(Note (12/23/10): Two people have reported having difficulties with the chocolate fudge setting up properly. I am going to re-test this recipe some time after the holidays to figure out the problem. In the meantime, try the Chocolate Nutella Fudge with Sea Salt. Many people have reported making this one to rave reviews. Warning: it is addictive!)
During the holiday season, we always look forward to sampling the treats given to us by friends and neighbors. There have been some delectable ones. Gingerbread cookies, homemade candy canes, sugar cookies…the list goes on and on. One of my all-time favorites, however, was the fudge made by one of my best girlfriends and her family. Each year since we were 12 years old, my friend presented me with a little package of goodness, wrapped in foil and decorated with a red ribbon. I would reverently open the package and savor each bite of the soft squares of chocolate and nuts. Unfortunately, my friend and I don’t live in the same city any longer. How I miss her daily presence in my life and, oh, how I miss her fudge!
We are well on our way with our holiday baking, with batches of Brown Butter, Pine Nut, and Rosemary Cookies and Molasses and Brown Sugar Spice Cookies filling our pantry. Even with all of these treats at our fingertips, I was still pining for my friend’s fudge. It was time to get to work. I found a variation of this recipe on the Taste of Home website and was immediately attracted to the layers of mint and chocolate. To make them even more festive, I pressed crushed candy canes into the top of the fudge. The result was a treat that took very little time to make and satisfied my craving. However, I don’t think that any fudge could beat the one that is surely being made in a Vancouver kitchen this holiday season.
Line an 8-inch square pan with foil. Use enough foil so that it extends 1 to 2 inches beyond the top edges of the pan. This will make it much easier to remove the fudge from the pan later.
In a medium saucepan, combine 2 cups (12 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate chips and 1 cup (poured form a 14-ounce can) sweetened condensed milk.

Set the pan over low heat and stir occasionally until the chocolate is melted. Stir in 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract.
Spread half of the chocolate mixture into the pan and chill until firm, about 15 minutes. Let the remaining chocolate rest at room temperature.

In another saucepan set over low heat, melt 1 cup (6 ounces) premium white chocolate chips and the remaining sweetened condensed milk.

Stir in 1 1/2 teaspoons peppermint extract and a few drops of green food coloring (until the chocolate turns the desired color).

Spread the white chocolate mixture evenly over the chocolate mixture in the 8-inch pan. Chill for an additional 15 minutes, or until the white chocolate is firm.
Spread the remaining semi-sweet chocolate mixture over the white chocolate layer.
Place 4 standard-sized candy canes in a ziploc bag and crush with a meat mallet or rolling pan. Gently press the candy cane bits into the top of the chocolate.

Chill for approximately 2 hours, or until the fudge is firm. Remove from the pan by lifting the edges of the foil. Peel off the foil and cut the fudge into small squares.
101 Cookbooks’ Fantasy-ish Fudge
Yum Sugar’s Chocolate-Peanut Butter Fudge
Recipe Girl’s Eggnog Fudge
Candy Cane Mint Chocolate Fudge
2 cups (12 oz.) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk, divided
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 cup (6 oz.) premium white chocolate chips
1 1/2 tsp peppermint extract
Green food coloring
4 standard-sized candy canes
Line an 8-inch square pan with foil. Use enough foil so that it extends 1 to 2 inches beyond the top edges of the pan. This will make it much easier to remove the fudge from the pan later.
In a medium saucepan, combine semi-sweet chocolate chips and 1 cup sweetened condensed milk. Set the pan over low heat and stir occasionally until the chocolate is melted. Stir in vanilla extract. Spread half of the chocolate mixture into the pan and chill until firm, about 15 minutes. Let the remaining chocolate rest at room temperature.
In another saucepan set over low heat, melt the white chocolate chips and the remaining sweetened condensed milk. Stir in peppermint extract and a few drops of green food coloring (until the chocolate turns the desired color). Spread the white chocolate mixture evenly over the chocolate mixture in the 8-inch pan. Chill for an additional 15 minutes, or until the white chocolate is firm.
Spread the remaining semi-sweet chocolate mixture over the white chocolate layer. Place 4 standard-sized candy canes in a ziploc bag and crush with a meat mallet or rolling pan. Gently press the candy cane bits into the top of the chocolate. Chill for approximately 2 hours, or until the fudge is firm. Remove from the pan by lifting the edges of the foil. Peel off the foil and cut the fudge into small squares.
Makes about 64 small squares.



















{ 36 comments… read them below or add one }
As soon as I got peppermint, I make these! They are a great holiday sweet!
Wow, these are so pretty. I'll be making these this holiday. Thanks for the recipe.
They're beautiful. Great idea for something to giveaway this Christmas.
So pretty, delicious and the fudge is calling my name! Can you hear it?
Cheers!
Gera
This sounds yummy and I can't get over how pretty it is! Bravo!
Love the photo with the red and green towel! You're so great with those ideas. (Wish this was on my diet, sigh!)
Looks so pretty and yummy!…love the color!..love to grab them all!
These are surely pretty, fun and delicious treat to make as little gifts!
Wow this looks just amazing. So Christmassy!
That looks so gorgeous…..would be perfect for Christmas. Looks very delicious.
These look fantastic, I can't wait to try this recipe and give it out to the kids
Looks very festive. Are you having a holiday party this year or why do you cook holiday foods?
I should ask that on my own blog, shouldn't I?
What a fun recipe!
Looks like those fudges are coming out of a store, so pretty…and I bet must taste as good as they look!
It's just not the holidays without a plate of fudge– love this version! By the way– saw your applesauce on Saveur.com and wanted to say 'congrats'!
Yum! I love mint and chocolate, thanks for sharing this recipe!
– Jodi
Such a fun holiday treat!
I don't think you could get much more festive than these treats. Fun!
Beautiful pictures! And the fudge looks absolutely amazing. I'm making fudge this weekend, and I'm tempted to switch to this recipe!
This is so pretty! And you reminded me – those Rosemary Pine Nut Brown Butter cookies need to go on my list of "must bake" this holiday!
these look so pretty!
Thanks for the great pics and recipe
Oh wow – no wonder you missed the fudge. That is one sweet story of you and your friend. This fudge is Christmas-present pretty!
This looks fantastic! So colorful and festive and perfect for the holidays! And i love the mint & chocolate flavors!
what a swell recipe for the holidays – who could want a better Christmas gift…
Wow! These turned out great! Good job..perfect for the holidays
Jason
Talk about the perfect treat to bring to a holiday party! I just saved the recipe
Cute blog!
Those look fabulous, perfect for the holidays:)
Um these are pure holiday evil yumminess that I will be making for my neighbors.
Beautiful fudge, and I love that it is connected to an old friend. So fun being with you the other day.
My teeth hurt just looking at this fudge.
Absolutely gorgeous! Looks so X'mas… haha… And I love green in my food. Yeah, I think this is such a nice giveaway!
I decided to make this fudge today because i thought it looked so great- I followed the recipe exactly, but my fudge never really set that well….any suggestions?
Katie, I'm sorry you had difficulties with this recipe. I'm not exactly sure what went wrong, but there are a couple of common reasons for fudge not setting. If the humidity is high on the day you're making the fudge (I'd say about 60% or so), you may have difficulties with the fudge setting. If humidity is higher, consider reducing the amount of liquid (in this case, condensed milk) slightly.
In addition, make sure your house, kitchen in particular, is not too warm. Try turning down the heat in your home.
I made these yesterday and had kind of the same problem. My chocolate set up perfect, but the mint/white chocolate didn't.
& our heater is broken, so it definitely wasn't that.
Alli, thanks you for the heads-up. I'm sorry that you had difficulties with this recipe. I know how frustrating that can be! I put a note at the top of this post that I will be re-testing it some time after the holidays so I can figure out the problem and make changes. Thanks for your patience! In the meantime, try the Chocolate Nutella Fudge on this site. Many people have reported great success with it.
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