It's Fudge Time!

I've actually never attempted fudge-making, which is strange because I love all things sweet and I'm always splurging on buying fudge from the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. So, when my sisters wanted to give gifts to their teachers I thought that the best sweet-treat to give for the holiday season would be FUDGE!!

I made 2 batches of fudge, one with white chocolate and one more traditional one with dark chocolate. I call the first one Christmas Fudge, because I used mixed-peel for the mix in... and because I couldn't come up with a better name for it (Mixed-peel fudge just doesn't sound that tasty). And I call the second batch of fudge Cookies and Cream Fudge. If you were never really a fan of chocolate fudge, this Cookies and Cream recipe may be more your style. It's not as rich, but still packs a whole lot of oreo-cookie flavor. And now for the recipes...

Christmas Fudge

Yields 18 pieces

Ingredients:

- 1/2 cup heavy cream

- 2/3 cup granulated sugar

- 1/3 tsp salt

- 1 1/8 cup miniature marshmallows

- 2 tbsp unsalted butter

- 1 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

- 1/2 cup of mixed-peel (or if you don't like mixed peel, you could add nuts or glace cherries etc.)

Method:

1. In a saucepan, combine the cream, sugar, salt, marshmallows and butter.

2. Cook over medium heat and stir until all ingredients are melted and the mixture starts to boil. Once it boils, continue cooking for 3minutes.

3. Turn heat to low, and add in the dark chocolate chips. Stir until chocolate is well incorporated and fully melted.

4. Turn off the heat; add in the mixed peel and continue stirring the mixture.

5. Pour the mixture into a foil-lined and well greased 9x3inch loaf pan; or if you are planning on making individual servings of fudge (like in my photo), place paper-truffle cups in a miniature cupcake pan and fill them 2/3rd full.

6. Allow the fudge to cool at room temperature for at least 3 hours before packaging.

Cookies and Cream Fudge

Yields 18 pieces

Ingredients:

- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 tsp salt
- 1 1/8 cup miniature marshmallows
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 1/2 cup white chocolate chips (or white chocolate candy melts)
- 3/4 cup of crushed oreo cookies, divided

Method:

1. In a saucepan, combine the cream, sugar, salt, marshmallows and butter.
2. Cook over medium heat and stir until all ingredients are melted and the mixture starts to boil. Once it boils, continue cooking for 3minutes.
3. Turn heat to low, and add in the white chocolate. Stir until the chocolate is well incorporated and fully melted.
4. Turn off the heat; add in a 1/2 cup of the crushed oreo cookies and continue stirring the mixture.
5. Pour the mixture into a foil-lined and well greased 9x3inch loaf pan. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of crushed oreo cookies ontop of the fudge.
6. Allow the fudge to cool at room temperature for at least 3 hours. Remove fudge from the pan, slice into 18 bite-sized cubes.

I was amazed at how simple fudge-making could be. I found a lot of recipes online that used condensed milk and marshmallow cream, of which I had neither... so, I modified a handful of recipes I found that utilized heavy cream (because I had a ton of it!) and decided to create my own versions of this sweet treat. The Cookies and Cream Fudge tastes almost exactly like the one I buy from the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory; so, if you're not wanting to spend $4.99 on 1/4th of a slice of fudge make your own... you'll be glad you did.

My sisters had a lot of fun packaging the fudge treats into cellophane bags and making Christmas cards for their teachers; and, if my sisters' opinion of the candy is any indication of their deliciousness then I'm sure their teachers will love them too.