Love Affair with Condensed Milk + Absurdly Easy Chocolate Fudge

While I was in Jamaica I rediscovered my love of condensed milk.  I had breakfast at Juici Patties a few times and discovered that they give you a packet of condensed milk with your coffee instead of cream or milk!  This would also explain why you can’t find cream at the supermarket but a bunch of different brands of condensed milk.  I took to hoarding the condensed milk packets that came with our orders so that I could consume them later for dessert.  When I was little I would always get in trouble for eating condensed milk by the spoonful out of the tin.  I couldn’t help myself, it’s just that delicious.  Upon my return from Jamaica all I wanted to do was buy cans of condensed milk!

Coincidentally the New York Times had an entire article about condensed milk in the paper shortly after my trip. Coincidence? I think not. Clearly I’m not the only one having a love affair with condensed milk.

After looking at the recipes accompanying the article I decided to make the Absurdly Easy Chocolate Fudge. I happened to have a bag of chocolate chips that I had bought at Costco that were begging to be used.  The only other mandatory ingredient was butter.  Talk about absurdly easy.

Now, I’ll admit, I’ve never made fudge before so I have no clue how hard it is normally to make the stuff.  I’m guessing most recipes involve cooking the mixture to the soft ball stage… there is none of that hear.  This recipe is pretty much fool proof.

The results were good.  On the sweet side for sure but really good.  My results would have been better if I used a better quality chocolate instead of the Toll House chocolate chips I had on hand, but I’m not complaining.  I kept these in the fridge to avoid melting but later discovered that if I kept them out they turned to the consistency of Icy Squares. Yum.

Absurdly Easy Chocolate Fudge

Adapted from Michael Chu, Cooking for Engineers
Time: 15 minutes, plus at least 4 hours’ cooling

4 tablespoons ( 1/2 stick) butter, plus extra for greasing the pan
1 pound semisweet or bittersweet chocolate
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1/8 teaspoon salt (optional)
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional).

1. Butter an 8-inch-square baking pan. Line with parchment or wax paper, letting edges of paper hang over sides of pan.

2. In top of a double boiler or a metal bowl set over (not resting in) simmering water, combine all ingredients except nuts. Mix just until melted and well combined. (Alternatively, use a microwave on low power to melt ingredients, stopping every 10 to 20 seconds to mix well.) The mixture should be heated as little as possible. Mix in nuts, if using.

3. Scrape mixture into prepared pan. Refrigerate until set, about 4 hours or overnight. Lift fudge on paper out of pan and use a large knife to cut into squares.

Yield: 16 two-inch squares.

(Via New York Times)