Tag Archives: fudge

Healthy Fudge Balls

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two types of fudge balls

If you follow my blog, you know that I love finding foods that go together quickly and are good for you. I’ve played aroound with a number of “healthy truffles” and “energy balls.”
Dueling Peanut Butter Balls: http://www.nanaclareskitchen.com/2011/12/05/dueling-peanut-butter-balls/
Dr. Oz Peanut Butter Balls, my way: http://www.nanaclareskitchen.com/2012/04/26/dr-ozs-peanut-butter-and-oat-balls-my-way/
Great Balls of Energy: http://www.nanaclareskitchen.com/2012/04/24/great-balls-of-energy/

fudge balls


But my husband mentioned the other day that he really craves dark chocolate – and he always loves dates. So I got to work in my lab, eeerrr kitchen, and came up with these. BEST EVER!!!

coconut balls


Like most of my recipes, you can eliminate some ingredients or swap out others if you don’t like them or don’t have them in your pantry. I’ll mention some easy swaps at the end.

baking dates


Ingredients
1 cup peanut butter, your choice
1 cup oats (I used quick for these)
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder – yes it’s a lot, but so worth it
1/2 cup baking dates – or pitted dates that have been chopped fine
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup Stevia
1/2 cup white chocolate mini toppers (I found them at the clearance rack one day and had to try them.)
1/2 cup coconut – optional

Directions
Put all ingredients (except coconut) into a bowl and mix with a strong spoon until all blended.
Use a teaspoon or small cookie scoop to create small balls.
If you like, roll some or all in coconut.

Swaps:
Use craisins, figs or raisins instead of dates.
Use powdered flax meal instead of Stevia if you want yours less sweet.
Use agave nectar instead of honey.
Instead of mini toppers, use mini chocolate chips or toasted sesame seeds.
instead of rolling them in coconut roll them in toasted sesame seeds.

Play with your food! Let me know what works for you.

mini toppers

add toppers

kept Zoe busy licking the empty peanut butter jar


roll in coconut

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Mocha Truffle Fudge Cookies

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mocha fudge truffle cookies

Ah, the aromatic scent of coffee with the sweet taste of a fudge cookie. The Superbowl feeding frenzy is over and now we can get back to focusing…on chocolate.

Valentines Day treat anytime


Sure, flowers are nice too, but “Valentine’s Day” means “eat your weight in chocolate” in Minnesota, the land of my birth. Here in Iowa, where I live in exile, we have no chocolate outlet stores where you buy armloads of boxed chocolates for a song. Once while traveling, my car drove me to a candy outlet store without my knowing it. When I got there, I fell into a trance and somehow walked out with four boxes of chocolate for $10.00 (plus a few extra candy bars for snacks). It was either buy one for $10.00 or buy four, but the price was the same.) I told my hubby that they would be given away as gifts, but I as soon as I ripped the first box open and popped one into my mouth, I knew that wasn’t going to happen. I turned the box upside down and in tiny print I found the expiration date – eight months before. So they were probably made in China three years before that date. Yes, four boxes of stale candy. We would have to eat this ourselves, because it would be rude to give it as a gift. And there’s no wasting chocolate in my world, so I “waisted” it instead.

melt chocolate and butter


You are probably trying to avoid this happening in your world, so you’re frantically searching for fudgy, chocolaty recipes. Which brings us to today’s offering.

whisk dry ingredients together

This was a new recipe I made for the winners of our church auction. (I pledged to bake cookies each month for six months.) I wanted something special and was very pleased with the way they turned out. I found the recipe in a magazine devoted to cookies and put out by Taste of Home in 2011.

This is not a big batch, even tho it says it will make 5 ½ dozen, it made about 3 dozen. I used my smallest scoop (a tablespoon) which seems about the right size.

if batter is crumbly add milk

Ingredients
½ cup butter
1 ½ cups chocolate chips, divided
3 tsp instant coffee
2 eggs
¾ cup sugar
¾ cup packed brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
2 TBS milk – optional

ready to bake


trio of yummy flavors


Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Spray two cookie sheets.
In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and ½ cup chocolate chips over low heat.
Remove from heat and stir in coffee granules.
Stir until smooth and let it cool for five minutes.
Stir in the eggs, sugars and vanilla.
Combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt.
Fold the dry ingredients into the egg and chocolate mixture.
You may need to add up to 2 TBS milk to have enough liquid to blend into a dough.
Fold in the last cup of chocolate chips.

Bake 9 -11 minutes until the tops appear slightly dry and cracked.
Cool for a minute and move to wire racks.

Pour yourself a tall glass of milk or your favorite cup of coffee and bite into one of these fudgy mocha cookies. They are like little fudge drops and they will stay moist for days if you keep them in an airtight container after they cool. But they won’t last that long.

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Creamy Old Fashioned Fudge

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creamy fudge


We actually got a dusting of snow today – just in time. It looks more like someone turned a giant fan on a barrel of powdered sugar because it’s so light. But if you live in the Midwest, you expect to see a white Christmas, so this took the pressure off the TV weather guys.

fudge chilling on the deck

So I made more fudge (and two more pans of bars today.) Yes, I know I posted a fudge recipe the other day, but I gave all that fudge away and now I’m heading to three gatherings. So I needed more fudge and this time I wanted to make a creamier version for those who enjoy that. This still uses the marshmallow cream, but I swapped out all dark chocolate instead of semi sweet. I also like to add more nuts for texture, but that’s optional, depending on your taste.

Ingredients

3 cups sugar
1 ½ sticks butter (3/4 cup)
1 small can evaporated milk (5 oz or 2/3 cup)
3 cups dark chocolate chips
1 7 oz jar marshmellow cream – or about 1 1/2 cups
1 ½ cups chopped walnuts (pecans would also be delicious)
1 tsp vanilla

Directions
Grease a 9” x 13” pan with butter or cooking spray
Pour sugar butter and evaporated milk in a large heavy saucepan on medium-high temp.
Bring to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly.
Boil 4 minutes or until a candy thermometer reads 234 degrees F, stirring constantly.
Remove from heat
Add chocolate, marshmallow, and vanilla and stir until blended.
Add nuts, mix well.
Pour into the prepared pan and spread it out.
Let stand 4 hours at room temp to cool before cutting.

Note:
I live in a cold climate, so I put the fudge outside for 30 minutes to cool.
To keep the fudge from “sugaring” be sure there is no sugar on the sides of the pan as the syrup is boiling.
Store tightly covered at room temp.

Old Fashioned Fudge

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chock full of nuts


Chocolate fudge is usually something I only make at Christmas time. However, in the summers, we often snag some while on vacation in Hayward, Wisconsin. They have a candy store with huge windows on their main street and they make fudge in big vats next to the windows. We can watch the stirring, steaming, sticky stuff and then go inside for free sniffs. They make many varieties which makes it difficult to choose which ones to try: vanilla with pecans, peanut butter, maple with walnuts, milk chocolate, dark chocolate, double-decker…the list goes on.

For me, I usually just make dark chocolate fudge. I like it creamy and not too sweet, if that’s possible. (And yes, I buy dark chocolate chips in 3 pound bags!)

In the December, 2011 issue of Guideposts Magazine there is an article that includes a recipe for “Aunty Ann’s Million Dollar Fudge.”

I thought I would try it and I did – sort of. I didn’t have as much German cooking chocolate as she called for, so I swapped out a big bar of dark chocolate I just happened to have on hand. Her directions also didn’t mention the temperature that we should cook the fudge and I felt I cooked it a bit too hot. So I’ve made some alterations.

variety of chocolate


chop chocolate into pieces


Fudge was one of the items I included in my neighborhood gift boxes. One neighbor sampled the fudge right away and said it was like the “old fashioned” fudge that she remembered. Very chocolaty and stiff. So I was pleased that she liked it. I’ll probably go back to all dark chocolate next year, but this was a worthy experiment.

bring syrup to a boil


stir in chocolate and then nuts

Ingredients as I made them
12 oz semi-sweet (or dark) chocolate chips
4 oz bar of dark chocolate, cut into pieces
4 oz bar of German sweet cooking chocolate, cut into pieces
7 oz jar of marshmallow cream
2 cups walnuts, roughly chopped
4 cups sugar
Pinch salt
2 TBS butter (plus a bit more to butter the pan)
12 oz can evaporated milk

spread quickly in buttered pan


Directions
• Chop the chocolate bars into pieces and set aside.
• Butter a large pan – 9 x 13 is fine, but a 9 x 15 worked very well too.
• In heavy saucepan combine sugar, salt, butter and evaporated milk.
• Over medium heat, bring to a boil and boil 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
• Remove from heat and quickly add the chocolate, marshmallow cream and finally the nuts.
• Spread in the buttered pan and let it cool. (Or not, warm fudge by the spoonful is fabulous!)
• When completely cooled, cut into squares.
• Store tightly covered.

a block of goodness

Note:
• Recipe says it freezes well so this could be a “make ahead” item.
• The original recipe in Guideposts called for three 4oz bars of German sweet chocolate and 12 oz of semi sweet chocolate.
• To keep fudge from getting “sugary” be sure not to let any sugar cling to the side of the pan as you are boiling the syrup. Make sure it all gets in.

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