This gorgeous, swirled peppermint fudge is perfectly flavored with vanilla and peppermint and so easy to make all season long.
This is a sponsored post for Nielsen-Massey Vanillas®, but all opinions and ideas are my own.
peppermint fudge
For a fun food blogger, this is my season. From fall through winter, there are so many reasons to celebrate and so many reasons to get in the kitchen, especially to make gifts for those in your life.
Creating food for others lets them know they are worth your time, your investment, your joy.
This peppermint fudge is so simple to make, and you’ll surround yourself with the flavors and aromas of the season as you mix up batch after batch for your friends and family.
Making my own treats and desserts to give is a must, because it immediately personalizes a gift. An otherwise boring gift card is made so much better when it’s packaged with a homemade dessert.
Every year I bring the kids in the kitchen with me to bake and create treats for their grandparents, and their “I made it myself” gifts are the most coveted because they are giving the gift of time and love and their own creativity (and sweets!).
the importance of the flavors
This peppermint fudge needs only a few ingredients, and the gorgeous swirl of chocolate evokes the nostalgia of beautiful peppermint candy.
Because there are so few ingredients, the key to the fudge’s success is the flavoring. I recommend Nielsen-Massey’s Pure Vanilla Extract and Nielsen-Massey’s Pure Peppermint Extract.
I’ve used their flavors and extracts for years, and they are my favorites because of the consistent high-quality.
The Pure Vanilla Extract goes quickly in my house.
This family-owned company, Nielsen-Massey Vanillas, uses as few ingredients as possible to let the vanilla’s natural essence shine (they use a proprietary cold-extraction process instead of heat extraction to preserve all of the 300-plus distinctive flavor compounds present in vanilla beans, and all the beans are examined by hand so they really are of the finest quality you can get).
The entire process, from planting to market, can take five to six years!
The beans are aged for months in wooden boxes to allow the complex flavors to emerge.
The flavor extracts use the same process to gently extract the delicate flavor without losing any of the sweetness or richness of the original ingredient.
The mint for the Pure Peppermint Extract is made from mint grown under the strictest quality standards. And Nielsen-Massey’s products are all-natural, GMO-free, certified gluten-free, certified Kosher, and allergen-free so… yeah.
Best extracts ever.
For more recipes, follow Nielsen-Massey Vanillas on facebook, twitter, pinterest, and instagram.
homemade gift idea
If you have another fellow baker with whom you exchange recipes or tales from the kitchen, the perfect homemade gift idea is some peppermint fudge packaged with extracts so they can make their own.
And feel free to craft a recipe card from my recipe shared below.
Because of the quality of these extracts, they are a wonderful gift for a baker.
Here, I package the peppermint fudge in a pretty container and wrap bottles of extract in a cellophane bag with ribbon.
how to make peppermint fudge
you will need:
- 2 2/3 cups (16 ounces) white chocolate chips
- 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
- 1 teaspoon Nielsen-Massey’s Pure Vanilla Extract
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon Nielsen-Massey’s Pure Peppermint Extract
- Pinch of salt
- Red food coloring
- White food coloring (optional)
what to do:
Line an 8-inch square baking dish with lightly-greased parchment paper or non-stick foil. If you only have a 9-inch square pan, that will work too, but your fudge will be a bit thinner.
In a microwave-safe bowl, place the white chocolate chips.
Microwave for 90 seconds at 70 percent power. Stir the chocolate well, using the residual heat to fully melt the chocolate. If needed, microwave in additional increments of 15 seconds. Stir the chocolate until it’s smooth.
Alternatively, you may place the chocolate in a heat-proof bowl and rest the bowl on a saucepan of simmering water. Make sure the bowl does not touch the simmering water. Slowly heat the chocolate, stirring, until melted and smooth.
Pour the sweetened condensed milk into the chocolate and stir until well blended.
Stir in the extracts and the salt. For a more delicate mint flavor, stir in 1/2 teaspoon of peppermint extract. For a stronger mint flavor, stir in a teaspoon of the peppermint extract.
Spoon about one-third of the mixture into a separate bowl and tint red with food coloring. If desired, tint the remaining mixture with white food coloring.
Spread the white chocolate mixture in the prepared baking dish. Carefully spoon the red mixture over the white chocolate mixture. Use a spatula or knife to swirl the red mixture through the white mixture.
Refrigerate until the fudge is very well set, from 2 to 4 hours, and cut into squares. Package and serve as desired. I prefer to store my fudge in the refrigerator.
To freeze fudge, wrap in wax paper and place in a freezer-safe container.
Makes 25 pieces.
peppermint fudge
Delicious peppermint fudge for the holidays with vanilla, peppermint, and white chocolate.
Ingredients
- 2 2/3 cups (16 ounces) white chocolate chips
- 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
- 1 teaspoon Nielsen-Massey's Pure Vanilla Extract
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon Nielsen-Massey's Pure Peppermint Extract
- Pinch of salt
- Red food coloring
- White food coloring (optional)
Instructions
Line an 8-inch square baking dish with lightly-greased parchment paper or non-stick foil. If you only have a 9-inch square pan, that will work too, but your fudge will be a bit thinner.
In a microwave-safe bowl, place the white chocolate chips. Microwave for 90 seconds at 70 percent power. Stir the chocolate well, using the residual heat to fully melt the chocolate. If needed, microwave in additional increments of 15 seconds. Stir the chocolate until it's smooth.
Alternatively, you may place the chocolate in a heat-proof bowl and rest the bowl on a saucepan of simmering water. Make sure the bowl does not touch the simmering water. Slowly heat the chocolate, stirring, until melted and smooth.
Pour the sweetened condensed milk into the chocolate and stir until well blended.
Stir in the extracts and the salt. For a more delicate mint flavor, stir in 1/2 teaspoon of peppermint extract. For a stronger mint flavor, stir in a teaspoon of the peppermint extract.
Spoon about one-third of the mixture into a separate bowl and tint red with food coloring. If desired, tint the remaining mixture with white food coloring.
Spread the white chocolate mixture in the prepared baking dish. Carefully spoon the red mixture over the white chocolate mixture. Use a spatula or knife to swirl the red mixture through the white mixture.
Refrigerate until the fudge is very well set, from 2 to 4 hours, and cut into squares. Package and serve as desired. I prefer to store my fudge in the refrigerator.
To freeze fudge, wrap in wax paper and place in a freezer-safe container.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
25Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 27Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 8mgCarbohydrates: 4gFiber: 0gSugar: 3gProtein: 0g
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