Crazy for Craisins

While Hubby and I don't celebrate Valentine's Day (more on that in a later post), I wanted to give a token of appreciation to our new friends. Usually I make Valentine's lollipops, but I wanted to do something different. Enter Hubby's Grannie.

Grannie is one of the best bakers and candy makers I know. And the thing I love most about her craft is that she keeps it simple. One of the things she's taught me to make over the years are Criasin Clusters. I decided to step these up a notch to make them more Valentine's Day-ish.

1. Melt a bag of white chocolate morsels.

I've used the candy meltaways before, but I prefer to use chips. If you want to melt the chocolate quickly, you can always microwave it, but I find that it's a little too easy to burn it that way. I prefer to use the double-boiler method, meaning I put the chocolate in a metal bowl and place the bowl over a pot of boiling water, like so.

Remember to keep stirring so the chocolate doesn't burn.

2. Mix in Craisins.

You only need a handful or two.

3. Form the clusters.

At this stage in the process, I would spoon the mixture onto wax paper, and it would harden into little clusters. Since it's Valentine's Day, though, I decided to make hearts. I got this nifty Wilton silicone mold (found at Michaels, Walmart, etc.).

Just spoon the chocolate and craisin mixture into the molds and let it set for about 30 minutes. When the chocolate is hardened, all you have to do is push on the bottom of each heart, and the candy will pop right out.

If you're a messy spooner like me, all you have to do is carefully break off the excess chocolate to create a smoother, more even bottom.

And voila! 

Stick them in a cute container, and you have a yummy treat to give a friend (or yourself).