by I am continuing with Holiday Appetizer Week. This time we are changing things up a bit. When it comes to bite size food, people usually forget about dessert. Granted most desserts are finger food, but not many are bite size. So I decided to make little bite sized squares of fudge. Fudge is the perfect bite sized finger food. It is small, rich and delicious. Just a little bit of fudge goes a long way. Thus, it is more bang for the buck. The perfect single bite to end an amazing meal.
Serve it in paper cupcake cups or just stacked on a plate.
Chocolate Fudge – From Alton Brown
- 2 3/4 cups sugar
- 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
- 3 tablespoons butter, plus more for greasing pan
- 1 cup half-and-half
- 1 tablespoon corn syrup
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup chopped, roasted nuts, optional
In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the sugar, chocolate, 1 1/2 tablespoons of the butter, half-and-half, and corn syrup. I know it is a lot of sugar and it doesn’t appear brown, but don’t worry. It will end up being the most amazing fudge ever.
Over medium heat, stir with a wooden spoon until sugar is dissolved and chocolate is melted. Make sure that all of the sugar is dissolved. You do not want grainy fudge.
Increase heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and boil for 3 minutes. Remove the cover and attach a candy thermometer to the pot. Use any kitchen thermometer that you have that will read to around 234 degrees. I didn’t have a candy thermometer but I had a deep frying thermometer that hit that temperature. Note – next Christmas I could use a candy thermometer.
Cook until the thermometer reads 234 degrees F.  Remove from the heat and add the remaining butter. Do not stir. Let the mixture cool for 10 minutes or until it drops to 130 degrees F.
After 10 minutes, add vanilla and nuts and mix until well-blended and the shiny texture becomes matte. You will see a noticeable change in the texture of the chocolate. Don’t worry, just keep stirring.
Grease an 8 by 8-inch pan with butter. Pour into the prepared pan. Let sit in cool dry area until firm. I know what you are thinking but there should be enough fudge left in the pan and on the spatula to keep your cravings at bay. Cut into 1-inch pieces and serve. If you want you can make this up to a week ahead of time as long as you store it in an airtight container.
On a side note, that chocolate was boiling so wait a few minutes before licking the bowl clean. I may have burned my index finger and tongue. Ok, I burned the heck out of them, but it was well worth it. The fudge was amazing. Although it has been 4 days and I literally haven’t tasted anything since the fudge. Live and learn.
This is a great little dessert for a party or the perfect treat to leave out for Santa. He told me he loves fudge. After eating so many cookies, it is nice to have something a little different.
Tip – If serving at a party, place each individual square into a paper cupcake liner. Then place the liners onto a tray and serve.
