Full of delicious and good for you ingredients; these coconut cranberry pistachio truffles are quick and easy to make; and perfect for those mini sweet cravings!
Plus, these double up as hostess gifts for the festive or holiday season!
Fall is all about pumpkins and gourds. We often overlook some other super delicious produce like cranberries, apples, potatoes etc. These are as much Fall as the pumpkins!
Cranberry is an important part of Holiday season and this tiny berry is full of good things! It improves heart health, is excellent for UTIs and improves gut health.
Plus, these add such a pop of color in any recipe that you include them in. This Sparkling Cranberry Pineapple Punch, Paneer Board topped with cranberries, Cranberry Orange Bread and Cranberry Jam are my favorite ways to use them.
The other ingredient that appears between August and October is Pistachios. These green delights are great for blood sugar, cholesterol and blood pressure.
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What are truffles?
Truffles are of many kinds. From the popular mushroom that grows underground in forests to desert that we enjoy as small balls.
These balls are made from chocolate most of the time and called 'truffles' as they resemble the mushroom like fungus. However, these days truffles are made from different ingredients.
Though they may not look like the mushrooms; they are a name used generically for all deserts that are shaped like balls and served as individual treats.
Today, I am sharing a delicious way to make truffles from cranberries as well as pistachios. These are sweet rounds of goodness and doubles up as an easy Indian style dessert too. Call them truffles made with coconut powder or coconut ladoos studded with pistachios and cranberries; the choice is yours. Similar to these easy to make Marie Biscuit Truffles; this is a keeper too!
Why this recipe works
- It is super simple, quick and easy.
- It comes together in under 30 minutes of active time.
- This recipe is so easy to scale. The time to cook will remain same, only extra minutes required to roll the truffles.
- These truffles are just enough to satisfy sweet cravings without too many additives or a quick snack for that 4 p.m. need.
- We use cranberries and pistachios for flavor and an extra pop of color. However, apricots, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, cashews or almonds may be used too.
- This recipe can be consumed straight after making or over the next few days. Just refrigerate the truffles in an air tight container and let them come to room temperature before consuming.
The proportions below make 10-11 medium size truffles. Feel free to double or even halve the recipe; it will work well either way.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Desiccated Coconut: The base for these Coconut Cranberry Pistachio Truffles is Desiccated coconut. Available on Amazon and in most local grocery stores, these flakes find application in so many recipes. I like to use the unsweetened ones so we can control the amount of sweetener that is added to the recipe.
- Sweetened Condensed Milk: The sweetener here is condensed milk. Not only does it sweeten the recipe, it also adds a lot of creaminess to the truffles. Sugar can be used for making these but I prefer sweetened condensed milk.
- Dried Cranberries: We use dried cranberries to make the recipe. These can be sweet or unsweetened based on what you like. I have made the recipe using both; if you like a slight tang, use unsweetened ones. Else stick to the sweetened ones.
- Pistachios: Pistachios give the recipe so much crunch and texture. Plus, they go really well with the cranberries. One can also use other nuts like almonds, cashews, pecans etc.
- Cardamom: I like to add some ground cardamom seeds. They make the truffles so flavorful and festive. However, skip these if you do not have them.
- Ghee: Ghee brings all the dry ingredients together with the condensed milk. Coconut sautéed in ghee gives a delicious flavor to the truffles. However, swap it with unsalted butter if you like.
- Plus, add different nuts, seeds and berries to make the truffles different each time.
See the recipe card for detailed ingredient information, measurements and nutrition.
How to make this recipe
1- Heat ghee in a wide pan.
2- Add desiccated coconut and sauté for 4-5 minutes, ensuring it does not burn.
3- Once the coconut is flavorful, add condensed milk. Mix well.
4- Then add chopped pistachios, chopped dried cranberries and cardamom powder.
5- Mix well till the entire mixture comes together.
6- Transfer to a bowl to avoid cooking the mix any further.
7- Once the mix is slightly cool, make equal size balls using it.
8- Take some desiccated coconut in a plate and roll the balls in it. Transfer to an airtight container and enjoy!
Expert Tips and Notes
- Do not over cook the desiccated coconut else it will become chewy. The same goes for the mix. Only cook the mix till it comes together.
- Adding more nuts, berries and seeds is an option. Also, if you leave out the cranberries and pistachios, you will get plain coconut truffles.
- Using dates or figs instead of cranberries works too. They tend to be sweeter and will need slightly less condensed milk in the recipe.
- Refrigerate these coconut cranberry pistachio truffles for up to a week. Remove them from the refrigerator a few minutes before serving so they are perfectly soft.
- These work really well as a sweet, desert or hostess gifts. Simply pack them in a fancy box and you have an amazing treat.
Recipe FAQs
We need desiccated coconut, sweetened condensed milk and a bunch of add-ins to make these truffles.
While I have only added pistachios; adding almonds, pecans, cashews and other nuts works well too. Simply mince them super small or shred them before adding to get smooth truffles.
We do add a lot of nuts, cranberries and use coconut to make these truffles; there is a large amount of sugar in condensed milk. Thus the recipe is not exactly healthy. So consume it in moderation.
More sweet recipes to try
Coconut Cranberry Pistachio Truffles
Ingredients
- 2 cups desiccated coconut
- ¾ cup sweetened Condensed Milk
- 1 teaspoon ghee
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- ½ cup pistachios
- ¼ teaspoon cardamom powder
Instructions
- Heat ghee in a wide pan.
- Add desiccated coconut and sauté for 4-5 minutes, ensuring it does not burn.
- Once the coconut is flavorful, add condensed milk. Mix well.
- Then add chopped pistachios, chopped dried cranberries and cardamom powder.
- Mix well till the entire mixture comes together.
- Transfer to a bowl to avoid cooking the mix any further.
- Once the mix is slightly cool, make equal size balls using it.
- Take some desiccated coconut in a plate and roll the balls in it. Transfer to an airtight container and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Do not over cook the desiccated coconut else it will become chewy. The same goes for the mix. Only cook the mix till it comes together.
- Adding more nuts, berries and seeds is an option. Also, if you leave out the cranberries and pistachios, you will get plain coconut truffles.
- Using dates or figs instead of cranberries works too. They tend to be sweeter and will need slightly less condensed milk in the recipe.
- These coconut cranberry pistachio truffles can be refrigerated for up to a week. Remove them from the refrigerator a few minutes before serving so they are perfectly soft.
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