{"id":6341,"date":"2018-01-15T14:04:04","date_gmt":"2018-01-15T22:04:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.therowdybaker.com\/?p=6341"},"modified":"2018-01-15T14:04:04","modified_gmt":"2018-01-15T22:04:04","slug":"cherry-nut-fudge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.therowdybaker.com\/?p=6341","title":{"rendered":"Cherry Nut Fudge"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

This easy fudge is full of sweet dark cherries and walnuts . . . and a little bit of Baileys Chocolate Cherry Liqueur. You don’t have to add the liqueur, of course (a dash of cherry flavoring is a good substitute) but it sure adds a festive touch for Valentine’s Day.<\/p>\n

I used silicone heart molds to create perfect little fudge hearts. You could also pour the fudge into a large heart-shaped pan, or into a regular sheet pan and cut hearts out with cookie cutters. (I’m sure you can think of something<\/em> to do with the leftover scraps.) This makes a lot of little hearts, so unless you have several silicone\u00a0pans, have a small pan lined with parchment to put excess fudge into.\"\"<\/p>\n

When I say the fudge is easy, I mean it’s not a complicated recipe. It does require your undivided attention at the stove for ten minutes or so, though. You can do that, right? For simplicity, leave the fudge plain. If you want to play with your food, you can “ice” it with a thin layer of melted chocolate and decorate with sprinkles, or roses made of royal icing or candy clay.<\/p>\n

The heart on the left below is unadorned. The heart on the right was flipped over and the smooth side was coated with chocolate and gussied up with a few candy roses.<\/p>\n

\"\"\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

You’ll need a candy thermometer for this recipe. I started out with the recipe on the jar of marshmallow fluff, but because I added frozen sweet cherries to the mixture, it took a lot longer to reach the proper temperature – about ten minutes instead of the four minutes in the instructions on the jar. Not something you should guess at!<\/p>\n

Speaking of temperatures, did you know that altitude really matters when making candy? My home is at an altitude of 2,500 feet, so I deduct five degrees from the target temperature. Subtract one degree for every 500 feet in elevation.<\/p>\n

This recipe calls for 12 ounces of chopped chocolate. I use good dark chocolate and include 1 ounce of unsweetened chocolate because I want my fudge to be really rich. I tend to have little chunks of different brands of chocolate in the cupboard, so I just throw them all together on my kitchen scale until I have 12 ounces. Mix and match! (And yes, to make it even simpler, you can use dark chocolate chips.)<\/p>\n

\t\n
Cherry Nut Fudge (with a little something extra)<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Author: The Rowdy Baker<\/span><\/div>\n
\n
Ingredients<\/div>\n