Meet TS and Come See the Rest of the Garden...

Thursday, December 1, 2011

My Gift to You - Classic Chocolate Fudge

This is a repost from last December but the recipe is so delicious, I thought I'd post it again. This month I've decided to create a post every couple of days called My Gift to You. A few of the posts will be recipes and some will be gardening related. Please take them as a gift. :o)

My garden is almost completely dormant, the leaves have fallen, and those that haven't are brown and crispy. So this week, I bring you fudge. Every December, I make pan after pan of fudge, package it up, and trot over to my neighbors and friends. It is thick, creamy, rich, and very easy to make. As much as I love gardening, I also love to bake.






















My recipe is simple and delicious and I hope you give it a try. I always use Ghiradelli or Guittard chocolate chips when I bake. They are made from a much higher quality of chocolate than Hershey's or Nestle. I buy mine at Target, a national chain store with discounted prices. Just using semisweet chocolate will render the fudge too sweet.

















Tammy's Fabulous Fudge

2 cups white sugar (454 g)
2 cups evaporated milk (NOT lowfat/nonfat)
1 cup unsalted butter, cold and cut into small cubes (227 g)
2 12 oz packages Ghiradelli Bittersweet chocolate chips (340 g)
1 12 oz package Ghiradelli Semisweet chocolate chips (340 g)
1 tsp vanilla ( 5 mL)

In a large, heavy pot combine the sugar and evaporated milk. Stir well. Turn the heat to medium and bring it to a gentle boil. Don't bring the heat up too gradually - as in turning it to really low and then waiting forever for it to boil. Just turn it right to a medium setting (I turn the gas to a setting of 5 out of 10 on my range.) and let it come to a gentle boil.
Once it has come to a boil. let it boil for 9 minutes or until a candy thermometer consistently reads 233-235 degrees. Do not stir! Just leave it alone and let it boil on medium heat. If it starts to boil up too high in the pot, turn the heat down a bit, but don't stir!!! I always use a timer for this part to help keep me on track. It takes about 9 mins to reach 235 degrees.





















This is what the milk/sugar mixture looked like right before I turned on the timer.
























While the milk/sugar is boiling, dump the chocolate in a bowl, mix it a bit and cut up the butter. Pile the butter on top of the chocolate so that when the timer goes off, you're ready to go! Make sure the butter is cold!






















This is what the milk/sugar mixture looked like right before the timer went off. If yours is a lot more bubbly or frothy, no worries. Once the timer rings and the temp is 233 - 235, turn the heat OFF. If you have an electric stove, take the pot off the heat or it will overcook. Moving quickly, dump in the chocolate, butter, and splash in some vanilla. I never measure it but you can if it makes you more comfortable. Stir the chocolate mixture with a heavy spoon until it is glossy and thick, just a few minutes. Pour into a 13 x 9" pan and refrigerate until cool.

     





















Here is a pan of fudge!! The whole process from start to finish takes less than 20 minutes. I usually line the pan with a long piece of tin foil to make removing the fudge easier. I just forgot when I made this batch.

You can also create different variations using the same recipe.
Peanut Butter Cup Fudge - Use one bag the semisweet chips, one bag milk chocolate and one bag bittersweet chocolate chips. Add a big bag of chopped mini peanut butter cups once the all the chocolate/butter has been added and has started to melt. Stir to incorporate but don't stir so much they dissolve.
York Peppermint Patty Fudge - Add a big bag of chopped York Peppermint patties to the pot after the chocolate/butter mixture has been added. Stir to incorporate but don't stir so much they dissolve.
Rocky Road Fudge - Add about 2 cups toasted walnut pieces and about 3 cups or so mini marshmallows to the melted chocolate right before it's ready to be poured into the pan. Stir it a bit to coat and then pour into the pan.
Dark Chocolate with Sea Salt Fudge - Add about a teaspoon extra fine sea salt to the pot at the same time you add the chocolate and butter.

13 comments:

  1. Thanks! That fudge looks fantastic. I love to bake, too, and I love to eat anything chocolate. So it looks like you've forced me to try the recipe. :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yes if we cannot do anything in the garden, then we can do a lot in the kitchen. Those products certainly look great and yummy!

    ReplyDelete
  3. My only problem with this is that I would have to buy an extra bag of the bittersweet chips because I am addicted to them and would eat a whole bag before I even got the fudge made! I am just about to polish off another bag this week, matter of fact! Yeesh! Got to tell you, I just this week finally got my Fred Meyer bulbs planted!! I put them in the driest spot I could find. We shall see :-)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Oh that looks soooo good! And the peppermint patty fudge founds fabulous! I use Ghirardelli chocolate too when I make cookies, it totally makes a difference. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  5. You know I am a big fan of your fudge! I will have to try all the variations. I am looking forward to more of your recipes.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Y.U.M.M.Y! I'll surely be trying this one! What a great idea for Christmas presents, too. Tis the season :) Can't wait for your "Gifts" this month!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Oh Tammy...! I will be adding this to my list of things to make/bake/cook! Thank you for the gift;) I am currently getting the Christmas decor and lights in their proper places--then the baking shall begin! I've been in the master gardener program since sept. and busy taking classes...and reading! Lots of work! Hopefully this winter I will again find some time to blog! Merry Christmas to you & yours;-)

    ReplyDelete
  8. I haven't seen that brand of chocolate here but I'd love to try it. Sounds like it would be perfect choc fudge.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Yumm! I am adding this to my list of "must makes" for Christmas.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I wish I was one of your neighbours!!
    Second best is to make it myself, so thank you for the gift of the recipe! :) :) :)

    ReplyDelete
  11. I'm not a fudge fan but my husband would probably love me forever if I made this for him. He can't get enough of the stuff. Looking forward to upcoming 'gifts' this month.

    ReplyDelete
  12. thank you for the recipe! it looks so good...and easy, fortunately. my pick is the dark chocolate and sea salt version. yummmm! merry christmas!

    ReplyDelete
  13. fudge is definelty my favorite this time of year. Your trying to turn me into a toad. As in plump.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for visiting my blog! Feel free to comment on the posts or photos.

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.