The only fudge I have ever made (usually for the holidays) is from the recipe on the back of the can of Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk.
Last week, my friend and I went shopping and then took our husbands to lunch at my favorite Italian deli and market. While our guys were still eating, Ruth and I went about gathering our favorite items to refill the pantry shelves, tonno, (tuna packed in olive oil) pickled eggplant, olives, ricotta salata, (Italian cheese) and a few other things.
I ordered us cappuccini (plural) and took out the Godiva chocolate bar I purchased elsewhere. It was a bittersweet chocolate bar with sea salt, the perfect sweet bite to go with a cappuccino. I’ve enjoyed salted caramels, but this was a first for a salted chocolate … and I liked it … we all liked it!
The decision was made right then and there that I should make as many batches as it takes, which they volunteered to taste, to come up with a winner. Wanting to put an Italian twist on the fudge and nothing says Italian, like Nutella, my inspiration was born.
I basically followed the same Eagle Brand recipe, substituting roughly half of the chocolate with Nutella and adding butter for a really smooth texture as in Chocolate Ganache.
Ingredients:
- 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 (10-ounce) package bittersweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup Nutella
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- Line an 8 or 9-inch square pan with parchment paper, extending it over the edge of the pan about 2-inches. (If you grease the pan first with a bit of butter, the parchment stays in place).
- In a medium glass bowl, combine the condensed milk, vanilla, bittersweet chocolate chips and Nutella. Cut the butter into thin slices, add to bowl.
- Set the bowl of chocolate mixture on a medium size pot of gently simmering water. The water level should be low enough that the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Stir until the fudge mixture is smooth and all of the chocolate and butter has melted.
- With a rubber spatula, spread the mixture evenly into the parchment-lined pan. Once it is smooth, sprinkle with the sea salt, pressing it gently.
- Refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours.
To remove the fudge from the pan, I transfer it onto a cutting board by lifting the overlapped edges of the parchment paper.
To serve, cut into small squares, place in little paper cups and serve at room temperature … melts in your mouth!
For a sweet gift, place paper-filled fudge in a colorful tin.
