the easiest no-fail chocolate fudge

Somehow it’s the eve of Christmas Eve, and I’ve still not completed my dessert plans for our Christmas day dinner. Pumpkin pie will be on the menu for sure. It just wouldn’t be Christmas at our house without pumpkin pie. I made a pie recipe from Bobby Flay at Thanksgiving using my homemade pie crust, and it’s a definite winner. I keep going back and forth between a cheesecake. or an almond cake, or perhaps an olive oil cake. I have six Meyer lemons from our little tree just waiting to be used, so I’ll probably try to work them into a recipe somewhere.

Speaking of sweets, let’s talk fudge. With the abundance of gorgeous cookies and desserts that appear this time of year, sometimes it’s the simple things that I crave. Melt-in-your-mouth, creamy chocolate fudge fits in that category for me. I’ve made fudge for years and years, and the recipe I use is the easiest one I’ve ever found. It’s also fail-proof. Whenever I make it and serve it to friends, I inevitably hear stories about how they’ve made fudge and it won’t set up or it just doesn’t turn out right. This fudge? It always turns out right. Always.

The recipe comes from the back of a jar of marshmallow creme, I believe. I have a handwritten recipe card with the recipe on it, and I think I wrote it out back when I was a freshman in college, when I first discovered it. You could probably make it with marshmallows, but this is really the only opportunity I have to use marshmallow creme, so that’s how I make it.

What desserts are you serving Christmas day? Do you go for the fancy ones, or is there a simple sweet that you absolutely must have?

Yield: About 3 pounds

No-Fail Chocolate Fudge

This recipe is tweaked from one that came off a jar of marshmallow creme. It's so simple, yet so incredibly perfect. I never add nuts, but feel free to do so if that's your thing.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup (1 and 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
3 cups granulated sugar
1 pinch kosher salt
5 ounces evaporated milk
12 ounces semisweet chocolate, either chips or chopped
7 ounces marshmallow creme
1 teaspoon good vanilla extract

Directions:

Line a 9-inch square baking pain with non-stick aluminum foil (or use regular foil and lightly grease it).

In a heavy saucepan, stir together butter, sugar, pinch of salt, and evaporated milk. Bring to a full rolling boil on medium heat, stirring constantly. Continue cooking until the mixture registers 234°F on a candy thermometer, approximately 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in chocolate, marshmallow creme, and vanilla. Mix until smooth, chocolate is melted, and all ingredients are incorporated fully.

Pour into prepared pan and cool at room temperature. Once fudge is firm, lift foil from pan, set on cutting board, and cut fudge into squares. Store in tightly covered container at room temperature for up to one week.