Fudge for Dummies

I actually googled "Fudge for Dummies" and the search came back with a more complicated recipe than this one!  That made me laugh, I guess mine is for super dummies...?  Anyway, this is a simple recipe that's easy to make for the holidays, and makes a great gift or hostess gift too! 

I got this recipe from a can of sweetened condensed milk years ago.  It appealed to me just because it was so easy and I usually have that super humongous bag of chocolate chips that Costco sells in my pantry ready to use up.  This recipe doesn't have the issues that many recipes caution you about, like getting a 'sugared' result... which is just that grainy texture that so many people dislike.  I usually add chopped nuts to this because I can just never get too many nuts in things, but I do understand that some people don't like them!

3 c. chocolate chips

1- 14 oz. sweetened condensed milk

Dash of salt

1 ½ tsp of vanilla

1 c. of chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Before you start.... and you NEED to do this, believe me!  

Line an 8x8 pan with foil, see my picture but hopefully you can tell it's just once from side to side- - this is so that you can ‘lift’ the fudge out of the pan once its cooled! Otherwise, your fudge is STUCK in there and mangles it to get it out.

In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, pour the sweetened condensed milk in and gently heat it up. 

Add the salt and dump in all the chocolate chips, stir it upand hopefully you will find that the residual heat from the sweetened condensed milk melts your chips quickly.  

The goal is to melt those chips with a minimum of heat, and

if need be, remove your pan from the heat while you stir.  If you overheat it (all you people who cook on HIGH know what I'm talking about) you'll have dull, seized up (hard to stir) chocolate! 

Remove from heat, stir in nuts, if desired, and then beat in vanilla.  Pour immediately into the prepared pan. Cool completely, lift from pan and cut into squares!

Round Two cooking… make more and use it for:

I like to make 3-4 batches (nuts and no-nuts), cut them up and package them in cute plastic containers and keep them in the freezer.  That way, you always have some goodies for unexpected guests, a hostess gift, and christmas cookie platters.

What else would this technique work on???

You could easily use change up this technique with:

• Substitute half the chocolate chips for butterscotch chips (I saw a Paula Deen recipe like this!) OR, white chocolate, mint chocolate, peanut butter chips.
• Add 1 cup of nuts (all kinds!)
• Add dried fruit... raisins, cherries, cranberries, chopped apricots, candied ginger
• Use a different flavoring, using some liquer like Kahlua or Grand Marnier.... Mmmm!