Coated with sparkly colored sugar and tied up with licorice ribbon, these creamy fudge squares resemble a stash of mini gift boxes. Your child can even make a batch with a handful of red and green spice drops, if she likes.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
- 3 cups semisweet chocolate morsels
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
- 1/3 cup each red and green spice drops, halved (optional)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
- Red and green decorative sugar
- Red Twizzlers Pull-n-Peel cherry licorice
Instructions
1. Have your child lightly coat an 8-inch square pan with cooking spray or oil. Line the pan with waxed paper, letting it hang several inches over opposite sides.
2. Tip: Lining the oiled pan with waxed paper makes for easy cleanup. Once the fudge is set, your child can simply grasp the ends of the paper to transfer the fudge to a cutting board. Then she can peel away the paper before cutting the fudge.
3. Melt the butter in a large, heavy saucepan over low heat. Stir in the condensed milk and heat briefly. Add the chocolate morsels. Let the mixture stand over very low heat for several minutes, until the morsels are melted, stirring only 2 or 3 times.
4. Remove the fudge from the heat and add the walnuts and spice drops (if desired), vanilla extract, and salt. Stir briefly to blend. Scrape the mixture into the prepared pan, then have your child spread it evenly with a spoon, smoothing the top.
5. Cool the fudge on a wire rack for about 30 minutes, then transfer the pan to the refrigerator. Chill the fudge uncovered until it is firm, at least 3 hours or overnight.
6. When you're ready to decorate the fudge, remove it from the pan and peel off the waxed paper. Cut the fudge into little squares (a couple of bites each). Cut a thin, flat channel across the bottom of each square -- this will help hold the licorice ribbon in place later.
7. Tip: To ensure that the squares lie flat once you tie on the candy ribbons, use a butter kinfe to carve a channel for the string licorice in the bottom of each.
8. Put enough colored sugar in a cereal bowl to cover the bottom. Press all sides of each fudge square into the sugar. Then cut a long piece of red string licorice and wrap it around the square. Tie the licorice ends in a simple bow on top. Transfer the mini gift boxes to a tin (or another container with a lid) and keep them chilled until serving or transporting. Makes about 2 dozen pieces.
Food , Recipes
