I miss you! You haven't been posting! I know I am not the only baking Baker sister. Share!
Okay, so, I called this fudge Love Potion fudge because it will seriously make people love you. Not that you have any problems with that, but if you ever find yourself wishing people liked you more, feed them this fudge. They will be defenseless.Once again, this recipe is not my own - I found at at Cookin' Canuck and I am grateful I did. Please note that the fudge in her pictures is much cleaner-cut and firmer than mine here. It was approximately 14 bajillion degrees in my kitchen when I made this, so hot that my stashes of baking and melting chocolates were melting in my cabinets. And this is with the AC running. The fudge was still delicious, and other batches have come out a little firmer. It has a pleasantly silky texture from the Nutella, and because it's a sweetened condensed milk fudge you don't have to worry about that gritty feel fudge can get. I sometimes use a thermometer when I'm making it, but sometimes I don't and it comes out fine. It's really that easy.
I use the fleur de sel Mom sent me on top of it, because that salt works great with chocolate and I use it on anything that could reasonably be salted. I imagine any sea salt would work. I do find that this salt will melt if I store the fudge in an airtight container for more than a few hours, so something with a bigger grain (or a cardboard candy box for storage) might help. The salt really brings out the sweetness of the chocolate, so I wouldn't leave it out.
Chocolate Nutella Fudge with Sea Salt
Basic fudge recipe by Giada De Laurentiis
Butter, for greasing pan
1 (14 oz. ) can sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
8 oz. high-quality bittersweet (60% cacao) chocolate chips
1 cup Nutella, room temperature
3 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
Sea salt, approximately 1/2 tsp
Grease the bottom and sides of an 8- by 8-inch baking pan with butter. Line the pan with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overlap on the sides.
In a medium glass or stainless steel bowl, stir together sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, bittersweet chocolate chips, Nutella, and butter.
Form a double-boiler by setting the bowl on a medium pot of gently simmering water. (Note for Celia and readers: I do not do this. I am bad. I just use a nice, sturdy pot and cook it all in there and I have had no mishaps.) The water level should be low enough that the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. Stir until the chocolate chips are melted and the mixture is smooth, 5 to 7 minutes.
Scrape the mixture into the prepared pan, spread the top smooth with a spatula, and sprinkle with sea salt. Refrigerate until the fudge is firm, at least 2 hours.
Run a knife under hot water, dry it off, and run it around the edges of the pan to loosen the fudge. Using the overhanging parchment paper, lift the fudge out. Peel off the parchment paper. Cut the fudge into 3/4-inch squares. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container or wrapped well in plastic wrap and foil.
Makes approximately 50 3/4-inch squares.
Have you been baking anything lately? I also want to share some garlic bread I made tonight and nommed on while reading Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. I haven't read the books since the last one came out, and I realized while watching the last movie that I no longer had any clue what happens in the last four. So I'm re-reading them all! And um, Hogwarts SERIOUSLY needs a better bullying policy. Dumbledore is great and all, but I would NOT allow that kind of nonsense in my school. Just for the record.
Much love!
Amanda
