to a couple weeks. They also freeze well for later.
Notes




Thank you for this easy gluten-free recipe! They were easy to make and were a HUGE hit (thus, no photo to share…)! I will make these again and again!
I am so glad you enjoyed them and thank you for commenting! It’s the best when I find out one of my recipes is a hit! Appreciate you so much!
Madeline
I made these for a Christmas Eve gaythering (and neglected to take a picture) and we LOVED them (again, no photo because they disappeared so quickly)! We have a bunch of gluten-free people so finding something festive, easy and GF is a bit of a challenge, but these totally fit the bill! Also, I am NOT a cook, so I was grateful for something simple. Thank you for the recipe — it’s a total 10!!