Jorrit’s Chocolate Fudge

This is the easiest, most delicious and most versatile recipe. You can use any kind of chocolate. You can swirl in caramel if you like. And you can add anything that you think will taste good. I’m a purist so I always use Whittaker’s 62% Dark Cacao. But I like to play around with what I add in, changing it around each year for the Christmas treats. This year I added dried strawberries and pistachios. Last year was dried cherries and almonds, another time dried cranberries and walnuts. But just about anything will work. And if you come up with some great combos, please share!

INGREDIENTS

500 g chocolate of your choice
1 can sweetened condensed milk
50 g butter (add more if using dark chocolate – I use 65 g with the 65% dark cacao – less if using white chocolate)
Nuts, dried fruits, etc of your choice, chopped – I generally add two items, ¾ – 1 cup of each

1. Melt chocolate slowly in a bain marie (a bowl over a pot of simmering water), stirring until there are no lumps
2. Remove the bowl from the heat, add butter and stir until melted
3. Add the sweetened condensed milk and stir until there are no white streaks
4. Add nuts and/or dried fruit and stir to combine evenly
5. Pour the mixture into a baking pan – I use a 20cm x 20cm x 50 cm deep Pyrex baking dish (*see tip below)
6. Refrigerate and store at least overnight
7. The fudge will be a hard block – remove and cut into serving pieces

Tip: To easily remove the block for cutting, line the dish or pan with baking paper or aluminium foil. If you run the paper or foil up the sides (use two sheets, overlapping on the bottom) you will have “handles” for lifting out. If you line just the bottom of the tray, use a knife repeatedly dipped in hot water to separate the fudge from the sides, then tip upside down to remove the block