Microwave fudge
- Carbohydrate 6.10244534476054 g
- Cholesterol 2.1084957805625 mg
- Fat 1.6909144250003 g
- Fiber 0.262006876560201 g
- Protein 0.760444154530167 g
- Saturated Fat 0.833676624370631 g
- Serving Size 1 1 (11g)
- Sodium 9.24973001158667 mg
- Sugar 5.84043846820034 g
- Trans Fat 0.0829346555956465 g
- Calories 40 calories
Step-by-step
- Line an 8-in. square pan with foil and grease the foil; set aside.
- In a microwave, melt chocolate chips and milk on high for about 1 minute; stir.
- Microwave at additional 10- to 20-second intervals, stirring until smooth.
- Stir in the almonds, cherries and extract.
- Spread into prepared pan.
- Cover and chill for 2 hours or until set.
- Using foil, lift fudge out of pan.
- Discard foil; cut fudge into 1-in. squares.
- Store in the refrigerator.
Standard recipes often obscure how high sugar ratios behave when scaling batches up or down. Doubling this mixture requires transitioning from an eight-inch square pan to a nine-by-thirteen-inch pan to maintain the correct one-inch thickness. Halving the ingredients shrinks the volume too much for standard microwave wattage, creating hot spots that scorch the cocoa solids before the dairy melts.
Sweetened condensed milk functions here as both a sweetener and a crystallization inhibitor. The sucrose and lactose molecules suspend the cocoa fats during rapid heating, preventing the grainy separation typical of plain melted chocolate. Adding chopped almonds and candied fruit introduces solid barriers that interrupt sugar crystal formation, yielding a shorter, more tender bite.
Microwave wattage varies significantly across household appliances, making visual cues essential for success. Stop heating the chocolate and milk mixture the moment the chips retain their shape but yield entirely to the spatula under gentle pressure. Overheating causes the milk proteins to seize into an unworkable paste that refuses to incorporate the almond extract evenly.
Chilling the block for exactly two hours firms the emulsion sufficiently for clean slicing. Cut the chilled slab with a long, thin blade wiped clean between passes to prevent the candied cherries from dragging and tearing the edges. Store the resulting squares in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks, layered between sheets of parchment paper to prevent sticking.
