Holiday Merry Mint Fudge Food

BAVARIAN MINT FUDGE

Steps:

• Line an 11x7-in. baking pan with foil. Grease the foil with 1-1/2 teaspoons butter; set aside. , In a microwave-safe bowl, combine chocolate chips, milk and remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Microwave on high 1 minute; stir. Microwave on high stirring every 30 seconds until chips are just melted, 1-2 minutes longer. Stir in extracts (fudge mixture will not be glossy). Spread into prepared pan. Refrigerate until set., Using the foil, lift fudge out of the pan. Discard foil; cut fudge into 1-in. squares. Store in the refrigerator.

LAYERED MINT FUDGE

Steps:

• Line a 9-in. square pan with foil; grease the foil with butter and set aside. In a large heavy saucepan, melt chocolate chips and 1 cup milk over low heat; cook and stir for 5-6 minutes or until smooth. Remove from the heat. Add vanilla; stir for 3-4 minutes or until creamy. Spread half of the mixture into prepared pan. Refrigerate for 10 minutes or until firm. Set remaining chocolate mixture aside. , In a another heavy saucepan, melt vanilla chips and remaining milk over low heat; cook and stir for 5-6 minutes or until smooth (mixture will be thick). Remove from the heat. Add peppermint extract and food coloring; stir for 3-4 minutes or until creamy. Spread evenly over chocolate layer. Refrigerate for 10 minutes or until firm. , Heat reserved chocolate mixture over low heat until mixture achieves spreading consistency; spread over mint layer. Cover and refrigerate overnight or until firm., Using foil, lift fudge out of pan. Gently peel off foil; cut fudge into 1-in. squares. Store in the refrigerator.

MINT CHOCOLATE FUDGE

Steps:

• Line an 8x8 pan with foil so that it is sticking out over the edges.
• Seperately, and following the instructions on the bag, melt the chocolate in the microwave. A lot of the melting will occur from stirring the chocolate, stir very well after every 30 second interval, and be careful not to over heat the chocolate. It will likely be melted after less than a minute.
• Add half of the sweetened condensed milk to one bowl of melted chocolate and half to the other.
• Add the mint extract to the chocolate bowl, and add the green food coloring to the white chips. Stir until fully combined.
• Remove both pans from the heat and add a few spoonfuls at a time of each one to the pan. Continue adding randomly until both sauce pans are empty. Shake the 8x8 pan a little to make it even. Very gently run a butter knife a few times through to give it a swirled effect.
• Refrigerate overnight. Pull the foil (with the fudge) out of the pan and away from the fudge. Cut off the rough edges (just a very small amount to make a clean edge). Then cut the block of fudge into four large pieces. Cut each fourth into 9 pieces for a total of 36 pieces of fudge. Serve or store in an airtight container.

MINT CHOCOLATE FUDGE (AKA CHRISTMAS FUDGE)

Steps:

• In a microwave-safe bowl, combine 1/2 cup + 2 teaspoons milk and 1 1/2 - 2 teaspoons peppermint extract. Then add 1 teaspoon coconut oil and semi-sweet chocolate chips.
• Microwave on high for approximately 1 minute 20 seconds to 1 minute 30 seconds (the exact timing can vary slightly depending on the power and wattage of your microwave).
• Stir until completely smooth and well-incorporated. (Do not microwave again; use the residual heat to continue melting all chips completely. Refer to photos in post above, if needed.)
• Pour the mixture into an ungreased 8x8" pan (or to make the entire block easier to remove, you can line the pan with foil that's been lightly coated with cooking spray). Smooth the top and tap or gently shake the pan to level the mixture.
• For the optional swirl (if using, measure and mix this at the same time you measure and mix the semi-sweet fudge layer, so it's ready to microwave as soon as you're done with the base layer, before the base layer begins to set up and thicken): Combine 1 teaspoon milk, 3-4 drops peppermint extract, and food coloring (if using) in a small bowl. Add white chocolate chips and microwave for about 15 seconds, then stir until smooth. Quickly spoon the mixture into the corner of a sandwich-sized zipper bag and snip off a small piece of the corner. Drizzle onto the chocolate fudge base layer in one direction, and then run a toothpick shallowly through, in the opposite direction (refer to photos in post).
• Refrigerate fudge until solid before cutting.

HOLLY BUTTER MINTS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, cream butter. Gradually add water, extract, butter flavoring and salt; beat in enough confectioners' sugar on medium speed until dough achieves a stiff putty consistency, about 3 minutes. , Divide dough into three portions. Knead green food coloring into two portions. Knead red food coloring into remaining portion. For holly leaves, shape teaspoonfuls of dough into balls; roll in granulated sugar. Flatten to 1/8-in. thickness; cut with a holly leaf cookie cutter. For holly berries, shape 1/4 teaspoonfuls of dough into balls; roll in sugar. Arrange leaves and berries on serving platter. Store at room temperature.