Biscoff Fudge

There's a new love in my life, and it's called Biscoff Spread. I stumbled upon it in a nearby gourmet grocery store, and I grabbed it, regardless of the fact that I had promised myself I wouldn't impulse buy that day. Oh well; I had to have this stuff! What is it, you ask?



The best way I can think of to describe it is peanut butter meets a cookie, then they have a baby. This Biscoff Spread tastes just like Biscoff cookies and looks exactly like peanut butter, with pretty much the same consistency and texture. One taste (okay, I didn't stop at just one taste!) and I knew I'd be doing great things with this stuff. But where to begin?

Making fudge seemed like a great start to me. I found a very simple peanut butter fudge recipe, then adapted it slightly to substitute Biscoff Spread for the peanut butter. It worked absolutely beautifully, and this stuff turned out nothing short of addictive. It's evil and it must be stopped!

The recipe is extremely easy; there's only three ingredients, and it can pretty much be whipped up, start to finish, in about 15 minutes. The longest part is waiting until the fudge is cool to cut it into squares. Or you could just eat it straight from the pan. I wouldn't blame you.




Biscoff Fudge
adapted from Sugarbaby
makes about 30 squares

Ingredients
1 2/3 cup granulated sugar
5 ounces (10 Tbsp.) evaporated milk
5 Tbsp. Biscoff Spread (or smooth peanut butter)

Directions
1. Grease or line with foil an 8x8-inch square dish and set aside. Combine the sugar and milk in a large saucepan and place on low heat. Stir until the sugar melts, then turn the heat to high.

2. Stirring constantly, allow the mixture to come to a full boil. Reduce the heat to medium-high, still stirring, and cook until the mixture reaches 235 degrees on a candy thermometer (this takes about 5 minutes if you do not have a candy thermometer). Remove from the heat and add the Biscoff Spread to the saucepan in dollops. Leave the mixture alone (no more stirring) for 5 minutes.

3. Stir the Biscoff Spread vigorously into the milk mixture, working quickly to incorporate the ingredients before the fudge becomes too hard. Immediately pour the mixture into the prepared dish and spread to the edges.

4. Allow the fudge to cool completely (this can be done on the counter or in the fridge/freezer). Cut the fudge into squares and store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Mexican Chocolate Pistachio Fudge

It's Cinco de Mayo, and it's time for dessert! Well, actually, it might not really be time for dessert yet, depending on when you are reading this. But since I have already blogged about a starter, a beverage, and a main course this week, clearly at this point you need a little something sweet to wash it all down with!

So I made this wonderful Mexican Chocolate Pistachio Fudge. We're big fudge fans, the husband and I. But I usually stick to my tried-and-true fudge recipe, and rarely branch out from that. There have been some pretty interesting results the few times I have strayed from what I know works. A certain time I made bacon fudge comes to mind...

Anyway, this fudge is a snap to make. I did use my regular recipe as a base, but I expanded on it and I'm really happy with the results. I made the chocolate more "Mexican"-tasting by adding ground cinnamon and cayenne pepper. I thought pistachios would be great in there, so I mixed in a bunch and then scattered even more over the top. The fudge turned out creamy, rich-tasting, and so interesting with that little bit of spice and heat. You don't really taste the cayenne pepper, but you know it's there because you get a nice little burn at the back of your throat after you've eaten a piece. You could leave it out, and the fudge would still be great, but I think it's necessary in there. It's a fiesta in fudge form (sorry, I couldn't resist)!

Mexican Chocolate Pistachio Fudge
adapted from about.com
makes 36-40 squares, depending on the size you cut them

Ingredients
2 Tbsp. butter
2/3 cup fat-free evaporated milk
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups miniature marshmallows
12 oz. (1 bag) semisweet chocolate chips
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. ground cayenne pepper
6 oz. raw, shelled pistachios, divided

Directions
1. Line a square, 8x8 inch baking pan with nonstick foil, or regular foil that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside. Combine the marshmallows and chocolate chips in a bowl and set aside.

2. In a medium, heavy saucepan, combine the butter, milk, sugar, cinnamon, cayenne, and salt. Turn the heat to medium-high, and stir until the sugar dissolves. Allow the mixture to come up to a boil. Continue to boil, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.

3. Stir in the marshmallows, chocolate chips, and vanilla, and continue mixing until the marshmallows and chips have almost completely melted. Throw in about 3/4 of the pistachios and continue mixing well. Note: you should work quickly here, because the fudge starts to harden around this point and it becomes harder and harder to stir.

4. Spread the fudge into the prepared pan and even it out, smoothing the top. Before it has a chance to set, sprinkle the remaining pistachios over the top of the fudge and press down lightly so the nuts will stick. Place the pan in the fridge to allow the fudge to set completely before removing and cutting into squares.

The Stars of the Show

The other night, we went over to Xander's school for his annual Christmas concert. All the preschool classes are assigned a different Christmas song to sing together, and then they come together at the end for one big group number. We weren't sure how Evan would react to being in a big gym full of people, but we knew he would love the singing.

As it turned out, we shouldn't have been concerned about Evan being shy. As soon as we put him down on the floor of the gym, he took off! He started running all around the gym, and he was talking up a storm. He waved at people. He pointed at people. He whooped and yelled because he loved the fact that his voice carried well. And he loved the wide open space even more. I didn't even know he could run as fast as he could until that night, because he'd never had a space that huge to roam freely! It was adorable to watch, and he quickly became the center of attention among the crowds of people standing around him.

When it came time for Xander's class to sing "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer," Xander's voice boomed louder than anyone else's. He was so exuberant that at first, he was singing louder and faster than anyone else. He slowed down though, and just sang his little heart out. At the end of the song, he had turned red from the exertion, and he literally blew out a huge breath, exhausted from his effort. We were very proud parents, because both of our boys had been stars that evening in their own ways.

There will undoubtedly be more Christmas recipes I will put up in the near future, but for now I wanted to post this one (see below). It's simple, it's yummy, and it looks so darn festive!

Five Minute White Chocolate Fudge with Pistachio and Cranberries
adapted from Recipezaar
48 servings

Ingredients
18 oz. white chocolate (use white chocolate chips, or white chocolate baking squares, chopped)
14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk (I used fat-free, with no problems)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon orange extract (you can also use 1 teaspoon orange zest
1/2 cup dried, sweetened cranberries (I used Craisins)
1 1/2 cups shelled, skinned pistachios (mine were roasted and lightly salted
Your choice of decorating candies (I used red and green jimmies)

Directions
1. In a medium saucepan, combine white chocolate, condensed milk, and both extracts. Turn heat to low and melt the chocolate. Stir occasionally.
2. Allow chocolate to combine with milk and extracts. When mixture is smooth, turn off the heat and add cranberries, then pistachios. Stir well to combine.
3. Pour mixture into a prepared 8-inch round or 8x8 inch square pan. (I prepared mine by lining a square pan with foil, then spraying the foil with Pam.) Press mixture evenly into pan, then decorate with your choice of sprinkles or candies.
4. Allow fudge to set in the refrigerator for several hours. Once firm, you can cut the fudge into squares. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.