Mexican Chocolate Fudge

Happy Belated Valentine’s Day! Did you make anything special for the occasion? I had plans to make some treats this past week, but I was limited on time and ingredients. I decided to make chocolate fudge, with a bit of a spicy kick to it. I based my Mexican Chocolate Fudge off of this recipe. Luckily, I had all of the ingredients readily available and it did not take long to make.

Mexican Chocolate Fudge with Chopped Nuts

Ingredients for Mexican Chocolate Fudge:
2¹/₂ cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
¹/₄ tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
¹/₂ tsp chili powder
1 tsp vanilla extract
³/₄ cup chopped nuts

Prepare the fudge: Place the chocolate chips and condensed milk in a double boiler and stir continuously, until the mixture is smooth and melted.

Flavor the fudge: Remove the melted mixture from heat, and add the remaining ingredients (salt, cinnamon, chili powder, vanilla extract, and chopped nuts) to the mixture. Stir until evenly distributed.

Form the fudge: Spread out the mixture in an 8×8-inch pan lined with parchment paper. Chill the filled pan in the refrigerator for 4 hours or until hardened. Lift the fudge from the pan, peel off the paper, and cut the fudge into desired shapes.

Makes: ≤2 pounds

The fudge can be stored in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for about a week. I added only ¹/₂ tsp of chili powder, but those who prefer a strong kick can add a dash more. The fudge allows a lot of room for creativity, such as varying the amount or types of nuts, or even leaving those out and adding in other ingredients such as marshmallows. I personally prefer crunchy nuts to contrast the smooth, sweet chocolate.

This was actually my first time making fudge, and it was a success! Since it was for Valentine’s Day, I used one of my heart-shaped cookie cutters to cut out the fudge (this part may not be so easy if you wait until the next day to cut it like I did). This will be one of my go-to recipes for a quick and easy treat!