Anyone Can Make Faux Fudge!

Are you getting ready for all of that holiday baking?  Today, I am going to show you a recipe that I have been using for years.  It is quick, easy, and versatile.   No candy thermometer necessary! 

I was reading a Family Circle magazine and came across this reader tip:

So easy, right?

I thought I could do it, but I also thought I could do better.  This is how I make my "Faux Fudge."

The base recipe has a bag of chocolate chips, a can of frosting, 1-2 cups of marshmallows, and 1 tablespoon of butter.  Of course, the nuts are optional.  (I didn't use the whole bag.)

To start, use a non-stick pan and a spatula.  I love the silicon ones, because they don't melt.  I have a whole collection, and I use them for everything.  

 On medium heat, melt the butter in the bottom of your pan.  I use the butter to help with melting the marshmallows, so you don't need a lot.

Once the butter is melted, stir in your marshmallows.  If you don't think there are enough in the pan, you can always add more.  I used about 2 cups.  One of the best things about this recipe is its versatility and forgiving nature, so if you add more of something, it just makes it better.

Once the marshmallows have melted, you have to be more careful with your stirring and melting.  Stir in a can of cake icing.  It will melt and mix with the marshmallows very easily and quickly. 

Next, you will add the chips.  The chips do not melt as easily as the icing does, and you will have to stir a lot more.  Once you start adding the chocolate, if you don't stir enough, the mixture can get too hot and it will burn.  (After many times of doing this, I can tell you, you can smell it burning before the fudge will taste burnt.  IF it starts to smell burned, take the pan off the heat for a minute and stir, stir, stir--then put it back on the burner and keep stirring and melting.  Everything will be fine.)

The fudge will change consistency from stiff and lumpy to smooth very quickly.  When the mixture is melted and smooth, remove it from the heat and pour it into a greased baking dish.  You don't have to grease the pan, but it works much better.  Also, I have tried lining the dish with wax paper beforehand.  I don't recommend that, as the fudge just sticks to the paper. 

If you want to top the fudge with nuts, do it right after you pour it in the baking dish.  If you wait five minutes, the nuts will not stick as well.  I made this fudge to take on a picnic, and I wasn't sure if everyone liked nuts, so I only covered half of the fudge.

Put the fudge in the refrigerator for at least two hours.  I usually leave mine in overnight.  

For cutting:  I have found that it is a lot easier to cut if you take the fudge out of the refrigerator a few hours before you serve it.  If it is room temperature, you can cut it with a butter knife.  If it is cold, you will have to work much harder.

Now, let's talk about ways that I have changed this recipe.  The original suggested peanut butter chips.  I love peanut butter and chocolate, and I tried it.  I liked it.  Chips are expensive.  Eventually, I just started stirring about 1/2 to 3/4 of a cup of peanut butter in with the can of icing.  It works the same way, and is  cheaper.  

When Tommy and I first started dating, I wanted to make him something special for Valentine's Day.  He loves coffee, so I experimented with espresso flavored fudge.  I don't like coffee, but I like this.  I had  to make several attempts, but I finally got it right.  I went to Starbucks and bought a shot of espresso.  Stir the prepared espresso into the fudge after the chips begin to melt.  This one is a little bit more tricky than the rest.  If you add more than one shot, the fudge won't harden.  Also, the coffee will burn more easily than the chocolate, so you definitely want to stir it in last.  

Other things I have added are almond, peppermint, or orange extract.  Just use teaspoon or so, and stir it in just before you remove it from the heat.  Any extract/flavoring would work.  I have also tried mixing butterscotch chips in with the chocolate.  While I have not tried this one, I think that Andes Mints would be a great addition here!

Thanks to Lynette for helping me embark on this fudgy adventure!  

I'd love to hear from you!