Chocolate Chewy Fudge

I was going to be so good this year.

I had determined that I would not fill the house with all kinds of Christmas goodies that entice me but would leave me looking at the scale in horror come January.

Notice the past tense in those sentences? I was good for 5 whole days in December. FIVE! But then I caved. Not just caved – I jumped in with both feet. I went through my recipe file and now have a stack of recipes on my counter waiting to be made.

I even interrupted school this morning to make these family favorites. Sometimes a craving just can’t wait for a grammar lesson. 🙂

The original recipe for these little goodies came from my mother-in-law – which is unusual since she doesn’t really like chocolate. (Poor thing – she’s missing out on so much!) Actually – I think it’s the only chocolate recipe I have from her.

She clipped it out of a newspaper years ago and makes it once a year at Christmas time for my chocolate-loving father-in-law.

They are so simple to make – Angel Girl and I had them finished and on racks cooling in less than 30 minutes. Now I just have to keep little hands away from them until I can get them hidden!

Chocolate Chewy Fudge

1 – 12 ounce package chocolate chips (I always use semi-sweet, but you could experiment!)
3 Tablespoons butter
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Optional – chopped nuts (pecans, walnuts, or almonds), peppermint sprinkles

Melt together in a sauce pan over medium heat the chocolate chips, butter and sweetened condensed milk.

Remove from heat and stir in flour, salt and vanilla.  You can add up to 1 cup of nuts to the dough if you would like.

Drop by small teaspoonfuls on a foil lined baking sheet. (I always get about 65 little cookies – my mother-in-law can stretch them to about 75 – but I don’t think she snitches dough!) Go ahead and use your hands to form them into nice little balls, they are very pliable. You may sprinkle with nuts or peppermint sprinkles at this point.

Bake for 7 minutes at 350 degrees or until the top is no longer shiny. (Mine took more like 10 minutes.)

Let sit on the tray for about 5 minutes before removing them to cool completely on wire rack.

They are firm on the outside but gooey and yummy inside!

These freeze very well – which is good – because the freezer is the best place to hide them! 🙂

Enjoy!

I’ve linked this post up with Tasty Tuesday over at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam, Tuesdays at the Table over at All the Small Stuff and Tempt My Tummy Tuesday over at Blessed With Grace.