Ohhhs and ahhs lemon fudge

My freezer is filling quickly with piles of ziplock containers filled with fudgy sugary goodness. Tis the season in our house for friends and family and that of course, means Christmas baking. I love Christmas baking. I love to plan for it, shop for it, and fill the kitchen with wonderful treats for my family. My favorite part of course is seeing the faces of the ones I care most about as they enjoy each treat. And since I am a real mom in the 21st century with real kids, a family business to move forward and a thousand other projects always screaming out to me, the name of the game for me is simplicity. Quite plainly I like to make things that look and taste fabulous but require little effort to pull it off. So that brings me to my latest creations, lemon fudge and strawberry creams, along with amazing cake truffles. The responses are such fun. People assume I spent hours slaving away in the kitchen when some took literally a few minutes to put together.

Let's start with the lemon fudge. Start to finish this batch took less than 5 minutes. SERIOUSLY. Five minutes! In a brief moment of sharing a plate, I had two people beg for the recipe and and both were pretty shocked when I told them how it was made. (I really wish I could be one of those people who could keep recipes a secret, but I since I am typically the one asking waiters and chefs to spill the beans on their secrets, I feel guilty about not spilling to those who ask me. But I digress.)

The lemon fudge is rich and delicate and has a wonderful flavor. The texture is reminiscent of fudge made the old fashion way without having to do all that sweating and stirring. Ready for the ingredients? White chocolate chips and a jar of lemon frosting. That's it! Yes, I am trying to not eat or serve the traditional processed foods, and throughout the year I have been so very good at cleaning out my pantry and making better choices for my family, but this is December, and we are talking about fudge. Some things just go without saying.

So here's how to whip up a fancy batch of no leftover lemon fudge to impress your crowd.

Melt 12 ounces of white chocolate chips in a glass bowl in the microwave. I like to do it in 30 second intervals and it usually only takes 2-3 minutes. While this is happening, spray your fudge pan with Pam spray. I used a silicon loaf pan for mine, and the fudge was nice and thick, but an 8 x 8 pan would work as well. When you can mix it smoothly with a fork, quickly dump in the whole jar of frosting and mix it all together. Pour the mixture into your pan and smooth the top with a knife or spatula. Put it into the freezer to chill for about 30 minutes, and go back to your normal activities while your fudge gets perfected in the freezer. When you are ready to slice it, cut it into one inch squares. Transfer the fudge into either a freezer ready container if you are not ready to serve it, or transfer it to a fancy-smancy plate so that it is ready to receive the oohs and ahhs of the crowd. Fudge has the ability to keep for months in the freezer, though I have never actually had that happen in my house since it usually vanishes pretty quickly ;)

Pictures coming soon!