Fudge and Fruit Bread: Another look at Christmas Desserts

I've already told you about the cream cheese cookie press cookies and the cranberry bread on the dessert table that was such a hit this year but one of the biggest surprise hits was the fudge.  Our family tradition is all about the peanut butter fudge. No one in my family even gives a flying flip about chocolate fudge, weird as that makes us, just peanut butter.  However, I was feeling a little lonely for MY favorite flavor and decided to make a go at it:  white chocolate maple.  Yum.

Thought I'd share a couple more pics from Christmas:

This is the kids all cracking up but I couldn't figure out why until Sydney signed to me that Suzanne (my sister) was making finger signs behind my head.  Duh.  I'm so slow on the uptake!

I can't remember if I ever showed pics of the Christmas food tables so sorry if this is a repeat but I'm going to do it again:

The meat:  from honeybaked ham:  ham and smoked turkey breast, from Auntie Miranda:  crown pork roast--beautiful, huh? She did such a great job and it was delicious!

For the rest of the food table see if you notice what Gene did:

I didn't even notice until Gene said something but with the au gratin potatoes, mac/cheese, deviled eggs, potato salad, and pasta salad, we sure seemed to have a lot of yellow and orange foods, didn't we?  Hmmm...didn't stop anyone from chowing down.  :-)

And here's the dessert and appetizer table. I thought it looked really nice with the nativity and stuff:

Now back to the fudge.

I could lie and say I made this from scratch but when do I lie about a shortcut?  So the truth is that next year, now that I know the flavors work, I'll make it from scratch but for this year I used the Kraft Fantasy Fudge recipe on the back of the Marshmallow Creme jar:

Kraft Fantasy Fudge with Glenna's Substitutions

3 cups sugar

3/4 cup butter (1 1/2 sticks)

1 small can (5 oz) evaporatoed milk

1 jar Jet-puffed Marhsmallow Creme

1 tsp vanilla

Additions/Substitutions

1 package Nestle White Chocolate chips (replaces the regular chocolate squares or chips)

3 Tbsp real maple syrup

1 tsp maple flavoring

1 cup chopped walnuts

Line 9" square pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides of pan, set aside.  Place sugar, butter, and milk in large heavy saucepan. Bring to full rolling boil on medium heat, stirring constantly.  Boil 4 minutes or until  candy thermometer reaches 234 degrees F.  Stir constantly to prevent scorching.  Remove from heat.

Add chocolat and marhsmallow creme, stir until completely melted. Add walnuts, vanilla, maple syrup, and maple flavoring.

Pour immediately into prepared pan, spread to form even layer.  Let stand at room temperatore 4 hours or until completely coolked. Cut into 1" squares. Store in tightly covered container. 

Makes 3 lbs or 40 servings, about 2 squares each.

Comments

[DaviMack]

Due to a childhood "accident" involving me consuming most of a jar of that whipped topping, I'm going to have to wait 'til the "real" recipe comes by - it's been more than 20 years and I STILL can't stand to think about that stuff!

The rest of the food looks great, though, and it looks like you had a lot of fun! Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and hope you're doing well!

[Deborah Dowd]

I need blogs with pictures of veggies and water, not baked goods and sweets! Any recipes for rice cakes?! Glad you had a great holiday, even though some of it was spent at work... but that is almost inevitable in the health care field!

[sher]

Good Lord! I'm averting my eyes from all those goodies! Way too tempting.

[Glenna]

David--Hmmm...how does one "accidentally" consume a whole jar of marshmallow creme? :-)

Deborah--yeah, yeah...we'll get there...:-) I'm eating that stuff, just haven't worked up to looking at it on the blog yet!

Sher--LOL! I know. Sucks to be in January.

[Sorina]

Great recipe love it :) thanks looking forward to more recipes

[Holli Meadows]

Where's the banana thingy???? **sniffles** i'm saddened :( LOL I prolly just can't find it cuz i'm ditzy at the moment lol

[Glenna]

Sorina--Thanks!

Holli--So sorry. The pics on that didn't come out at all. They were too blurry to see what it was!