I was feeling a bit peaked and couldn't quite figger out what my body was lacking, so when in doubt, I always go with chocolate.
Here's a super simple chocolate fudge recipe for you that'll cure whatever ails you.
And it’s just in time for Valentine’s Day, in case you’re of that particular persuasion and you actually celebrate such an occasion. If you’re like me and don’t give a crap about V-Day, then you’re in luck. You don’t have to share and you get to eat all this wonderful chocolate all by yourself.
Rosie's Chocolate Fudge
1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1 TB vanilla extract
20 oz. bittersweet chocolate morsels (I used Ghirardelli.)
3 TB unsalted butter cut into 1/2 inch pieces, room temperature
big handful of chopped pecans
handful of mini-marshmallows
Handful of white chocolate morsels
chocolate ganache for icing
For the fudge:
Lightly butter an 8x8 inch baking pan. Line pan with buttered parchment paper, allowing excess paper to overhang the sides so you can pull it out easily.
In a large, heatproof bowl combine the condensed milk, chocolate, extract, and butter. Place bowl on top of a pot with simmering water (like a double boiler). Stir ingredients with rubber spatula until chocolate is melted. Immediately remove from heat so the chocolate doesn't separate and continue stirring until the mixture is smooth. Scrape fudge into prepared pan and spread evenly with an offset spatula. I decided to sprinkle in some pecans here along with some mini-marshmallows, just pressing them into the fudge. And when I make this again (and I will - It's that good), I think I'll press in some white chocolate morsels as well, just because. Another case of more is more.
Refrigerate until set, about 2 hours. Lift fudge from pan using the overhang and frost with ganache. Let set, and then cut into squares.
For the ganache:
In a microwaveable bowl, nuke 1/2 cup heavy cream until just simmering. To the hot cream, I added 2 oz. 70% Lindt dark chocolate and 2 oz. 85% Lindt dark chocolate, but you can use your own combinations. The general rule for ganache is equal amounts cream and chocolate, by weight, so I used 4 oz. cream with 4 oz. chocolate. This produces a spreadable consistency for a frosting or glaze. You can use whatever type chocolate you like - semisweet or bittersweet, just not unsweetened. Stir until melted and smooth. If your chocolate, for whatever reason, ever seizes up, (water droplets can do this to chocolate) or is too thick, just heat a little more cream in a small sauce pan and whisk the chocolate mixture, bit by bit, into the hot cream. It'll smooth right out. When it's a nice spreadable consistency, pour it over the fudge, spreading it evenly with an offset spatula. Refrigerate until set. Peel off parchment and then cut into squares.
Although you may be tempted to do so, you don’t have to eat the entire batch. You can freeze part of it if you like, hiding it in the deepest recesses of your freezer. Then, whenever you need a fudge fix, take out a square or two, nuke until melted, plop a scoop of ice cream in there, maybe pour some leftover morning coffee, perhaps drizzle some leftover ganache over top, and have yourself an instant chocolate sundae dessert.
Now, here are the step-by-steps.
I like to have my mise-en-place, with everything ready to go: Buttered and parchment-lined baking dish.
Double boiler (bowl over pot with water).
Sweetened condensed milk.
Bittersweet chocolate morsels.
Vanilla.
Buttah.
Stir.
Keep stirring.
Pour into prepared pan and smooth it out with offset spatula.
Sprinkle pecans, white chocolate morsels, and mini-marshmallows over top.
Press in.
Let set.
I cut these first, then poured on the ganache.
You could pour the ganache on, refrigerate and let set, then cut.
But my way gets more ganache over more surface area.
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