Fudge is the perfect dessert. It’s rich; it’s chocolate; everybody loves it. I also believe fudge is what makes a house a home. All that being true, I’ve never made fudge over the stovetop. Why bother when you can make it in a microwave? It’s so simple, too. This recipe has never failed me. You’re only ever 4 ingredients away from homey fudge.
Microwave Fudge
Ingredients(Makes 16 servings):
- 1 cup(8.5oz) of chocolate chips
- 1 stick(4oz) of butter(or Earth Balance)
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1/4 cup cream(or non-dairy substitute)
- handful of chocolate chips(optional)
- 1/4 cup crushed walnuts(optional)
Melt together the chocolate chips and butter. Sift in the powdered sugar and pour in the cream. Mix until completely homogenized.
If you want to include any toppings, drop them on top and push them in gently.
Put this in the refrigerator for a few hours to harden. Cut cold and serve at room temperature.
I had never tried this recipe with chocolate chips before. “What’s the point?” I thought. But the whole chocolate chips add a great crunch in the fudge that really stands out. Dare I say it’s my favorite batch ever? Yeah, it’s that good.
I think Longweekenditis is a real disease, even though WebMD doesn’t give you anything when you search for it. It was just one of those weeks…
When you make the same thing for each meal because you’re low on groceries and uninspired to try something new.
quinoa + frozen spinach + leftover chicken + olive oil = perfection
When whenever you cough someone in the room thinks a horse is dying.
When you make the most absurdly delicious fudge on Thursday afternoon because the week just needs it. Don’t worry; that post’s coming.
When your family tells you they think your pet’s spirit lives in a Rhode Island casino and you think they’re crazy until you realize if you were dead you’d probably haunt that casino, too, because then you’d get visited way more than if you were in some cemetery.
When you run out of groceries a little early and salsa goes from being a condiment to being its own food group.
When there’s so little going on in your life that the highlight of your week is a soap opera wedding(who else is excited for EJ and Taylor’s story line? Don’t lie…).
When the one day a week you plan on going to the store it’s raining buckets. If only there were some sort of 21st century way to tell what the weather’s going to be; my Farmer’s Almanac keeps failing me.
But hey, it’s not all bad: Two and a Half Men production has been shut down. There is a God and he hears my prayers.
What could be better than a cookie? Well, how about 2 cookies with a rich and decadent filling. I thought that would grab your attention. When I made these cookies for our family get-together on Christmas day, they were OK but nothing memorable. I wanted to incorporate more chocolate(because I always do) and decided to make a filling to match the richness of the cookie. These easily became something amazing and were a hit(but, you know, what isn’t with chocolate?).
Fudge Pies
Ingredients(Makes 24 cookies or 12 pies):
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups flour
- 5 tablespoon cocoa powder
- 1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
For the ganache:
- 8oz chocolate chips
- 2oz heavy cream(or non-dairy cream)
In a large bowl, mix together the eggs, sugar, and vanilla extract. Sift in the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt and mix until the dough is nice and thick. Move it to a refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour to cool.
While the dough is chilling, preheat an oven to 350 degrees and line baking trays with parchment paper. Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and drop them on the tray.
Bake for 10-12 minutes until they expand and crack. Remove them from the oven and let them cool on wire racks.
To make the filling, melt the chocolate in a microwave or over a double boiler. Slowly beat in the cream and continue to mix until it has emulsified.
Pour a spoonful of ganache in the center of half of the cookies. Then, take an equal-sized cookie and make a sandwich out of the two. Let the ganache harden before serving.
These reminded me of a Little Debbie Fudge Round only so much better. The cookies were fresh and the chocolate was rich and full of flavor. I think the only thing that would have made this better would have been sea salt in the ganache but I was making this for a crowd and not sure of everyone’s taste. If you ever have an occasion to go over the top(and, let’s face it, what else are the holidays for?!) try these.
As much as I love trying new things, I can’t get past old favorites. If a dessert is easy to throw together, I’m especially likely to keep the ingredients now “just in case” I need a sweet treat fast.
I made another batch of Peanut Butter S’mores Bars one week after my first batch. I’m obsessed. These were to bring to a Christmas party yesterday, and they were just as good as the first time. I even got requests to make them for a family birthday party in January—fine by me, any excuse to whip up another batch.
I also made another batch of microwave vegan fudge after coming home last week and realizing we had 4 pounds of earth balance. I’d like to say these were for a party or even neighbors but nope! I just made them because I was bored and craving chocolate. Don’t pretend like you wouldn’t do the same.
And now with my sugar coma I’m in awe that Christmas is just 5 days I way. I have a good idea at what some of my gifts will be and one sounds “picture perfect”. I can’t wait!
Oh, and if you thought things couldn’t get more chocolaty, just wait until tomorrow…
10 family members at the table
9 total hours spent in the kitchen
8 recipes made
7 episodes of Little People, Big World watched since being home on break
6 too many desserts eaten
5 sticks of Earth Balance used
4 instances of grandparents saying the darndest things at the table(read: mildly inappropriate, wine-assisted, and completely hysterical)
3 onions stuck up this turkey’s kooch
2 days of cooking
1 finger cut chopping vegetables
and 0 holiday meltdowns.
Can’t wait to do it again at Christmas!
I have funny food complexes. Believe it or not, I’ve always had a tray of vegan fudge in my fridge since last April. Why? What if someone came over and wanted some fudge to eat? These things happen, you know… in my mind at least.
It might be a bigger deal if this recipe weren’t so simple to make. I threw together a new tray Thursday afternoon with some leftover chocolates I had lying around. You just can’t beat dessert you can make while watching Ellen.
Now this house is a home.
