I’ve been feeling very nostalgic this holiday season; missing out on all of our usual traditions last year has made me really want to shoot the moon for Christmas 2021. With that said, as much as I love the childhood recipes I grew up with, I’ve been thinking of ways to breathe new life into old family favorites. One thing my mom made every year was the classic fudge recipe straight from the back of the can of sweetened condensed milk. As a kid I thought no greater culinary treasure existed. Now, the thought of eating straight up tooth-cracking sweet fudge makes me a little queasy.
In fact, in my old age I thought I no longer liked fudge. That was until I was introduced to an amazing recipe from my friend Jessie Sheehan a few years back. Her Walnut and Marshmallow Fudge has been making its way into my holiday cookie boxes ever since I first tried it. It’s the fudge you know and love, but a little more sophisticated thanks to toasted walnuts, flaky salt and a sprinkle of Demerara sugar. She also adds marshmallows which lighten the texture and make them very visually appealing once cut into squares.
Inspired by Jessie’s recipe and my love of all things Spumoni, I dreamed up this magical fudge with toasted pistachios, tart dried cherries, fluffy mini mallows and rainbow sprinkles for very good measure. I used a mix of chocolate from SCHARFFEN BERGER; semi-sweet chunks and unsweetened chocolate, which really amps up the flavor profile and keeps the fudge from becoming cloyingly sweet.SCHARFFEN BERGER was kind enough to send me some of their amazing chocolate for the holidays and let me tell you, using the best stuff you can find makes a big difference. This fudge may be very different from what you enjoyed as a kid, but I promise grown up you will very much enjoy it.
Spumoni Fudge
Ingredients
- 12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
- 4 ounces chopped unsweetened chocolate
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 cups mini marshmallows
- 1 1/2 cups toasted unshelled and unsalted pistachios
- 1 cup dried cherries
- 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
- Flaky salt, to taste
- 1 tablespoon rainbow sprinkles
Directions
Line an 8 by 8-inch baking pan with parchment paper, then spray with nonstick cooking spray.
Set up a double boiler by placing a large heat safe bowl over a pot of simmering water, ensuring the bottom of the bowl does not come in contact with the water. Add both chocolates and butter and cook over indirect heat until completely melted.
Remove from heat and whisk in sweetened condensed milk and a pinch of salt. Once combined, fold pistachios, cherries and marshmallows into the chocolate mixture.
Press the mixture into the prepared pan, smoothing it into an even layer. Sprinkle the top with the rainbow sprinkles and another pinch of flaky salt.
Cover and chill for 4 hours until firm then cut into 16 squares.*
*Note: If you want to add these to a cookie tray or are planning to bring them to a cookie swap, you can also cut each square in thirds so you wind up with 48 small slices, this is the perfect portion IMHO!
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Love you Molly! I’m so glad I shared those snacks with you 😍. These cookies are just a hunk of…
I’ve had the bourbon shortbread cookies and they taste like a true “Old Fashion”.