There is no fudging with the truth – I am a master Fudge maker! For those who during the Holiday season love to intentionally inflict a sugar and alcohol comma to others and themselves, I have some good news for you. It should also be exciting for those who are planning to make edible presents for family and friends, something naughty…something nice. To me this Fudge is everything that I can imagine in my wildest chocolate fantasy. It has chocolate (of course), condensed milk (you already know from my previous blogs we can’t keep our hands off each other), and alcohol. With a handful of ingredients, this recipe can be made in less than 10 minutes. This includes the time you spend licking the spatula, measuring cup… and munching on those dry fruits and nuts you are chopping. What’s even better, you can customize it to however you want your Fudge to taste. You want it to taste like coffee? Go for Kahlua. Hazelnut liquor for hazelnut flavor, or just keep it simple with plain old rum or whisky, but not Vodka (we don’t like to mess with the Russians, lesson learned from the 2016 US elections). If you are so inclined, skip the alcohol. With or without the nuts, the basic Fudge recipe and technique is all the same. My Fudge recipe around Christmas time usually has an undertone of orange that comes from the orange zest and orange liquor. Cranberry and Pistachios are great pairings with orange. Also, the red and green from them give the Fudge a festive vibe.
So, go on now and share these with people you love, and let them know you give a Fudge about them, Happy Holidays!
- • Semi-sweet chocolate chips— 3 cups (24 oz.)
- • Sweetened condensed milk — 1 (14 oz.) can or 1-3/4 cup
- • Salted butter — 1 tablespoon
- • Pistachios — 1/4 cup, roughly chopped
- • Dried cranberries — 1/4 cup, roughly chopped
- • Orange zest — 1 teaspoon
- • Vanilla extract (essence) — 1 teaspoon
- • Grand Marnier or orange flavored liquor (optional) — 1/4 cup
- Line a 9 by 13 pan with some parchment paper or cling wrap, this is to ensure the Fudge doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan and it also aids with the easy removal of the Fudge when it's all set.
- Next step is to melt the chocolate and butter. There are two ways to do it.
Bain Marie method: Add the chocolate and butter into a heat proof mixing bowl. Place it over a pan of barely simmering water (a Bain Marie) and allow the chocolate to melt, while stirring occasionally. If using a glass bowl, make sure the bottom of the bowl does not directly touch the bottom of the pan.This is to avoid the glass from cracking.
Microwave: In a large mixing bowl or measuring cup, add the chocolate chips and the butter. Microwave it for 1 minute, check the mixture and then zap it for another minute. If the chocolate needs more time to melt, microwave it at 30 second increments while checking on it constantly. Mine usually takes about 2 minutes to 2 minutes and 30 seconds. No more than 3 minutes. - Once the chocolate and butter have melted, add in the orange zest, vanilla extract, and pour in the condensed milk. Stir it until the condensed milk completely mixes with the chocolate.
While you stir the condensed milk, a few things will happen. First, it may seem harder to stir the mixture. You will need to put in some muscle power to stir it in. Due to the change in temperature sometimes the chocolate will start to solidify making it a little laborious to mix. Second, don't panic if it looks like the chocolate is separating from the condensed milk, just keep stirring and it should be fine. - Final step would be to mix in the alcohol and stir it in.
If you are not adding alcohol skip this step. - Pour the chocolate mixture into the pan and level it out with the spatula. Then add the pistachios and cranberries, give it a gentle press with the spatula while smoothing the top.
- Let it sit at room temperature for at least 5 hours or overnight. Then with the help of the parchment paper or the cling wrap pull it out of the pan and cut the Fudge into desired size squares.
Can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a month.
- Semi-sweet chocolate: A premium quality chocolate makes a world of a difference in this recipe. So make sure to choose a chocolate that has at least 60% Cacao. You can substitute the semi-sweet with bitter-sweet or use a combination of both.
Measuring (2) cup by Pyrex
Measuring (8) cup by Pyrex
Pan 9 by 13 by Pyrex
Spatula by Tovolo
