Bready or Not: Five-Minute Spicy Mexican Fudge
I am here today to preach about fudge inclusiveness as I share a recipe for Five Minute Spicy Mexican Fudge.
I do not sneer at some fudges as being “better” or “real.” To me, it does not matter if the fudge is produced on stove top with a candy thermometer, or with a jar of marshmallow cream, or melted in the microwave.
When it comes to fudge, what matters is this:
Does the fudge taste good? Is the texture pleasing to the palate? Does it make me mutter, “Calories be darned to heck,” and reach for another piece?
That is the criteria by which fudge should be judged.
That said, I present to you a fudge that is zapped in the microwave and assembled all of five minutes. Let it set in the fridge for a few hours, and ta-da! You have a fudge that will keep well for days. It also holds up well at room temperature if you’re serving it at a party.
The Mexican spice element comes from cinnamon and cayenne pepper. I used the minimal amount of pepper, 1/8 teaspoon, which provides complexity but absolutely no discernible heat. Tweak the scorch level to your personal taste. Do, however, sprinkle coarse salt to add some lovely contrast.
Originally featured at the Holy Taco Church. Recipe adapted from Wine and Glue.
Bready or Not: Five-Minute Spicy Mexican Fudge
Ingredients
- 3 cups milk chocolate chips about a bag and a half
- 14 ounce sweetened condensed milk can
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp cinnamon Mexican cinnamon preferred
- 1/8 - 3/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- kosher salt or coarse sea salt
Instructions
- Line an 8 or 9-inch square pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Lightly grease it.
- Use a microwave or sauce pan to melt together the chocolate and sweetened condensed milk. If you're using the microwave, use short bursts of 20-30 seconds and stir well between each.
- Once the chocolate mix is smooth, pour in the vanilla extract, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper. (Note that 1/8 teaspoon provides a little flavor, not much heat, so add cayenne and taste to adjust to desired heat level.)
- Immediately pour the fudge into the prepared pan. Smooth out to edges and sprinkle salt all over the top. Let set in fridge at least four hours before cutting. Keeps in covered dish in fridge for upwards of a week.
- OM NOM NOM!
Giftmas Bready or Not: Cake Batter White Chocolate Fudge (Microwave)
I’m offering a holiday-favorite Bready or Not recipe again to help kick off Rhonda Parrish’s Giftmas Blog Tour. Rhonda lives up in Edmonton, Alberta, and she’s hoping to raise funds for the Edmonton Food Bank. I’m all about helping to feed people! Please donate if you can. Note that funds are listed in Canadian dollars.
Rhonda is also doing a giveaway as part of the tour. She’s making a crocheted throw. The winner gets to choose the color, and she is shipping it anywhere in the world!
Wander around to other stops on the tour over the next week. I’ll post another favorite recipe at Eileen Bell’s site on the 10th!
This is a sweet cause, so here’s a recipe to make something especially sweet: microwave fudge that uses cake mix!
Eating this fudge is like licking the paddle after mixing up cake mix batter. If you prefer savory over sweet, this recipe isn’t for you. This is for the people who love fudge and frosting and all things sweet.
I didn’t limit myself to sprinkles in this. I had some Christmas candies, the type for topping cupcakes and such, that had been sealed away for a year. It had been a great post-holiday clearance buy. I wanted the containers GONE, so I pretty much dumped the contents into this fudge. That’s why you see little light bulb shaped candies in there.
This is obviously a great Christmas recipe, but it’s an easy one to customize year round depending on the colors you mix in. Make fudge to support your favorite sport team, or pink and red for Valentine’s Day, or pastels for spring. Cake mix goes on sale all year round, too, making this a pretty cheap recipe to throw together.
Whatever you add in, I’m sure it will be pretty. And delicious. So very, very delicious.
Modified from Sally’s Baking Addiction.
Bready or Not: Cake Batter White Chocolate Fudge (Microwave)
Ingredients
- 2 cups + 2 Tbsp white or yellow cake mix any brand, sifted
- 2 cups confectioners' sugar sifted
- 1/2 cup salted butter cut into chunks (or use unsalted and add a pinch of salt)
- 1/4 cup milk almond milk works
- 2/3 cup white chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup rainbow sprinkles/non pareils/jimmies
Instructions
- Line an 8×8 baking pan with aluminum foil or parchment and spray with nonstick spray. Set aside. Measure the white chocolate chips and the sprinkles in separate dishes so they are ready to add quickly.
- Mix sifted cake mix and powdered sugar in a large bowl. Add milk and butter, without stirring, and microwave for 2 minutes.
- Promptly mix ingredients until the butter is fully melted and incorporated. The batter will be very thick. Fold in white chocolate. Add the sprinkles last and stir gently so they don't leak too much color.
- Scoop into prepared baking pan. Level it across the top. Chill the fudge in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before cutting into small blocks.
- Fudge will keep upwards of a week in the fridge, if it lasts that long.
OM NOM NOM
Read More
Bready or Not: Maple Walnut White Chocolate Cookies
These Maple Walnut White Chocolate Cookies are light, crisp, and full of maple goodness.
Story prompts inspire stories. Cookbooks inspire new spins on already-great recipes. In this case, I found my inspiration in the cookbook MAPLE, which also provided the basis for my Maple Pear Galette and part of my Maple Apple Pie (aka Voltron Pie).
I loved the look of the original recipe, but right off the top, I knew I needed to make some adaptations. I don’t keep whole wheat pastry flour around. I decided to substitute with cake flour since it was also lower in gluten.
As a result, the cookies are surprisingly light and crisp. However, this also means they can overcook–and fast! Keep an eye on them as they near the end of baking time. Better to have them slightly underdone when you pull them from the oven, as they’ll finish cooking on the cookie sheet.
I also went with white chocolate rather than milk or dark chocolate. I find the mellowness of white chocolate better works with maple flavor.
Now, maple sugar can be pricy stuff at supermarkets, if you can find it at all. I buy it in bulk at Amazon. If you glance through my maple recipes, you’ll find plenty of ways to use it up!
Walnuts–and other nuts–are easy to roast in your oven. Line a rimmed pan with foil. Add the nuts in an even layer. Bake at 350-degrees for like 7 to 10 minutes, shifting them once sometime in there, until the nuts are fragrant. Let’em cool, then use them or eat them.
The combination of flavors here–maple, white chocolate, walnuts–makes these the perfect cookies for autumn.
… Except, well, if you know me, I believe in summoning up the goodness of maple all year round. Awesome things shouldn’t be confined to one season.
Bready or Not: Maple Walnut White Chocolate Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 cup maple sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 Tablespoons avocado oil or canola oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup cake flour
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
- 1 cup walnuts roasted and chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 375-degrees. Prepare baking sheets with parchment paper or a silpat mat.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter and maple sugar until creamy. Beat in the egg followed by the oil and vanilla. Scrape the sides of the bowl.
- In another bowl, whisk together the two flours, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the butter mix until they are just combined. Stir in the white chocolate chips and walnuts.
- Use a tablespoon scoop to dole out dough onto the prepared sheet pan, leaving space for each cookie to spread. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, or until cookies puff and are just turning golden--watch them carefully at the end, as they can overcook quickly! Let them cool on the sheet about ten minutes and then transfer to a rack to completely cool.
- OM NOM NOM!
Read More
Bready or Not: Pumpkin Nutella Swirl Muffins
Some foods are delicious but not particularly photogenic. These Pumpkin Nutella Swirl Muffins, however, have it all going on.
Chocolate and pumpkin are a fantastic pairing. Nutella works so well here, creating a shiny chocolatey cap to these bright orange muffins.
The texture of these is magnificent: cakey and fresh, with a light pumpkin taste. Plus Nutella. We can’t forget the Nutella.
Speaking of which… if your Nutella is older or you’re near the bottom of the jar, it can be lumpy and hard to spread. To fix that, put the Nutella in a microwave-safe dish and give it a zap in the microwave.
Trust me, that lumpy Nutella may still be delicious, but you want it to be soft enough to create a beautiful swirl on these muffins!
Modified from The Novice Chef.
Bready or Not: Pumpkin Nutella Swirl Muffins
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar packed
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 Tablespoons milk or almond milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup Nutella or other hazelnut cocoa spread
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Line muffin pan with liners and apply nonstick spray.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- In large bowl, combine the pumpkin puree, white sugar, and brown sugar. Beat in the egg, vegetable oil, milk, and vanilla extract. Slowly mix in the dry mixture until it is just blended.
- Add the batter to the muffin pan, filling each about 3/4 full. Top each muffin with about a teaspoon of Nutella and use a butter knife to swirl it into the batter.
- Bake muffins for 14-16 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in a center muffin comes out clean.
- Serve warm or at room temperature. Store in a sealed container.
- OM NOM NOM!
Read More
Bready or Not: Chocolate Chip Pecan Pumpkin Pudding Cookies
Every fall, I like to bake goodies using Jell-O’s Pumpkin Spice Pudding. Every fall, I’m frustrated when Walmart doesn’t carry it until later in October, and not for long.
This stuff is like a secret weapon if you love autumn flavors. Pudding mix of any kind creates extra softness and a lovely texture whether you’re making cookies or bundt cake; this version adds delicate pumpkin and spice flavors, plus a lovely shade of orange.
This cookie dough doesn’t need to be chilled. Just whip it together and bake. The resulting cookies are plump, soft, and downright pretty to behold. Oh yeah–another advantage of using pudding mix is that the cookies stay soft and fresh for upward of a week.
Other Bready or Not recipes featuring both pumpkin flavor and pudding mix:
– Pumpkin Pudding Snickerdoodle Cookies (pumpkin spice mix)
– Pumpkin and Pudding Mix Pound Cake (vanilla pudding mix)
Modified from Boys Ahoy.
Bready or Not: Chocolate Chip Pecan Pumpkin Pudding Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 cup unsalted butter 2 sticks, room temperature
- 3/4 cup brown sugar packed
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 3.4 oz Jell-O Instant Pumpkin Spice Pudding 1 box
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup pecans chopped
- 1 cup milk chocolate chips or semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350-degrees.
- Combine flour and baking soda in a small bowl; set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream together butter and both sugars. Beat in pudding mix until blended, followed by the eggs and vanilla extract.
- Add the flour mixture. Stir in pecans and chocolate chips until just combined.
- Using a cookie dough scooper, place dough on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 -10 minutes. Let cookies cool for 5 minutes on baking sheet before moving to a cooking rack. Store in air-tight container. Makes two dozen.
- OM NOM NOM!
Read More
Bready or Not: Triple Chocolate Pumpkin Cake
Triple Chocolate Pumpkin Cake created something of a sensation at my husband’s work. Imagine profanity-laden joyful proclamations about this being the best cake ever.
The thing that surprised me most about their feedback was that they didn’t even realize there was pumpkin in the cake. It was all about the chocolate and the sheer moistness of the cake itself.
Well, the secret to that tender crumb: canned pumpkin puree. Ta-da!
The chocolate IS the star here. I mean, there’s a reason the name starts with “triple chocolate.” You have cocoa and chocolate chips in the cake, and a chocolate glaze that is also topped with chocolate chips.
Does that mean this should really be called a “quadruple chocolate pumpkin cake?” Dang it. I’m a writer. Don’t expect me to do math.
Modified from A Dash of Sanity.
Bready or Not: Triple Chocolate Pumpkin Cake
Ingredients
To Coat Pan
- 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 Tablespoon cocoa sifted
Cake
- 2 cups white sugar
- 3/4 cup oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 eggs room temperature
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 cup cocoa sifted
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 cup milk almondmilk works
- 15 ounces pumpkin puree
- 3/4 cup chocolate chips
Glaze
- 3 Tablespoons butter diced
- 3/4 cup dark chocolate chips or semi-sweet
- 1 Tablespoon light corn syrup
- 2 Tablespoons mini chocolate chips for topping
Instructions
- Prepare the bundt pan. In the microwave, melt the tablespoon of butter. Stir in the tablespoon of sifted cocoa to make a paste. Use a pastry brush to completely coat the inside of the pan. Set aside.
- Preheat oven at 325-degrees. In a large bowl, mix together sugar, oil, vanilla extract, and eggs.
- In a separate bowl combine flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, sifted cocoa, and cinnamon. Gradually add the flour mix to the sugar mix.
- Mix in the milk and pumpkin puree. Once everything is just combined, stir in the chocolate chips. Pour thick batter into the ready bundt pan.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until it passes the toothpick test.
- Set pan on rack for about ten minutes and remove pan by upending the cake onto the rack. Let it completely cool.
- Once the cake is cool, make the glaze. In a small microwave-safe bowl, place the butter, chocolate chips, and corn syrup. Heat for 30 seconds or so and stir thoroughly, then briefly heat again if needed to finish melting.
- Use a spoon to drizzle the glaze onto the cake, spreading it around as needed. Sprinkle mini chocolate chips on top to finish it off. Set in fridge to set for several hours or overnight--chocolate cakes are better after a day (if you can restrain yourself that long)!
- OM NOM NOM!
