Easiest fudge recipe ever! This fudge with condensed milk is very easy to make, and seasonal with peppermint chips.
There’s this old house in the town where I live, that used to belong to my great-great grandparents. My mom has memories of this very tiny old house being filled with close to a hundred family members.
Now, it’s a museum. It used to house the family dairy business, and now it houses old typewriters and pictures of the winning church basketball team from 1981.
In my head, these hundred cramped family members were treated to a spread of foods, cakes, cookies, and candies. But when I asked my mom what desserts she remembered, she replied, “Fudge. Just fudge. And divinity.” Apparently, the cookies and cakes only existed in my head.
I’ve never really been a pro at fudge. There are so many different versions, and so many different preferences about this popular candy. My mom prefers hers a little stiff, and always with walnuts. Always. It was the same with brownies. “Don’t make it without walnuts,” she instructed us. “Just don’t.”
Robb’s family makes a less sweet version, what has come to be known as “dirt fudge” in the annals of family history. This is because when Robb’s sister gave family fudge to a friend as a “secret Santa” gift, her friend, not realizing who it was from, commented, “This fudge tastes like dirt.”
Since I’m sort of new at this whole fudge making thing, I figured I would start small and make the easiest fudge I could find. Which turned out to be the Bittersweet Cinnamon Fudge by Giada de Laurentiis. This stuff is so easy, she literally gives you the entire recipe and process during a commercial.
Just my speed.
What’s not my speed? Washing my pan while the fudge was cooking, because someone left it in the fridge with one tiny piece of meatloaf in it, rather than put the leftovers in a baggie or in their mouth, and putting the pan in the sink like a normal person. I can complain, because for once, it wasn’t me.
One nice thing about fudge is that if you have a hundred family members to greet during the holidays, you can cut the fudge into little pieces, put it in a box, and it makes a nice gift. You can even make your own box out of scrapbook paper or cardstock and make it super-duper cute.
By the way, Giada was right that this can be made during a commercial break. It really is that easy!
Grab your Free Printable Gift Tags here. They’re going to look adorable with your scrapbook paper boxes!
Here are a few other quick and easy holiday favorites!
Condensed Milk Cookies | Peppermint Bark | Almond Balls |
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk
- 2 cups (1 pkg) bittersweet chocolate chips
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1 cup peppermint baking chips or crushed peppermint candies
- Place milk in a glass bowl over a pot of boiling water (to create a double boiler). Add chocolate chips. Heat and stir until chocolate is completely melted.
- Remove from heat, add vanilla and ½ cup peppermint chips. Stir to incorporate.
- Pour into an 8x8 pan lined with greased foil. Press remaining peppermint chips on the top of the fudge.
- Refrigerate for 1-2 hours. Use foil to remove fudge from the pan. Cut into squares.
This looks fantastic! I have a request … do you remember making the hoot-owl cookies in 7th grade home ec class? I think they’d be perfect for this time of year …
This would be a great thing to make for Christmas. Thanks for sharing it.
Oh my goodness! This fudge is right up my alley! This will be on my must-make-for-Christmas list! YUMMY!
This looks delicious! What a great idea for holiday gift giving too 🙂
These cookies look so pretty and X’masy!
Yummy, these are delicious! Have a great day!
Looks so pretty and seasonal. Love the contrast between the peppermint candies and the fudge. That’s hilarious about the dirt fudge getting its name.
Great combo of flavors! And so seasonal. Mrs K R has been playing around with fudge a lot lately. She always uses the microwave – much easier than stovetop fudge. Once you melt chocolate in the microwave, you’ll never do it a different way – it’s practically foolproof. Good stuff – thanks.
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We should still be living next door to each other, trading kids and recipes!
Love you
L
Letta, I miss your guts! I’m going to have some graham crackers and tea and think of you! 😀
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Looks amazing and sounds yummy! Thanks for the recipe!
That really is easy. The one I always used to make is the one with marshmallow creme. Pretty easy as well and doesn’t crystallize.
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