Ooooooh Fuuuuuuudge!

Fudge....

I love the stuff in all variations.  When I was growing up and the craving for something sweet hit, my mom would head to the kitchen to make a batch of her Peanut Butter Fudge.  I loved to see her pour the fudge out on her buttered platter.  Seldom would I want to wait for it to harden up before I started eating it. 

When my dad was away from home working and it was just the two of us on a cold winter's night, we would sometimes snuggle up with a platter of her fudge.  We would each have a spoon and while it was still soft, she would start at one end and I would start at the other.  Yum!  That is still the way I prefer to eat her fudge.

Every year at Christmas since I have been an adult, I have made fudge.  Not my mom's peanut butter fudge recipe for that one belongs to her.  For years I made Fantasy Fudge.....you know the recipe consisting of  chocolate chips and Marshmallow Fluff?  I always used milk chocolate chips instead of semi-sweet ones because I loved the way it tasted.

A few years ago, I discovered the bags of Andes Mint Chips and replaced the milk chocolate chips with those.  Amazing!  I could make literally myself sick on the stuff. 

Today, as I was trying to get myself in the spirit of making some Christmas treats, I hauled out the "Baking Pantry" box that had yet to be unpacked and found a can of Fat Free Sweetened Condensed Milk.  I happened to turn it around and found an intriguing recipe for fudge.  It looked so simple and I had everything for it. 

Chocolate Fudge

3 cups (18 oz) semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used Hershey's Special Dark Chips)

1 (14 oz.) can Eagle Brand Fat-Free Sweetened Condensed Milk

Dash Salt

1 1/2 tsp. Vanilla Extract (I used Mexican Vanilla)

(I added a handful or so of sweetened coconut)

In a heavy saucepan, over low heat, melt chocolate chips with sweetened condensed milk and salt.  Remove from heat; stir in vanilla extract.  Spread evenly into wax paper lined 8- or 9- inch square pan.  Chill 2 hours or until firm.  Turn fudge onto cutting board; peel off paper and cut into squares.  Store leftovers covered in refrigerator.  Makes about 2 lbs.

  It is, by far, the easiest fudge that I've ever made and is absolutely delicious.  It tastes like a Mounds candy bar.  I am sure you could vary this recipe any way that you wanted to by changing up the chips and the additions.  This is definitely a keeper and a recipe that I will enjoy experimenting with for many years to come.

I'm joining JAVA over at Never Growing Old for her wonderful FOLLOW FRIDAY 40 and OVER.  

Thank you so much for stopping by!  I hope you have a wonderful weekend!