Dried Fruit and Nut Holiday Fudge

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Complete your holiday tablescape this season with easy homemade fudge speckled with dried citron, candied ginger and nuts! Combined with the beautiful holiday scents of American Home™ by Yankee Candle® brand, these make the perfect gift for the hostess and guests!

At some point, we all wish for control. This 'control' can be as all-encompassing as wishing for greater influence over our final destinies, or something as simple as having more time for breakfast. Yet, when we find ourselves possessed of this control, it can be as equally frightening to possess as it is daunting to wield. Yet, sometimes relinquishing that control can be equally as pleasurable.

I got to thinking about that the other day after being invited to my friend's for an elegant, vaguely antique autumn-themed brunch. Needless to say, since planning events and relating my best ideas for themes and setups goes with the territory here at Living the Gourmet, it's always a nice change of pace to be on the receiving end of an invitation.

However, even here I couldn't help thinking about themes. Instead of simply settling on either bringing a bottle of wine or bakery cookies, I decided instead that I wanted to compliment the theme of the brunch with what I brought, something that would tie into the afternoon as a whole and convey a bit more personality than either of the aforementioned items.

To do this, I selected a trio of American Home™ by Yankee Candle® brandat Walmart, featured prominently right in the candle aisle, though they are also conveniently available at Walmart.com. In particular I selected the Moonlit Night, Lovely Lavender, and Pumpkin Apple Harvest fragrances.

After I had purchased the candles, I decided I wanted to add an extra layer of thought, and, of course, what better way to convey that one really cares than with fudge?

While I prefer white fudge for the holidays, especially Christmas and Easter, I find chocolate fudge, particularly dark chocolate fudge, simply accentuates the rustic feel of autumn and autumn gatherings a bit better. It also happened to pair better with what I knew was being served.

After preparing the fudge with dark chocolate, condensed milk, a knob of butter, almonds, candied pecans, citron, and candied ginger, I sliced the fudge into individual squares, and gift wrapped them as shown below. Presented alongside the American Home™ candles by Yankee Candle® brand it was a perfectly apropos hostess gift, that was both convenient and affordable.

Dried Fruit and Nut Holiday Fudge

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5 from 4 reviews

• Author: Living the Gourmet
• Total Time: 13 minutes

Print Recipe

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 12 ounces dark chocolate
• 1 (14 oz.) can of sweetened condensed milk
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup dried citron
• 1/8 cup candied ginger, chopped
• 1/4 cup almonds, chopped
• 1/4 cup candied pecans, chopped

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Instructions

1. On the stove top, in a medium sauce pot, melt chocolate with button over medium-low heat.
2. Once melted and smooth remove from heat and whisk in condensed milk.
3. Add dried fruit and nuts, reserving about 1/4 cup of the fruit and nuts combined for topping the fudge. Fold the mixture and pour into an 8x8 square baking dish lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle the reserved fruit and nuts over the fudge. Cover with cling film and refrigerate for 4-5 hours or overnight, until the fudge has set.
4. Once the fudge is ready, carefully lift from the baking dish and onto a cutting board. Slice the fudge into square bite-size candies.
5. To gift, gently fold each square into clear bakery wrap. Tie each end with gold ribbon and place into cookie bags. Decorate with a bow or ribbon. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 3 minutes

What are some of your best hostess gifts for the autumn and the holidays? We would love to hear from you!

Enjoy with Love,
Catherine
xo