Holiday Fudge

Christmas is a great time to focus on homemade treats that add a little something special to holiday parties and gatherings.

I have never been much of a Christmas cookie baker, but one thing I always make is our family recipe fudge. (I say it is our family recipe, but it is really from the Kendall County Farmer's Cookbook from 1952 or something--we have just been making it for 50+ years). I cannot remember a year where I didn't help prepare the fudge--even little ones can help stir in the chocolate. So, here is our family recipe. Follow the directions exactly, and it is foolproof.

Grudge Fudge (a silly name, I know, but that is what it has always been called--maybe because people will hold a grudge if you don't offer them any?)

Combine in a heavy (and large) saucepan:

4 1/2 cups granulated sugar
12oz can of unsweetened evaporated milk

Stir the milk and sugar until blended.

Heat the milk and sugar mixture on medium heat, stirring regularly, until the mixture starts to boil. It will be kind of foamy on top as it is heating up and you are stirring, but the bubbles will get bigger once it reaches boiling point.

Boil for EXACTLY 9 minutes, stirring constantly. The mixture scorches really easily if you don't keep stirring. Also, the mixture really increases in volume when you are boiling and you definitely don't want it to boil over!!

After 9 minutes, remove the pot from the heat.

Add 2 sticks of butter (1/2 pound), 28 large marshmallows, 2 tsp. vanilla, and 3 cups of chocolate chips (or peanut butter chips or butterscotch or whatever chip combination you like, just so long as it equals 3 cups).

Stir the mixture until it is well blended. If you want to add nuts, you can stir two cups in at this point. You could probably also stir in some crushed candy canes for a minty kick, but it is totally a matter of personal preference.

Pour everything into either a 15X9 jelly roll pan (greased) or several smaller containers (not plastic, as it could melt or get soft). If you pour it into other containers, make sure it is about 1 inch deep.

The fudge starts to firm up as soon as it begins to cool, but I like to give it three or four days to really solidify so it cuts into nice squares.

Voila--rich, delicious, homemade fudge. And it takes less than half an hour.