Alex’s Fudge

“My mom reluctantly makes this almost every Christmas. While I like it, she doesn’t like it very much, finding it too sweet, as opposed to the cocoa powder-based fudge she grew up with. Still though, it’s become part of our traditional Christmas sweets assortment. This recipe was adapted from a user’s recipe, which in turn was her aunt’s recipe, on AllRecipies.com.”

-- Alex Boone

One 7-ounce jar of marshmallow cream (a.k.a marshmallow fluff)

1 ½ cups sugar

⅔ cup evaporated milk

¼ cup (½ stick) butter

¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup milk chocolate chips

2 ¼ cups semisweet chocolate chips or chopped bittersweet chocolate (Or more if you like)

1 tsp vanilla extract

Line an 8x8 square pan with foil and set aside.

Microwave the jar of marshmallow fluff to ease removing it from the container for 15-20 seconds. (WARNING: Use caution when doing this – keep your eye on it to make sure the jar doesn’t explode. Use the minimum amount of time and adjust accordingly.)

Heat all of the ingredients in a saucepan with the exception of the chocolate to a boil. (TIP: “Melt” the ingredients over low heat, then raise the heat to medium.) Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes until the mixture reaches softball stage, around 240°F.

Remove the pan from the heat and add in the chocolates. Stir until the mixture is smooth and the chocolate is melted. Stir in the vanilla, and if you like, about ½ cup of chopped nuts.

Quickly pour the mixture into the foil-lined pan. Put the pan into the refrigerator for about 2 hours or until firm.