Easy Peasy Feel-Better Fudge

(100% Annie-certified deliciousness)

May I present this gif in feline form.

Hello my lovely cyber-friends! Today I thought I’d share one of my favourite recipes with you, in case you’re in need of a sweet pick-me-up. I’ve been feeling a bit glum today, and the weather here has been pretty shocking so I haven’t been able to get outdoors and clear my head. So, I decided to do the next best thing and whip up a sweet treat for my sorry self! This vanilla fudge is the easiest thing I know how to cook, short of beans on toast. I usually avoid making fudge, toffee, and other sweets because of all the faffing around with sugar thermometers involved, but you’ll find none of that fussiness in this neck of the woods. It’s literally 5 ingredients, chucked in the microwave, poured into a tin, et voila! A delicious, mood-boosting treat in less than half an hour.

This recipe is from the wonderful Jo Seagar, one of New Zealand’s best loved chefs.

Ingredients:

• 400g (14oz) tin of sweetened condensed milk
• 100g (3.5oz) butter
• 4tbsp golden syrup
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla essence

Method:

1. Place the first 4 ingredients in a large microwave safe bowl, and cook on high power for 1 minute (uncovered). Remove from microwave and stir.
2. Cook for a further 2 minutes, remove and stir again.
3. Repeat this process until the mixture has cooked for a total of 10 minutes.
4. Add the vanilla (watch out, it splatters!), and beat with a hand-held mixer at high speed for about 5 minutes. The mixture starts to lose its gloss, and becomes very thick. You can tell when it’s ready to pour when the ripples made by the mixer don’t collapse, like this:
   

   I don’t know why I’m including this photo. It looks utterly rank.

5. Pour the mixture quickly into an 8×8″ tin, and spread out with a spatula. It sets very quickly so you need to move fast!
6. Set aside to cool, then cut into bite-size pieces and store in the refrigerator in an airtight container. Makes 20 pieces.
7. This is the most important step: Shovel as many pieces into your mouth as possible before other household members discover them. Once the existence of the fudge is made public, your chance of eating ANY is greatly jeopardised. My preferred technique is “the hamster”, whereupon I fill my cheeks with fudge and slowly nibble on it throughout the day. However, there are numerous other options, such as “the squirrel”, where you grab as many pieces as you can and bury them in the back yard, or “the anaconda”, where you just swallow the entire batch whole (tin included) and slowly digest it over the following week. Essentially, just do WHATEVER YOU CAN to ensure it doesn’t vanish before you get to taste it. Because it’s flipping delicious.

Om nom nom nom nom.

That’s all for today my dears! I hope you are all having a great day, wherever you happen to be. Let me know if you try this recipe out – I’d love to know what you think!

All my love and thanks for reading,