Contributed by Brandie Kajino
{ tips, recipes & good food }
Every year, my mom did her Christmas baking. Each year, I looked forward to the fudge. She made "fantasy fudge". Love. It. It's simple, and just about any one can do it. Then, about 6 years ago, I discovered I was lactose intolerant. Let's just say fudge and I were not friends for a long time. So began the quest for an alternative. There are none. Fudge is delicious, and there had to be a better way.
Last year, I discovered this coconut milk recipe for fudge, that was darned close to the fantasy fudge. It is crazy good, with the added benefit of no milk. (Although there's butter, but come on, it's once a year. Get over it.) Lastly, use a whisk after adding the marshmallow cream. It's wayyyy easier to blend. This year, I decided to play with it... cuz I like to play with my food. A lot. So, I offer two "fun with fudge" tips I've tried out. I'd love to hear how you've played with fudge! My favorite recipe for coconut milk fudge: Fantasy-ish Fudge (from 101Cookbooks.com)
A few tips: I used regular ol' sugar and marshmallow cream. I also used about 9 1/2 ounces of chocolate chips (whatever flavor). It's about 2/3 of the bag. Use a candy thermometer. Yes, it's worth the trouble. Stop groaning. I tried it without, and I didn't have great luck, so get one. It's worth it!
Cookies & Cream Fudge: I tried this a couple different ways. Use white chocolate (see the picture above) instead of semi-sweet. Once the fudge is ready, spread half of it in the pan, and sprinkle about a 1/3 of a box of chunked up Oreos (I used a peppermint flavor), with enough room in between so the fudge can ooze in there and adhere to itself. Then, pour the rest of the fudge on top, drizzling it carefully so the cookies don't move too much. Work fast, before it hardens up!
Coffee Fudge: I'm a coffee nut. I was going to use Cappuccino chips (from a really well known shee-shee chocolate company) until I tasted one, and it tasted like... well, it didn't taste like coffee. So, I had the brain child to add some instant coffee (in this case, one serving of a Starbucks Via.) Eureka! I whisked it in at the very end, and worked like a charm. You could also stir it in before adding the chocolate.
Dried Fruit: Ok, I haven't tried this, but I thought white chocolate would be gorgeous with flecks of dried fruit like apricots, currants and cranberries. Like yummy little jewels! Perhaps I can run to the store right now...
Contributed by Brandie Kajino
I'm a foodie. with attitude. and coffee.
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