Chocolate was one of the four food groups at my house growing up… Tab, Poptarts, TV Dinners and Chocolate. I still have an almost insatiable sweet tooth, and this fudge is my absolute favorite.
When my mom Barbara was about 10 years old, she started making fudge using the recipe on the Hersey’s Cocoa can. Then when she was in high school (go Weiner Cardinals!), a classmate’s mother taught her this recipe. Mom taught my brother and me when we were young, and we would argue over who got to lick the pot when she was done. This recipe was the go-to treat at our house (especially during the holidays), and I think it makes a perfect Valentine gift.
- 1 stick real butter
- 12 large marshmallows
- 2 cups sugar
- 2/3 cup Pet milk
- dash of salt
- 6 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup chopped pecans (optional)
- Butter a pan (a pie pan or a 8x8 dish will do – or a heart-shaped pan for Valentine’s Day) and set aside.
- Combine first five ingredients in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stirring constantly, bring to a good boil. (You know you have the temperature right if the marshmallows are just about completely melted as the boiling starts.)
- Once it starts to boil, set timer for five minutes. Continue to stir constantly. The mixture will rise then condense as the color darkens to a nice caramel color.
- At the end of the five minutes, take it off the heat and add the chocolate chips, vanilla and pecans. Stir quickly until blended and then pour into your prepared dish.
- Allow fudge to harden. If you got the timing right, it should start to set quickly. Timing is tricky, so it might take you a time or two (or three) to get it just right, but once you do… you will never make another fudge recipe.
- If you like peanut butter fudge, substitute peanut butter chips for the semi-sweet chocolate chips and follow the recipe otherwise. My brother created this version when he was about 10 years old
Getting to Know our ARWB Foodies
Staecy Velley
An Awesome & Amazing Life
Twitter: @staceyvalley
Instagram: @staceyvalley
Facebook
What food reminds you of childhood? Explain. Poptarts. My mom didn’t cook at all, so Poptarts were my go-to breakfast as a kid. And I will still have one every once and a while when I’m at her house. She STILL keeps them in stock.
What is your favorite international cuisine? Explain. That’s hard — I like so many. When I lived in Maryland, I had access to a variety of cuisines. I love Thai, Japanese, French, Italian, Mexican, Cuban, Peruvian. I can’t pick a favorite!
What is always in your refrigerator at home? Milk — organic 2% milk and unsweetened vanilla almond milk.
What is your most used cookbook? 1980 El Dorado Service League cookbook called In Good Taste.
What is your favorite kitchen gadget? My blenders — Vitamix and a cheap single-serve one. I use them almost daily to mix up smoothies.
Do you have a favorite food indulgence? Ice Cream!
What is your go-to ingredient that you use time and time again? Olive oil — garlic olive oil if I have it.
What is your favorite food/ meal to cook at home?. Lasagna — I love all the different things you can layer in there. No two are ever the same.
What is a cooking tip that you would like to share with beginning cooks? Have fun and experiment. You don’t have to follow a recipe exactly — make your own substitutions and make the recipe your own.
When you’re not cooking, what are your favorite pastimes? Traveling
What else would you like us to know about you? I’m a wife to Anthony (@akvalley, Twitter superhero); mother to one by adoption, two by marriage, and one by foster care; and a work-from-home blogger/entrepreneur and health professional.