You know those recipes that have names like, "Cake To Die For?" or "Cookies To Die For"....well, it just so happens that I have "found" a recipe that is actually worth dying for....my friend Lori - the keeper of the Caramel Recipe posted earlier this week - had been keeping this little beauty a family secret! After plying her with caramels we convinced her that she needed to give us her fudge recipe as well - actually all we had to do was ask - who knew?!?
So once again we met to make something wonderful - and let me tell you - THIS FUDGE IS WONDERFUL! It's different from any other Fudge recipe I've tried - including my old stand-by from the Better Homes and Garden New Cook Book. There are a lot of nuts in this recipe so if you don't like nuts you won't like this fudge, which makes you an oddball....sorry, but let's be fair, if you can't like a fudge that is worth dying for then how normal can you be? 
This recipe, coincidently, is called Fudge To Die For....most aptly named I assure you.
My friend Kendall makes excellent fudge...she is known for her fudge - among other things....but Kendall, you'll have to forgive me.....your fudge would come in second to this....a very close second to be sure! Now that I've started a war - you must make this and see for yourself!
There are two "tricks" to making this fudge from what I could tell....one is that it requires a careful timing with the cooking of the marshmallows and the evaporated milk - so watch that closely. Also, after the hot mixture is poured over the butter, nuts and chocolate, you need to stir it really, really well....to make sure all of the chocolate is melted it will get a little stiff but just keep working it.
Fudge To Die For - from a neighbor of Lori's Sister, Janice Hall, to Lori to me and now on you!
1 teaspoon good vanilla extract
1 cup almonds
1 pound walnuts or pecans (I used pecans)
1 (8 oz.) Hershey Bar With Almonds or the equivalent thereof
1 (12 oz.) package semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 pound butter
3/4 of a 16 oz. package of mini-marshmallows
4 cups sugar
1 cup evaporated milk
Break chocolate bar into pieces and chop nuts. Combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl, set aside. In a large saucepan, combine marshmallows, sugar and evaporated milk. Bring to a full boil and then start timing - cook for 7 full minutes, stirring constantly, after it comes to a full boil - one that you can't stir down. Remove from heat and pour over nuts, chocolate and butter and mix until all of the butter and chocolate has melted. Pour into a lightly buttered 9"x13" pan or use a lightly buttered cookie sheet - which is what I used. Using a 9"x13" pan will give you thicker fudge. Cool completely and then cut and eat!
Thanks Lori and Janice and your neighbor, whoever she is!
Stephanie needed to make fudge for her husband's office staff - which she does every year. The night before we made our fudge she and her husband made two different kinds - so we had ourselves a little taste test - we do so love tastes tests!
This fudge came from the Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book - one that I have used every year and I love it....but it did not even come close to being as smooth and creamy and good as Lori's fudge!
I have never made the Jet Puffed fudge recipe before - but it's been around for ages and is very popular....it's kind of stiff but good - but again, not nearly as good as Lori's.....you'll see!
Here it is....in all it's glory! So creamy and smooth and so chocolatey - and nutty ....this is the perfect fudge to eat and to give as gifts - but make sure you give the recipe, too, because everyone will ask you for it!
Stephanie is an artist - everything she does is creative and clever and so, so cute....Here are the gift packages she made for her husband to take to his office - she put a piece of the three different kinds of fudge into a container with some of the caramels she'd made earlier in the week and then personalized them - don't you wish you worked for her husband so you could get one of these?!
Stephanie got her containers at the grocery store - she is the master of clever! Thanks Stephanie for opening your kitchen and sharing with us!
