Gifts from the Kitchen: Cinnamon Chocolate Fudge

This is one of the very first recipes I made that scared the pants off of me before I tried it. Fudge? No way. I can't make candy-remember that time you tried to make caramel and destroyed a saucepan and a candy thermometer in less than 20 minutes? Was that just me? Darn.
(Psst! Stocking stuff ideas honey-Candy thermometer and a new spatula too! Told you I wouldn't be subtle this year :) )
But back to the fudge. I had just assumed that it would be complicated to make since in my mind it falls into that candy category. Then I stumbled on this recipe by Giada De Laurentiis and realized that it's not all that different from making brownies.

This immediately became one of my standby recipes. Forgot about that class party or squadron potluck this afternoon?  Or teacher gifts? Those get me every year! Just pop a few in a little bag with pretty bow and you're all set.
Chances are you have everything for this in your pantry. All you need is 10 minutes of prep time and a few hours for it to refrigerate.
Extra credit-everyone will be so impressed that you made fudge. Just don't tell them how easy it was!


Cinnamon Chocolate Fudge

barely adapted from Giada De Laurentiis

Ingredients:
10 oz bittersweet chocolate chips
6 oz semisweet chocolate*
14 oz can of sweetened condensed milk
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into large slices
Large pinch of sea salt (optional)

Prepare a small baking pan (8x8 or similar size) by coating with non stick spray and then cutting a piece of parchment paper to fit with some hanging over the side.

Bring a small saucepan full of water to a boil. In a metal or glass bowl large enough to sit in the saucepan but not touch the water below place the chocolate and the butter. Stir until both the chocolate and butter are completely melted. Pour in condensed milk, vanilla and cinnamon and stir until everything is completely combine and mixture is smooth.

Pour into prepared pan and sprinkle salt lightly over the chocolate. Place in fridge until hardened. (3 hours minimum, overnight is even easier)

*You can use all of one type of chocolate or the other, or mix it to your preference.

Biscoff Fudge

I was going to save this recipe until next week but after eating pretty much the whole container in the last 48 hours I decided it wasn't very nice to make you wait for it. When I first discovered Biscoff I made what became my favorite cookie recipe and I didn't bother to try any other recipes because I had the one. Earlier this week I planned on making those cookies, but I was out of oats. Since we're in the midst of this lovely government shutdown, the commissary is closed and I just couldn't bear to go to Walmart at lunchtime. Ugh. The craziness there makes my head spin. 

So I dug around a little bit until I found some other recipes that used Biscoff and then found this fudge. SCORE. Like the cookies, it's no bake, and comes together in a matter of minutes. It tastes just like you'd expect-a more solid, portable form of the spread. That's pretty awesome for those of us who could eat Biscoff by the spoonful out of the jar. It's sweet and a little bit rich, but that didn't stop us from eating most of the batch in one sitting! 

Somehow I don't think the leftovers will make it through the rest of today. 

Biscoff Fudge
adapted from Sugarcrafter

Ingredients:
1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)
1 cup biscoff
pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups powdered sugar, sifted

Prep an 8x8 pan by lining it with a piece of parchment paper or aluminum foil. Cut the piece so that some hangs over the edges of the pan. (This will make it easier to list the fudge out of the pan.) Spray the paper/foil with a nonstick spray and set aside.
Melt butter and biscoff in a saucepan together over medium heat, stirring continuously. Once completely smooth, add in the vanilla and salt. Slowly pour in the powdered sugar, mixing as you go. Once it is totally incorporated, pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Smooth the surface with a knife or the back of a spoon.
Put the pan in the fridge to cool until firm. Cut into bite size pieces and serve!