White Chocolate Cream Cheese Fudge

"Oh Fudddgggeeee"

Yep, I said it.  Youi know it is our famiies favorite holiday movie and my husbands dog is named after Ralph.  Yes it is true, his best little buddy is named Ralph (Ralphy)!

Can I tell you this recipe was a happy accident?  I was look at a recipe by 12 Tomatoes.  I didn't screenshot the ingredients and had closed the tab, so I took a guess at how much I needed of what.  WRONG.  I came up 2 bags of something short, one of this short, and blah blah blah.  So, I used what I had at home, and got this amazing fudge recipe.  I mean it is AHMAZING.  If you love cream cheese and/or white chocolate this one's for you!

You Will Need:

2- 14oz bags of white chocolate chips

1- 8oz brick of cream cheese

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup powdered/confectioners/icing sugar

1 TBSP half and half or heavy cream

Semi-sweet chocolate OPTIONAL

Beat cream cheese for 3 minutes until light and fluffy.  Melt white chocolate in 30 second increments in your microwave until all melted.   Add to your cream cheese mixture.  Mix to combine with your hand mixer. Add in vanilla, and powdered sugar.  Again, combine ingredients.  Add in half and half and mix until completely combined.

In a parchment paper lined 8x8 inch pan, pour the mixture.  It is a different texture and needs spread out.  You can wet the utensil you are using or use another piece of parchment on top and use your hands to smooth.  Let sit for at least 4 hours, overnight is best.

OPTIONAL.....Melt 1/3d cup of semi-sweet chocolate and drizzle on tiop.  Use 1 cup and spread a layer of chocolate on top.

4 Chip Fudge

 Who else has such a huge stash of random flavored "chips" you could make this like 10 times over?! HA!  ME!  

My dear friend and HUGE supporter of my YouTube and blog, Jenny has told me about her amaing fudge for at least a couple of years.  She has claimed it is the best fudge she and her family have ever eaten.  I thought this whole time she was the queen of this recipe, turns out Taste of Home is!  However, when my husband and I tried it, it is clear we don't care where it came from.  In my heart it came from Jenny aka SGM.  I am so glad I made it for you!

There is a video as well, so make sure to head over to my YouTube channel to watch it and don't forget to SUBSCRIBE!

This flavor is SO unique.  The layers of flavor are dead on.  I am going to give you the direction just as she gave them to me.  I have only made cheater-cheater fudge.  I was nervous but here we go!

You Will Need:

3/4 cup butter

1, 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk

3 TBSP milk

1 pkg (12 oz) semisweet chocolate chips

1 pjg (11.5 oz) milk chocolate chips

1 pkg (10 oz) peanut butter chips

1 cup butterscotch chips

1 jar (7 oz) marshmallow creme

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1 cup chopped walnuts

Line a 13X9 pan with foil and butter generously, set aside.

In a large heavy saucepan, melt butter over low heat.  Add in all of the chips,  Cook and stir Constantly until smooth.  The mixture will first appear separated but continue stirring until flully blended and glossy looking.  This will take about 10 minutes of continual stirring!  Remove from the heat, stir in the marshmallow creme and extracts until well blended.  Stir in the nuts and mix to combine.

Pour into prepared pan, smoothing the top and refrigerate until set.  

Yields about 4.5 lbs of fudge.  You better find someone to share with!

ENJOY this amazing recipe and thanks Jenny for your unwavering support and friendship!

Hot Fudge Cake

Mmmmm....hot fudge cake!  This is an age old recipe for sure.  Or is it?  I remember it from my childhood, but perhaps some of you have never had the distinct pleasure of noshing on this yet?!

There isn't much to say other than I can't believe I haven't shared this with you before.  My husband said he was hungry for it and then said, "You haven't ever put that up on your website, have you"?  He knew if he said that it was a definite go.  It just baffles me sometimes when I realize I haven't shared one of our regular recipes we have enjoyed for years. I guess sometimes the most obvious is what gets missed sometimes. 

This will burn the crap outta your mouth if you try to eat it right after you remove it from the oven.  Hot lava mean anything to you?  Your mouth will never be the same.  Make sure to let it sit, smack some vanilla ice cream and little whipped cream on top and BAM.  Awesomeness. 

HINT for serving and eating:  Take the last piece.  Everyone else will have wanted to have good manners and not take all the hot fudge from the bottom.  So, if you wait, you get to scrape it all out and it is yours.  See that photo, all of that bottom half is hot fudge.  Any questions?  The end. 

I typed this recipe a little wonky but you won't have any problems following along.  I am positive!  The ingredients are all in red!

First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F!

1 cup flour
3/4 sugar
2 tbsp. cocoa
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt

Mix together until all combined!

1/2 cup milk
2 tbsp. vegetable oil

Mix again!

Place batter in an 8x8 (ish) casserole dish.  Ungreased.  Spread it evenly. 

In a small bowl combine...

1 cup brown sugar (packed well)
1/4 cup cocoa

Sprinkle entire mixture over the top of the cake batter. Next...

1 3/4 cups boiling water

Pour gently over the top of the cake batter.  This will turn out to be the "hot fudge" YUM!

Bake for 45 minutes.  Let cool about 15 minutes before serving!  Unless of course you want to be a burn victim.  This retains it's heat for a long time!

Enjoy this one!  We sure do!

Candy Corn Fudge

Confession.  I don't like candy corn.  I know I can't be the only one.  Now, there are a few "candy corn" flavored (or allegedly flavored) things I love.  Like Candy Corn M&M's.  However, I think they taste more like cotton candy, MAJOR bonus.   I do like the Caramel Apple candy corn, once a year.  (like how I capitalize the first letter of all the names I like?).   Anyway, let me know if you are a candy corn fan or not.   I usually get a stomachache just looking at the bag of them!

This fudge is a major cheat.  It is majorly sweet and it is fairly tasty in small doses.  I mean if you are a sugar fiend, then it is good in huge doses as well.  I love the layered colors like a candy corn.  You know, NOT liking them but still getting to eat a visually comparable Halloween sweet treat.  Did that make ANY sense at all? 

I saw this recipe on YouTube. (about.com).  The truth is, I muffed up the recipe, but it worked out fabulous and I can't imagine their way being near as good.  So let us begin this VERY easy, VERY sugar laden, VERY bad, but oh so good treat!

2 -12ounce bags of white chocolate chips
1 container of vanilla frosting
orange food color
yellow food color
8x8 or 9x9 baking dish lined with parchment paper and sprayed with nonstick spray

In a small bowl add in 1 1/3 cups of white chips, melt 30 seconds at a time in the microwave.  When completely melted, add in 1/3 of the container of icing.  This doesn't need to be precise, just eyeball it!  Mix until combined and add in food coloring.  Yellow first.  Get the yellow you like and spread into the bottom of your baking dish.  Refrigerate about 10 minutes between layers.  Repeat using orange food color and then the last layer using no food color since you want it white.   Let chill in the fridge for about 2 hours before serving.  Use the parchment to remove the entire pan of fudge.  Place on cutting board and cut into small squares. 

This is a very simple treat that everyone will enjoy.  Change these colors up for your favorite team, or any holiday!  Add something to top if you desire, sprinkles, candy corns, the possibilities are endless. 

Your "I will never master real fudge so I continue to make fake fudge" Chefwannabe

Irish Cream Fudge

I am part Irish, so, this recipe was not only necessary, it was MANDATORY!  With the subtle but awesome flavor of Irish cream in the background, it will be mandatory for you too!!

This recipe was a complete fail the first time I made it.  Like, big, fat, hairy, FAIL.  Not pretty in the least.  Then as I decided I could salvage it for icing on a cake, BAM the dog literally sticks his paw in it, trying to paw my arm while I was bent over getting the pan out of the fridge.  Yes, I did say "salvage it for icing".  It was sad.

Since St. Patricks Day falls on a Sunday this year, I am guessing many of you will be either celebrating Saturday night OR, calling out of work on Monday?  Green beer people, it does a body good!  So does red beer, which is an entirely different post.

What are your St. Patricks Day traditions?  Isn't it funny how so many of us corned beef and cabbage and that is a completely American "thing" for St. Patty's Day?  I don't care, I LOVE it and you can bet I am picking up a couple of extra's for the freezer to eat later, when I need to relive my corned beef dreams down the road! 

St. Patty's Day, is a special day for our family as well.  My sister..........Patty.....(my parents ROCK don't they?) was born!  Wishing you a wonderful birthday Patty!!  She is older than I am, but that's right, everyone in my family is OLDER than I am.  Just makes me giddy with happiness!  Enjoy your St. patricks Day friends!!

Irish Cream Fudge
2 12oz bags of white chocolate chips
1 1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk (you won't use the whole can)
1/3 cup Irish Cream (whatever brand you choose)

Prepare an 8x8 or 9x9 baking dish by lining it with parchment paper on the bottom, leaving the paper longer than needed so you can lift the fudge easily out of the pan when it is ready to serve.  Spray with a light coat of nonstick cooking spray as well. 
On low heat, add all ingredients into a medium saucepan.  Stir continuously until all of the white chocolate chips are melted.  Pour into the prepared pan, smooth so it is even.  Refrigerate until set and hard.  Use the long sides of the parchment to lift it out and easily cut into serving pieces.

Couldn't be easier could it?!  It will be a hit.  There is just enough Irish cream flavor to rock your socks off but not over powering! 

ERIN GO BRAGH!

Your "I always forget to wear green" Chefwannabe

Oh Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuudge!!

Oh what a Christmas it has been!!!  Santa brought me a new camera so my blogging photos should be even better!  My husband made me a tie blanket, because I wanted one so bad.  He has a Philadelphia Eagles one I made him last year, he made me a ducky one!  I love little ducks. He calls me his little ducky.  Don't become ill, it's adorable and you know it!  I am told my BIG gift will be a couple of weeks late. Hmmm.....could it be the Kitchen Aid Pro?  We shall see!!  My husband is an incredibly thoughtful, and generous gift giver, I am gracious and spoiled.  At least I am gracious though right?  Instead of being spoiled and not gracious?  My stocking was bulging at the seams and we headed off for our traditional, "Christmas Chinese Dinner".  

 

My husband is a huge fudge lover, I don't care for it so much.  I have never successfully made it, or never had it turn out in a manner I would deem totally successful.  This one from an old newspaper article seemed fool proof and I had to try it.  I did add a few things of my own, and you could really change it up however you want for add ins.  I would try some, dried fruits, different nuts, peanut butter, crunched up pretzels,  liquors, use different chips as well if you like.

Fake Out Fudge
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 bag of milk chocolate chips
2 tsp vanilla extract  (used my homemade for the first time)
1/2 cup nutella
3/4 cup miniature marshmallows
1/2 cup chopped nuts of your choice

Use a square backing dish and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Line it with parchment paper that is longer than you need so that you can use the long sides to pull it up out of the baking dish like handles.  

In a sauce pan, melt choc chips into milk at a low temp, stirring constantly.  When COMPLETELY melted, take off of heat, stir in marshmallows, nutella and walnuts.  Turn into parchment lined baking dish and spread evenly.  Let sit for 2 hours, or in the refrigerator until set and hard.  Cut into small squares and serve!

Nobody ever has to know you cheated!  Be creative and use different extracts, with different chocolates and mix ins!!

Now, off to shop.  I mean, do you really think I am going to miss the after Christmas sales??!

Your "somethin' for nothin' at after Christmas sales" chefwannabe

Chris