Easy Maple Nut Fudge-12 Days of Christmas Treats

I love the frosting that comes on maple bars.  This easy fudge is reminiscent of that frosting.  It goes together in less than 10 minutes if the nuts have already been chopped and toasted.  I chop and toast a large batch of nuts at a time and keep them handy in my refrigerator.  Either walnuts or pecans work well in this recipe.  10 minutes of real work and a couple of hours of wait time, and you have another delicious flavor to include in candy gifts.

The maple extract is listed as optional, but you will get a more pronounced maple flavor if you use it.  Measure and then sift the confectioner's sugar.  I actually like to put the sugar through a fine sieve using the back of a spoon

This is a softer fudge than usual, so I keep it well, wrapped in the fridge, cutting it and letting it set to firm up a bit when I serve it.

Maple Nut Fudge
1/4 c butter or margarine (I always use butter)
1/2 c. pure maple syrup
1 T. milk
1 t. vanilla extract
1/2 t. maple extract (opt.)
4 1/2 c. confectioners’ sugar, sifted or put through a sieve
1 c. chopped, toasted pecans or walnuts

Line an 8 or 9-inch square pan with aluminum foil.  Spray with non-stick spray.  Melt butter in a large, heavy saucepan over medium-low heat.  Add maple syrup, milk, vanilla and maple extract.  Stir till well blended.  Remove from heat, add confectioners’ sugar, stirring until sugar is well incorporated and the mixture is smooth.  Stir in pecans or walnuts.  Turn into prepared pan and spread evenly.  Chill in refrigerator until firm.  I like to store this, well-wrapped and uncut in the refrigerator, cutting the fudge as needed and letting it set a while to firm up.  Makes 64 1-inch squares.

Velveeta Fudge-12 Days of Easy Sweets

When I was growing up, my mother always had a box of Velveeta in the fridge.  It was what our grilled “cheese” sandwiches were made from.  Mom also made Velveeta fudge at Christmas time.  In recent years, in my effort to try to eat more healthy, I have rarely purchased Velveeta.  Recently, however, I picked up a box to use in making Pork Sausage Meatloaf.  I had some left over and decided to make some fudge in memory of my mom.

This fits under the quick and easy recipe category that I like.  The Velveeta serves to make the fudge smooth and creamy.  There is no “cheesy” taste to the fudge, so no one will ever know that Velveeta is in there if they are not told.  I took a pan of this to work, and it was gone before my 4-hour shift was over.

Velveeta Fudge
1 c. (2 sticks ) butter, cut into 8 slices each
8 oz. pasteurized process cheese, Velveeta, cubed
1 1/2 lbs. confectioners’ sugar, about 5 c.unsifted.
1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa
1/2 c non-fat dry milk
2 t. vanilla extract
1 c. toasted, chopped walnuts or pecans

Place butter and Velveeta cubes in a large, heavy saucepan.  Place over medium-low heat and cook until butter and cheese are both melted, stirring frequently.  Meanwhile, measure and sift  confectioners’ sugar into a large mixing bowl.  Add cocoa and dry milk and mix well.  When butter and cheese are melted, remove saucepan from heat and add vanilla.  Mix well.  Stir in sugar/cocoa/dry milk mixture and mix until very well blended.  Add nuts and mix well.  Turn into a 9-inch square pan that has been lined with foil.  Chill in fridge until firm.  Cut into 1-inch squares.  Makes about 64 pieces.  Store tightly covered in refrigerator.

Chocolate and Vanilla Waffle Cookies-Improv Challenge

I am back with my post for the other challenge I participate in.  The ingredients Kristen, from Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker, chose for this month's Improv Challenge were chocolate and vanilla.

There is chocolate and vanilla in many recipes, but I decided that I would play the combination up a bit by adapting a Chocolate Waffle Cookie recipe to be a two-tone cookie with one side being vanilla flavored.  Although the baking process is a bit time-consuming, waffle cookies are a great treat to make in the summer time when it is hot, and you don't want to use the oven.  Waffle cookies make a more cookie-like cookie than many no-bake recipes.  These cookies are soft and cake-like.  My waffle iron makes 4 cookies at a time.  If you have a family-size waffle iron, you can probably make 8 at a time.

Chocolate and Vanilla Waffle Cookies
1 c. sugar
2/3 c. butter, softened
2 eggs, at room temperature
2 t. vanilla, divided
1 1/2 c. flour plus 3 T.
1/4 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
1/2 c. milk
3 T cocoa powder
1/2 c. chopped nuts (optional)
1 c. sifted powdered sugar
3 T. water or milk

In large mixing bowl, combine sugar and butter and beat until creamy.  Add egg and vanilla and beat well.  Combine flour, baking powder and salt.  Add 1/3 of the flour mixture to sugar/egg mixture mix well.  Add 1/2 of the milk and beat well.  Continue adding flour mixture and milk in this manner ending with the flour mixture.  Divide dough, placing half of it in a small mixing bowl.  Add cocoa powder to one of the bowls of dough mixing until well blended.  Add 1 t.vanilla and the 3 T. flour to the other half of the dough and mix well.  Add chopped nuts, if using, dividing them evenly between dough halves.  Heat waffle iron according to the manufacturer’s instructions.  Drop a teaspoon of chocolate dough into two opposite corners of each waffle grid.  Drop a teaspoon of white dough next to the chocolate dough.  Close lid and cook until the waffle iron indicates cookies are done.  Gently remove the cookies with a fork and transfer to a wire rack to cool.  Combine powdered sugar and water to make a smooth glaze.  Brush glaze over the cookies.  Let set.  Transfer to a zip-top bag to store.  Makes about 3 dozen.

September's Improv ingredients are pasta and cheese.  If you would like to join in the fun, you can find all the details on Kristen's Improv Page.

To see what other bloggers have made with chocolate and vanilla, check out the links below.

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