When they first come out of the oven, they are puffy, but don't worry; they will settle.

Notes

• If you visit the original post site (the link to the original post is the recipe title), you will see that Averie's cookies are a bit thicker.  I used about half the dough she uses for one cookie, so that I'd have more.  This may have affected the candy corn staying in tact.
• I baked mine 9 minutes, just like the recipe suggested.  Some still looked too underdone, and even after about 5 mins. were too soft to pick up from the baking sheet.  After further cooling- maybe 30 minutes- they were fine to pick up.

Between now and Christmas, I'll likely be just posting Christmas goodies- good for gifts, parties, or eating yourself...not that I'd know anything about that.

So this fudge isn't real fudge.  You don't need a candy thermometer or a perfect, sunny day for it to work out.  It is, however, quick and easy, and will set up on the rainiest of days, which is good, because the past two Christmases around here have not had the best weather surrounding them.  Most importantly, while the texture is a little different from true fudge, it's still very tasty, and nobody has refused it yet.



Drew's grandmother is one of those people who you find it difficult to buy gifts for, because she has no hobbies, every square inch of her house is packed with stuff, so there's not a lot of room for anything else.  She does, however, have a big sweet tooth, and loves fudge, and she does not care about the semantics of fudge.  I have made this for her pretty much every year since I've been part of the family, and she has come to expect it.  When she gets my gift of fudge she literally squeals with delight and promptly eats a piece and hides the rest behind her back so that no one else in the family can eat any.  It's pretty funny.

So without further adieu, from the Eagle Brand recipe collection, I give you their recipe for chocolate fudge.



Chocolate Fudge (Condensed Milk Fudge)
from Eagle Brand recipes

makes approx. 2 pounds of fudge

1 can condensed milk
18 oz (3 cups) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
Pinch of salt

Line an 8 or 9 inch square pan with foil, wax paper or parchment; set aside.

In a medium pot, combine the condensed milk, chocolate chips, and salt.  Melt over medium low to medium heat.  Once melted and smooth, remove from heat and stir in vanilla.  Pour and spread the mixture into a prepared pan to make an even layer.

Chill the fudge 2 hours or until firm.  Cut into bite sized squares.

Oh gosh.  Have you had these before?  If not, get to your kitchen asap and make them!  3 ingredients and some time are all it takes. 

They make a good gift- for the ones you love, maybe, on this Valentine's Day?  If you're boycotting Valentine's, show yourself some love and make them anyway.  I make these most every year for Christmas for the past 8 years, and they're always a hit.


Oreo Truffles are so easy and are no-bake, so they're pretty quick.  One batch makes about 4-5 dozen truffles, depending on the size you want them.  I like mine a little smaller (they're rich) and ended up with somewhere around 60 truffles.  If you have kids around, recruit them to roll the dough into little balls.  I am sure they'll love it. 



Oreo Truffles

1 package Oreos (approx 36 cookies)
1 block cream cheese, softened
1 bag chocolate chips or about 10-16 oz chocolate almond bark

In a food processor, chop up the Oreos in batches, until you have fine crumbs.  Mix together the Oreo crumbs and the cream cheese until smooth and combined, and you have a thick, dark paste. 

Roll the dough or paste into 1" balls and place on a cookie sheet lined with waxed paper or parchment paper.  For best results, place in refrigerator for approx 30 minutes to firm up. 

Meanwhile, melt chocolate over a double boiler or in microwave, stirring occasionally. 

Dip balls in chocolate until covered and return to cookie sheet to cool.  Eat and enjoy!

I wanted to get in one last post of homemade Christmas treats before the big day, but like an idiot, forgot to take a picture of the finished result.  Instead of making you wait a while year for this, I will post now. 

The fudge is delicious, and don't be afraid of buttermilk.  You won't even know it's in there.  This recipe is a real, old fashioned fudge that is cooked on your stove top and one for which you need a candy thermometer.  Those are found anywhere, including Wal-Mart and only cost about $3. 

When you start out, everything looks like this:

When you're near the end, the sugars have carmelized and look like this:



Isn't it beautiful?!  Then you pour it into a buttered loaf pan and let it cool.  The taste is creamy, intense, and sort of caramely.  It was probably one of the biggest hits of my homemade items last year. 

A few tips if you make this fudge: 

1.  Follow the instructions completely.  That may seem dumb to state, but candy making is like baking.  It's more an exact science.

2.  Don't try this on a day with precipitation or an overly humid day.  Candy doesn't like a lot of atmospheric moisture. 

Buttermilk Fudge
from Southern Living

2 cups sugar
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
2 Tb. corn syrup
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Butter the sides of a heavy saucepan or dutch oven (4-5 qt).  Add the sugar, buttermilk, butter, corn syrup, and baking soda and heat over medium heat about 20 minutes or until the candy thermometer reads 235 degrees F.  Stir constantly during this phase.  Remove from the heat and let rest, undisturbed, until the temperature has dropped to 180 degrees.  Add in the vanilla.  Beat with a wooden spoon until the mixture thickens and loses its gloss.  Add nuts if using.  Pour quickly into a buttered loaf pan.  Cool thoroughly on a wire rack and cut into 1 inch pieces.  Yield 1.25 lb. 

So, now you have four things I think would be great for Christmas presents:
1.  buttermilk fudge
2.  dark chocolate orange truffles
3.  cake balls
4.  granola

Finally, a Christmas gift idea, sliding in four days before Christmas!  I will hopefully have another one or two recipes and ideas to share with you before Christmas, but here's the first:  Dark Chocolate Orange Truffles.  If you've ever eaten one of those chocolate oranges, the flavor is similar, and the orange flavor is a nice surprise in your mouth. 



These are pretty easy to make, but extremely messy, so wear gloves or be prepared to have your hands coated in chocolate, facing the dilemma of whether to lick or wash off the chocolate on your hands. 



The one or two things I may change about this recipe is to use semisweet rather than bittersweet chocolate and to increase the amount of orange extract.  I love dark chocolate, and often for me it's the darker the better, but either the strength of the chocolate overpowers the orange flavor, or there's just not enough to begin with. 

I'm posting the recipe, but will link to the webpage that contains it as well.  I got this out of a Taste of Home special cookbook.  Thanks, Goodwill donor. 

Dark Chocolate Orange Truffles
from Taste of Home

1-12 oz package dark chocolate chips
3/4 c. heavy cream
1 tsp orange extract
1/3 c. sugar

In a microwave (or over a double boiler), melt chocolate; stir until smooth. Gradually stir in cream until blended. Stir in extract. Cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally. Refrigerate until firm. Shape into 3/4-in. balls. Roll in sugar.