Hello and Merry Christmas from the East coast!
My time in Jersey so far has been tons of fun. We’ve gotten to spend time with both my family and Adam’s family, and I’m looking forward to a lot more great times this week. Here are a few of my favorite photos from this week thus far:
Christmas day photo with my parents, siblings, hubby, & nephew
Christmas with my hubby
With my grandma, aka Cookin’ Claus
Hanging out by my parents’ fire pit
I spent a good amount of time having fun in the kitchen the first few days of being back in NJ, especially since we spent Christmas Eve at my parents’ house this year. I made some yummy goodies to share with family and friends for the holidays:
My favorite dessert creation was peppermint fudge:
I found the recipe on a blog called A Spicy Perspective and immediately knew I wanted to try it out. This fudge did not disappoint! You can check out her original recipe here, but here is how I made it:
First I took a dozen candy canes and crushed them up using a meat tenderizer…
I then greased a square pan (I believe it was 9×9) and sprinkled half of the candy cane chunks onto the bottom of the dish.
Next I placed a medium pan with about 2 inches of water over a burner on medium heat. The recipe calls for placing a glass bowl on top of the pot, but since my mom didn’t have one, I used a microwave-safe bowl instead. I poured condensed milk and butter in the bowl and let it heat:
After the butter was fully melted and the condensed milk had heated and thinned, I added dark chocolate chips and a bit of salt to the bowl:
I constantly stirred the mixture until the chocolate melted and thickened – about 5 minutes. I cooked until the mixture was almost too thick to pour. I added peppermint + vanilla extracts and mixed well.
Next I poured the fudge into the pan on top of the candy cane pieces:
I then tapped the pan on the counter for 1-2 minutes to allow air bubbles to rise to the surface and smooth. Lastly I sprinkled the remaining candy cane chunks on top, and refrigerated for a few hours to set. I cut the fudge into small pieces and then had everyone taste test my delicious creation, which didn’t take much convincing. 😉
I also made peanut butter fudge following the above steps, but instead using peanut butter chips and drizzling dark chocolate on top.
The peanut butter fudge also turned out very yummy! Below is the exact recipe. If you’re looking for a fun dessert to make for New Year’s or to give to people as a holiday treat, you should definitely try out this peppermint fudge!
Peppermint Fudge
Ingredients
- 1 - 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 TBSP butter
- 1 lb dark chocolate chips
- 1/4 TSP salt
- 1/4 TSP peppermint extract
- 1 TSP vanilla extract
- 12 peppermint candy canes
Instructions
- Grease a baking dish (around 9x9 in size).
- Crush the candy canes into small pieces (I placed the candy canes in a plastic bag and used a meat tenderizer to easily crush them up.).
- Place a medium sauce pan over medium heat with a few inches of water. Place a glass or other heat proof bowl over the top of the pot, making sure the bowl doesn't touch the water.
- Pour the condensed milk and butter in the bowl and heat.
- Once the butter is melted and milk has thinned, stir in the chocolate chips and salt. Continuously stir the chocolate and allow it to melt and thicken, around 5 minutes. The mixture should be super thick and hard to stir at this point.
- Add the peppermint and vanilla extracts and mix well.
- Pour the fudge into the baking dish and evenly spread out.
- Tap the dish onto the counter for 1-2 minutes in order to allow air bubbles to smooth out.
- Sprinkle the remaining candy cane pieces on top.
- Refrigerate for at least a few hours to set. Cut into small squares.
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