Carrot Cake Cheese Cake Fudge

At one of the local farmer’s markets, there is a vendor who sells fudge, and one of the flavors she sometimes carries is Carrot Cake Cheesecake.  Well, Eammon just adored her fudge so we worked to replicate the recipe at home as a treat over the holidays.  Yes, another holiday recipe which only took us 4 months to finally post!  We dissected the farmer’s market fudge layer-by-layer and noted that the fudge was the cheesecake flavor and the bottom crust, even without any carrots, tasted like carrot cake.  So, we researched all sorts of recipes to finally come up with this one which is indistinguishable from the farmer’s market one he loved.  Though there are a few steps to the recipe, it is simple to execute and the results are worth the time.

Carrot Cake Cheese Cake Fudge

For the carrot cake base:

• 1 sleeve  Ritz Original crackers
• 1/2 cup butter 
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar , packed
• 2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk 
• 1 tsp. vanilla  
• 1 tsp. cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon 
• 1/4 tsp.  ground nutmeg
• 1 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

For the Cheesecake Fudge:

• 3 cups white chocolate chips
• 1 1/2 tablespoons butter  
• pinch of salt
• 1 cup sweetened condensed milk
• 7 oz. Marshmallow Fluff (1-1/2 cups)
• 1 - 3.4 ounce instant cheesecake pudding mix, DRY

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line an 8x8-inch baking dish with aluminum foil and grease with butter or coconut oil.  Arrange the Ritz Crackers in a even layer on the bottom of the baking dish, breaking some to fill in all the gaps and overlapping as needed.  In a medium saucepan, bring butter and brown sugar to a boil over medium-high heat.  Once the mixture is at a FULL boil, cook for 2 minutes.  Remove from the heat and stir in the sweetened condensed milk, cinnamon, cocoa,  nutmeg & walnuts.  Pour the mixture over the crackers and bake for 10 minutes.  Set aside to cool while making the fudge.

In a medium saucepan combine the white chocolate chips, butter, salt and condensed milk and heat until melted and smooth. Add the dry pudding mix and stir until the mix dissolves and is smooth.  Add the Marshmallow Fluff and stir until melted and smooth. Pour the melted fudge over the crust and use an offset spatula to smooth. 

Refrigerate until set.  Carefully remove the fudge from the pan and peel back the foil.  Using a sharp knife which has been heated in a bowl of hot water and then wiped dry, cut the fudge into small squares.  Clean the knife between each cut with a dish towel and reheat it as necessary.   Store the fudge at room temperature.

Enjoy!

Mexican Hot Chocolate Fudge

Another ~off our usual eating plan~ treat which we made for this Christmas season.  Chocolate fudge is wonderful but the addition of some spiciness just makes it all that much better.  The fudge isn’t too hot or spicy but rather just has a nice little kick.  Make and enjoy!

Mexican Hot Chocolate Fudge

• 18 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
• 2 cups miniature marshmallows
• 1 tsp. instant espresso 
• 2 tsp. ground cinnamon 
• 1/8 tsp. dark chili powder 
• 1/8 tsp.ground cayenne pepper 
• 1/8 tsp sea salt
• 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Line a 9-inch square pan with aluminum foil, or use a square silicone pan, unlined.  Melt the chocolate, condensed milk and marshmallows in a heavy pot.  Remove from the heat and stir in the espresso powder, cinnamon, chili powder, cayenne, salt & vanilla. Pour into prepared pan and smooth the top.  Chill for 2 hours or until firm.  Remove the fudge from the pan.  Remove foil if used.  Cut the fudge into squares. 

Enjoy!!

Fried Fudge

Totally off our regular eating plan, but we decided that some Christmas treats were in order this year.  The first of these sugary treats was some super smooth, chocolaty Fried Fudge.  The fudge isn’t actually fried, it’s just made in a fry pan, thus the name.  Simple to make and delicious to eat.  Make it with or without nuts, it’s up to you!

Fried Fudge

• 2 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 6 oz. condensed milk
• 6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup walnuts, quartered
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract 

In a heavy fry pan, mix the sugar, butter &  milk together and then bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low and cook for six more minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat & add the chocolate chips and nuts. Stir until fudge begins to form and then quickly add the vanilla, stirring to incorporate. Using a tablespoon, drop the fudge onto a Silpat or wax paper. Allow to cool and store in an airtight container.

Enjoy!

Crunchy Fudgy Heart Bites

After a month off because of some administrative and housekeeping changes in how things run at The Secret Recipe Club it’s nice to be back cooking and posting my Secret Recipe Club posts again.  Each month participating Secret Recipe Club members are each assigned a blog from which they can make any recipe of their choosing and this month I was assigned Anne’s blog, Quick and Easy, Cheap and Healthy.  As it works out, Anne has a “Certain Little Someone” who like Maisie has food allergies so right off the top I decided that this month I would make a delicious Maisie “safe” treat.   After perusing the “Allergy-Friendly” section of Anne’s blog I decided to make her Simple Fudgy Bites. 

Maisie and I made the super simple Fudgy Bites together but as we went along Anne’s recipe got changed a bit.  We started with Anne’s recipe only switching out her sunflower butter for the peanut butter that I already had in the house.  We mixed together all the ingredients and Maisie tasted the “fudge” and said that it was too smooth and needed something.  We added in some ground walnuts, which I have been adding to a lot of recipes lately as I’ve been trying to get some extra healthy calories into all of Maisie’s food.  After the addition of the walnuts Maisie said that it still needed more crunch so a quick look in the pantry and we decided Rice Krispies would be a great crunchy addition.   

In the end, Anne’s Fudgy Bites with Maisie’s crunchy additions were a big hit with my girl!

Crunchy Fudgy Heart Bites (Adapted from here)

1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup cocoa
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/8 cup honey
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract 
1 cup ground walnuts
1 1/2 cups Rice Krispies

In a food processor blend the coconut oil, cocoa, peanut butter, honey and vanilla extract until smooth.  Pour the mixture into a large bowl and stir in the ground walnuts and Rice Krispies.  Evenly scoop the mixture into a mini heart silicone muffin mold and refrigerate until set.  Press the bottom of each muffin cup to release the Crunchy Fudgy Bites.  Keep refrigerated.

Enjoy!

My previous Secret Recipe Club Recipe Posts:

Texas Chicken with Lime Butter
Pork Belly Soup with Collard Greens
Thin Mint Irish Coffee
Levain Chocolate Chip Walnut Cookies
Welsh Cakes
Nutella Crêpes
Cilantro Lime Chicken
Holy Guacamole
and
Home Style Chicken Curry

Biscoff Fudge

It’s time again for my entry in the Crazy Cooking Challenge which is hosted each month by Tina of Moms Crazy Cooking.  Each month she challenges participating bloggers to search non-celebrity blogs looking for the ultimate recipe of the month and then to make and feature that recipe and the blog where we found it.  The first month we were challenged to find the ultimate mac & cheese recipe and I made a delicious Velvety Mac & Cheese.  The second month the challenge was chocolate chip cookies and for me, my ultimate was Chocolate Chip Gingersnaps and then last month it was a search for the ultimate mashed potatoes and I made some fabulous Aloo Tikki.  Each month it’s fun searching out recipes and then on reveal day seeing what everyone found and made.  

This month the challenge was to find the ultimate fudge recipe.  Trust me, once you start looking there are millions of fabulous looking fudge recipes out there so it was a bit overwhelming trying to narrow down my choices.  Generally my first thought when I hear the word fudge is chocolate…but truth be told I’m not a real chocolate fudge lover.  I started thinking about other fudge flavors and came to the conclusion that my favorite is penuche because honestly I could eat brown sugar off a spoon and be happy so turning that into fudge, well of course I love it.  In my search of penuche recipes I just happened upon Danielle’s blog Hugs & CookiesXOXO and her Biscoff Fudge…OMG!  Immediately I knew what I would be making because as luck would have it, I had just days earlier purchased a jar of Biscoff Spread and rather than spreading it on everything and anything that could be used as a vehicle to get it in my mouth or just spoon by spoon eat it from the jar, because it’s that stinking good, I figured why not put it in fudge and enjoy it that way. 

I’m telling you, Danielle’s recipe couldn’t be easier or tastier.  One bowl, a spoon, five ingredients, a pan and a little wait time so the fudge can set up and it’s pure Biscoff delight.  I followed Danielle’s recipe almost exactly, my only change was that I left out the chunks of Biscoff Cookies just because I prefer solid fudge without any crunchy bits or add-ins but I’ll bet it was just as good with the cookie bits mixed in.  Eammon, Maisie and I all loved this new, delicious and slightly different fudge and we’ll definitely be indulging in this sweet treat again and again. 

For us this Biscoff Fudge was the ultimate fudge recipe and we’d love if you thought so too and in the link of all the entries below if you’d “like” our Biscoff Fudge it would be much appreciated.  I hope that you’ll give this recipe a try and then come back and let me know how you liked it.  Thanks!

My best little helper Maisie did a great job mixing all the ingredients together.

Then she did her best work licking out the bowl.

Biscoff Fudge (Adapted very slightly from here)

1 cup butter
1 cup Biscoff Spread
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract 
3 cups powdered sugar, sifted

In a medium bowl, microwave the butter and Biscoff Spread until smooth.  Stir in the salt, vanilla and sugar.  Press into either a silicon or foil lined pan.  Chill in refrigerator until set.  Once firm cut into pieces.

Enjoy!