FOODIE FRIDAY -- Peppermint Fudge

Yes, I know it's not Friday, but instead, Saturday. I wanted to go ahead and post this easy fudge recipe in case anyone wanted to make it for the holidays.

While internet surfing, I found a recipe for peppermint fudge. The picture looked awesome: the bottom layer was a chocolate with pecans and the top layer was white dotted with peppermint pieces. The ingredients were a little on the weird side--cream cheese and powdered sugar, plus other stuff. I decided to make it--and it made an incredible mess--with powdered sugar flying everywhere! The next morning, I started cutting it into bite-sized pieces. It was soft and gooshy AND it tasted disturbingly like powdered sugar. Oh, the chocolate layer didn't even taste like chocolate, probably because it was cocoa powder. And I have yet to taste a chocolate flavor in anything made from cocoa powder. After wrapping about 25 pieces, I decided to toss the whole mess. Yep, down the disposal . . . with the water and blades running, well, not the wrapped pieces, they went into the garbage can.  

And I started all over again. This time I was INVENTING a recipe while I made it. Since this was a double-layered fudge, it was thick in a 9 x 9 pan. It might work in a little larger pan. If you only want to make the peppermint layer, then a 9 x 9 pan would be perfect.

Yes, this is a variation of what I fondly call ‘cheater’s fudge’.

Peppermint Fudge

Chocolate layer:

18 oz. milk chocolate chips, or semi-sweet for a stronger chocolate

1 can sweetened condensed milk
Dash salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup chopped pecans

Peppermint layer:

18 oz. white chocolate

1 can sweetened condensed milk
Dash salt
1 tsp peppermint extract (I also used 8 drops of peppermint oil) use more if needed
6 crushed candy canes

Line 9 x 9 pan with foil.

Melt chocolate, condensed milk and salt in heavy saucepan. Stirring constantly until chocolate is melted. Remove from heat and add vanilla and nuts. Mix together and pour into prepared pan. Chill 1 hour.

Melt white chocolate, sweetened condensed milk and salt in heavy saucepan until chocolate is melted. Remove from heat; add peppermint extract, adjusting for desired intensity. Stir in crushed candy canes.

Remove pan from refrigerator, press down to flatten top and edges. Pour peppermint mixture over chocolate layer. Chill until firm. About 3-4 hours. Pull out of pan using foil and remove foil from fudge. Cut fudge into bite-sized pieces and serve.

 Enjoy!