Gramma Sis’s Mint Fudge

¼ cup mint chocolate chips

¾ cup chocolate chips

½ cup butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

pinch of salt

2 cups sugar

1 small can evaporated milk (about 3/4 cup)

10 marshmallows, cut up

Place chips, butter, vanilla, and salt in large bowl.  Set aside.

Put sugar, milk and marshmallows in large pan.  Bring to boil, boil 6 minutes.  Pour over other ingredients and stir until dissolved.  Pour into greased 9×9 inch pan and cool.

Rachael’s Fudge

1 ¼ cup chocolate chips (chop up bittersweet chocolate for darker fudge

½ cup margarine (do not substitute butter, it doesn’t set up as well)

1 teaspoon vanilla

pinch of salt

2 cups sugar

1 small can evaporated milk (about 3/4 cup)

2 ½ cups mini marshmallows (you can substitute cut up regular marshmallows) (I measure in a 2 cup glass measure cup and just full it to the top) (make sure the marshmallows are fresh and not drying out, or they will not melt right)

Put chips, margarine, vanilla, and salt in a Large Batter Bowl (8 cup glass measure cup) (works well because the glass is heat resistant, the handle makes it easy to stir). (for best results, make sure margarine and chips are room temperature – they will melt faster and you have better chance of getting the fudge into the pan before it starts to set)

Line a 9×9 inch pan with foil and grease. (you can use the wrapper from the stick of margarine to grease it) (you can also line the pan with parchment paper, you don’t need to grease it – a silicon pan will also work – another idea is to cut small squares of plastic wrap and use them to line muffin tins, if you cut the plastic big enough, you can use it to wrap the fudge when you are done, you have to pour the fudge fast so it doesn’t start to set too soon)

Put sugar, evaporated milk, and marshmallows in large pot (make sure it is big enough – the sugar mixture expands a lot while it cooks, if the pot isn’t big enough it can’t expand enough, you’ll have to turn the heat down, and it won’t set up right). Bring to a boil and boil for 7 minutes, stirring constantly. (if the sugar mixture starts turning brown, it has cooked enough, even if the 7 minutes aren’t up)

Pour the sugar mixture into the Batter Bowl and stir until the chips and margarine are dissolved. Pour into the pan you have prepared and let cool. (stir fast and pour quickly, or the fudge will start to set) (the fudge doesn’t really need refrigerated, but it will set up better and stay firmer if it is)

To store fudge long-term, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and freeze. I had a large chunk of fudge that I made before Christmas, wrapped in two layers of plastic wrap, and put in my freezer. I got it out in May and no one knew the difference.

(That was a fun one too, I used a large square silicon pan, put a layer of almond bark in the bottom, a layer of fudge, a layer of melted green mint chips, another layer of fudge, and then a final layer of almond bark. Very tasty; lots of compliments.)

Something fun I’ve been doing lately is using molds. I’ve used soap molds, cookie molds, silicon muffin tins (flexible molds work best). I spray the mold with oil (I use canola oil in a Pampered Chef spritzer), then I coat the mold in almond bark. I melt the almond bark in a Pampered Chef one cup prep bowl, in the microwave at power level 5 and stir it with a butter knife. I leave it in the microwave for about 30 seconds the first time, then stir it every 15 seconds after that. Once it is melted, I use the butter knife to carefully coat the inside of the molds.

Then I make the fudge. To make the fudge softer, I sometimes use a smaller pot, or keep the temperature lower. Instead of pouring the fudge into a pan, I just pour it into the candy coated molds. It’s a good idea to have something ready to take any extra fudge that won’t fit – I use some chap plastic cereal bowls that have been sprayed with oil (thin plastic bowls, that can flex a bit). Try not to fill quite to the tops of the candy. You have to do this fast, as the fudge wants to start to set. It’s best if you can tap the molds against the counter a few times, to get the fudge even and get rid of any bubbles, but you really have to be fast to do this before the fudge starts to set.

Next, melt more almond bark and use the butter knife to spread it over the top of the fudge, to seal it inside. It’s better to do this soon after you make the fudge, I’ve tried after the fudge has cooled in the fridge, but it doesn’t seem to bond as well.

Once the fudge, and the last layer of almond bark, has cooled (all the way cool, in the refrigerator), pop it out of the molds. This is where you will be glad of using plenty of oil. If you have trouble getting it out, try popping it in the freezer for a bit.

Wrap the treats in plastic wrap and serve, share, or freeze.

For more fun, you can color the almond bark with candy food coloring (make sure the food coloring says ‘candy’, and does not have any water in the ingredients – normal food coloring will make the almond bark seize and ruin it). Or use normal chocolate instead of almond bark. I’ve mixed almond bark and chocolate so the chocolate will set up better. One experiment I tried I mixed almond bark, and chocolate chips, and cocoa powder –it worked quite well.