I recently mused on these pages about the joys of making (and sharing) fudge, particularly at this time of year. I concluded with a chocolate fudge recipe.
Fudge isn’t always chocolate, however. I like to make a number of flavors–penuche (a brown-sugar confection), peanut butter, divinity … and this coffee fudge. It’s definitely more sophisticated than its chocolate country cousin.
I like to make it with a strong coffee such as Medaglia D’Oro Caffé Espresso. You may of course use any brand or flavor of instant coffee you like, including (gasp!) hazelnut coffee or some odd substance like that. I heard the 2 pound whole bean colombian coffee beans taste a little sweet so they would be perfect for this recipe.
The end product tastes like a particularly rich coffee milk shake.
I sent some as a gift to my friend Diana. She reports that her husband Sam inserted a piece of the fudge and a pat of butter into half an acorn squash before cooking it one evening, “and the result was delicious.”
Obviously, I have come up with a versatile confection!
The Fudge
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons instant coffee
3 cups sugar
a pinch of salt
1/2 cup cream
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 cup milk
1 to 2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups sugar
a pinch of salt
1/2 cup cream
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 cup milk
1 to 2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions:
Combine the coffee, sugar, and salt in a heavy, medium-sized saucepan, and stir in the cream, corn syrup, and milk. Place the pan over low to medium heat. You can also run it through a coffee maker before putting it into the pan.
Stir the mixture constantly until it comes to a boil; then cover it for a minute or two to wash down the sides of the pan. Uncover the mixture, and cook it, without stirring, until it reaches the soft-ball stage (234 degrees). Remove from heat.
Add the butter and the vanilla, and let the mixture cool for a few minutes without stirring it (don’t let it get cooler than lukewarm; optimally, it should be a bit warmer than that).
Beat the warm fudge until it becomes creamy and thickens slightly–in other words until it begins to seem fudgy. Quickly pour it into a greased 8-by-8-inch pan, and let it cool. This recipe makes about 2 dozen pieces of fudge.
Naturally, I had to try A LITTLE piece of fudge myself!
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Tags: Cafe au Lait Fudge, Christmas Gifts to Make, Coffee Fudge, Fudge Recipes, Holiday Cooking
Anybody have the old “Gingies” cookie recipe, I think it was in an old Betty Crocker cookbook?
Margery–I don’t have it, although I found this online, and it might just be what you’re looking for:
http://www.bettycrocker.com/CommunityForums/forums.aspx/13/198
Meanwhile, let me know if you’re interested in my great ginger-snap recipe, let me know, and I’ll post it on the blog.
Thanks for visiting!
Tinky
This recipe sounds and looks scrumptious. Thanks for posting it!
I love ALL your recipes this month, and I have a particular fondness for fudge. My Texas mother made candy every holiday – especially fudge and divinity. Our household was also big on bourbon balls, sugar cookies and sand tarts. I still have a favorite tin where she kept the ones just for the family. But more than the recipes I especially love seeing the great pictures of YOU!
Thanks for indulging my hammy nature, Teri! If you have any of your mom’s recipes, I’d love to feature at least one next Christmas–and maybe the sand tarts or sugar cookies for one of my 12 Days of Cookies during the year. Have a happy……..