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Posts Tagged ‘dessert’

So, I attended my local writing group’s mini-retreat last weekend. I brought fudge. It was a roaring success. So, I was only half kidding when I said my next recipe would be Cherry Cheesecake Fudge. Surprisingly enough, I found a recipe. Who would have known you could put two of the most delicious desserts together?

Cherry Cheesecake Fudge

Ingredients

2 3-oz. packages cream cheese, cubed and at room temperature
2 1/2 c. granulated sugar
2/3 c. evaporated milk
3 c. Mini Marshmallows
1 ½ c. dried cherries
12 oz (one bag) white chocolate chips
1/4 cup of butter
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 tsp. almond extract

Directions

Wash 1-2 cups of cherries in lemon juice, pat dry and set aside (no moisture left on them) Place parchment paper or “release” aluminum in a 9 inch pan.

In a large saucepan, combine the butter, sugar, milk, and marshmallows and bring to a rolling boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil for five minutes (Or until candy thermometer reaches 234 degrees). Keep stirring! Remove from heat and stir in the cream cheese and chips until smooth and melted.

Add cherries and extracts, stirring well. Pour mixture into pan and let sit at room temperature. When firm, cut into squares to serve.

Optional: Sprinkle the top of the fudge with white or yellow cake mix before the fudge sets. Store in refrigerator (if it lasts that long)

Enjoy!
Arianna

Penutty that is! Today I’m featuring a fudge classic: Peanut Butter fudge. I am a total peanut butter junkie. Put it in fudge, and I’m in heaven. DELICI-O-SO GOOD! Yummy!

Peanut Butter Fudge 

Ingredients

4 c. white sugar
1 (12 fluid ounce) can evaporated milk
1c. butter
1 c. crunchy peanut butter
1 (7 ounce) jar marshmallow creme
Some butter to grease the baking dish and saucepan

Directions:

Butter a 9×13 inch baking dish and set aside. Butter a 3-quart saucepan.

Place buttered saucepan over medium heat, and combine sugar, evaporated milk and butter within. Heat to between 234 and 240 degrees F (112 to 116 degrees C), or until a small amount of syrup dropped into cold water forms a soft ball that flattens when removed from the water and placed on a flat surface.

Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter and marshmallow creme. Beat vigorously until smooth. Pour quickly into prepared baking dish. Let cool completely before cutting into squares.

Leche Quemada (“Burnt Milk Fudge”) is a Mexican caramel-like candy that is very popular in Texas. Because Tuesday is Cinco del Mayo, I thought it would be a perfect time to showcase this delicious treat.

Leche Quemada (Burnt Milk Fudge)

Ingredients:

5 lb. sugar
4 12-oz cans evaporated milk
1 12-oz can evaporated goat’s milk (or substitute evaporated milk)
2 c. light corn syrup
1 tbsp. salt
1 tbsp. Mexican vanilla extract
4 tbsp. butter
1 c. pecans (optional)

Directions:

Put sugar, evaporated milk, evaporated goat’s milk, corn syrup and salt in a large heavy pot. Attach a candy thermometer to the pot. Cook on medium-low heat for 1 hour, stirring often with a wooden spoon. The temperature should rise slowly but steadily. Increase heat to medium-high and cook, stirring constantly, for 20 minutes. Increase heat to high and cook, again, stirring constantly–make sure to scrape the burned bits off the bottom as they develop–until the the temperature reaches 245 degrees. Immediately remove pot from heat, stir in vanilla and butter and continue to stir mixture occasionally as it cools.

When the candy cools to 180 degrees, stir in pecans (optional) and transfer to a buttered 9 x 12″ baking pan. Cool slightly, cutting into bars while still pliable. Cool completely before serving.

Happy Cinco Del Mayo everyone!

Arianna

Welcome to another installment of Fudge Filled Friday. Because spring is in full swing (at least somewhere in the world), I decided I wanted something zesty to post. Then I decided to ask my mom what sort of fudge she’d like to see featured. One of my mom’s alltime favorite desserts is key lime pie, so her answer was no surprise at all. And what says “zesty” better than limes? Imagine my delight to find this delicious treat. Thanks for the yummy suggestion, Mom!

Skaarup’s Kooky Key Lime Fudge

(Original recipe. © 1997 T.P. Skaarup. May be copied without modification. All rights reserved.)

Note: This recipe was develped by T.P. Skaarup. Skaarup studied ways to make better fudge and developed ways to prevent fudge failure.  You can find more information about him at http://www.skaarupfudge.com.

Ingredients

1/4 cup butter or margarine
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2/3 cup evaporated milk (or small 5 ounce can)
10 to 12 ounces white chips
6 or 7 ounces Marshmallow Crème or Marshmallow Fluff (may substitute 2 cups mini-marshmallows)
1/3 cup Key lime juice
1/2 cup almonds or macadamia nuts, coarsely chopped
1/4 teaspoon rum extract
1 teaspoon lemon extract

Directions

Line a 9-inch square pan with aluminum foil and set aside. Place white chips, extracts and nuts into Pyrex glass dish (or a 3-quart saucepan) and set aside. Set butter aside to warm.

Heat milk at medium setting until warm then add sugar. Bring to a rolling boil (medium-high) while stirring constantly with a hand mixer (or wooden spoon). Add Marshmallow Creme and butter and mix until creamy. And Key lime juice. Bring back to a boil for 5 full minutes (start timing once the boil resumes). The mixture will start to turn a little brown during the boil. If you get brown flakes in the mixture, then turn down the heat a little (e.g. down to medium from medium-high) and continue to stir.

Remove from heat and pour hot mixture over chips without scraping the sides of the hot saucepan. Mix until chips are melted then mix in nuts. Pour into prepared pan. Cool at room temperature. Remove from pan, remove foil, cut into squares.

NOTE: Key Lime juice is acidic and will cause the milk to curl. Even though it looks like cr*p, it should not affect the fudge’s ability to set.

Now doesn’t that sound yummy?

PS: Feel free to stop by Romantic Inks to read my post about when it seems there’s a always a black cloud hanging over your head.

Enjoy and Happy Fudge Filled Friday!
Arianna

Yep! You saw that correctly! I said BARFI! Today we’re heading to India to try Milk Pista Barfi. Basically it’s “Milk Pistachio Fudge,” and it will definitely not make you barf.

Milk Pista Barfi (Burfi)

(Yes! I like the barfi name better. LOL )

Ingredients:

1. 2 qt.  whole milk
2. 1 c. Sugar
3. 1/4 c. Ghee (Clarified Butter)
4. 1/2 tsp. ground cardamon seeds
5. 1 c. Blanched Pistachios (Powder the nuts in a food processor)
6. 1/4 c. crushed Pistachios

Directions:

Combine milk, sugar, ghee, and cardamon in a heavy saucepan. Bring the mixture to 180 ºF.  Let the mixture simmer the mixture for about 45 minutes, reducing it to about 60% volume. Using a a spatula to stir,  avoid scorching the bottom of the pan.

Stir in the powdered nuts. Continue cooking at about 180 ºF for another 10 to 15 minutes.

Add the remaining ingredients and allow the mixture to cook until it looks like stiff bread dough.

Grease a cookie pan and transfer the mixture. Smooth the top surface with the spatula, making it into a ½” high rectangular slab. Let the barfi cool  to room temperature. With a sharp knife, cut it into 1″ squares or diamond shape. Store in the refrigerator.

Note: 180 ºF is a nice temperature whenever you want to reduce milk. This temperature causes minimum scorching on the bottom and avoid boil-over.

See! Don’t let the name fool you!

Enjoy!
Arianna

Boy, I sure wish I was in Hawaii right about now. Guess all I can do is enjoy this scrumptious recipe…

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Fudge

Ingredients

1 (7 oz.) jar macadamia nuts, coarsely chopped
1 (7 oz.) jar marshmallow crème
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. heavy whipping cream
4 tbsp. butter
12 oz white baking chips
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions

Lightly butter an 8-inch square baking pan and set aside.

In heavy 3-quart saucepan over medium heat, heat Marshmallow Creme, sugar, heavy whipping cream and butter to boiling, stirring occasionally. Boil 5 minutes, stirring constantly.

Remove saucepan from heat; stir in chocolate chips and vanilla extract until chocolate melts.

Set aside 1/2 cup macadamia nuts; stir remaining nuts into chocolate mixture. Pour fudge into pan. Sprinkle reserved macadamia nuts over fudge, pressing firmly into fudge. Cover pan and refrigerate fudge until firm, about 2 hours.

MMMM!!!! I love me some macadamia nuts! Enjoy!

Happy Friday!
Arianna

Guess what? Today is the first day of Spring. So I thought I would spring this recipe on you all.  <insert rimshot>

Caramel fudge

The flavor of this fudge comes from caramelized sugar. Is that why it’s called caramel?

Ingredients

1/2 c. butter or margarine
1/4 tsp. baking soda
2 c. light cream
6 c. granulated sugar, divided
8 1/2 c. (2 pounds) pecans, broken

Directions:

Combine 4 cups sugar and cream in a heavy 4-quart saucepan and set aside.

Put the remaining 2 cups sugar in a heavy 10-inch skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly until it begins to melt. Heat sugar-cream mixture over medium heat. Continue melting sugar in skillet, stirring and watching closely so it does not scorch. As soon as it is completely melted, pour liquid sugar in a thin stream into boiling sugar-cream mixture, stirring constantly. Do not let sugar remain over heat after completely melted; this will produced a scorched taste. Cook combined mixtures to 246 degrees F (Oops, apparently we are supposed to magically know when it reaches 246 degrees. It would have been nice if they included mention that you need a candy thermometer ). I. Remove from heat and add baking soda and butter. Stir in and let candy stand for 30 minutes. Add nuts. Stir to mix; pour into buttered 9-inch square pans. Cool slightly and cut into squares.

This recipe seems rather complex and convoluted. But I am a caramelphile (This should be a word, don’t you think?), and just couldn’t pass it up. If there are any brave souls that try this recipe feel free to let me know how it turns out for you.

Happy Friday!
Arianna