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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
- Total Time: 13 minutes
Ingredients
- 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
Instructions
- On the stove top, in a medium sauce pot, melt chocolate with button over medium-low heat.
- Once melted and smooth remove from heat and whisk in condensed milk.
- 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.
- Once the fudge is ready, carefully lift from the baking dish and onto a cutting board. Slice the fudge into square bite-size candies.
- 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
Diane says
The fudge sounds delicious. I have never been to America and you have so many different items on the shelves there. Wish I could have a couple of days just walking around the shops but it is never likely to happen. Have a good weekend Diane
Comedy Plus says
Oh the holidays and fudge just go together. I can see the scales going up already.
Have a fabulous day Catherine. Big hugs. ♥♥♥
Dottie Sauchelli Balin says
Dear Catherine,
I always love to have a hostess gift to bring to someone. I love your idea..The candle is an awesome idea as everyone uses them, and then to pair it with a homemade fudge treat is such a thoughtful idea. Very easy and like you said affordable. I wish we had a way to smell the candles that you have picked. I love your recipe for the fudge. Yummy! I love to have a gift for my guests when I have a dinner for them, Especially if I have a party for Halloween..I take a pumpkin cookie cutter and put a ribbon on it with a small bag of Halloween candy. I think it makes it very warm and cozy when you can give someone a small gift. Thanks for sharing your idea and the recipe. Blessings this weekend..
Dottie 🙂
Norma says
You have such a wonderful blog...great post...
Angie@Angie's Recipes says
The fudge sounds really amazing, Catherine. Beautiful and festive clicks!
Big Daddy Dave says
Catherine, Lovely looking fudge with a lot of goodness going on! As for the candles, my wife loves them and I work hard to keep her out of candle shops... Take Care, Big Daddy Dave
Jenna Wood says
I love this idea, who doesn't enjoy a homemade sweet with their gift? This is just my difficultly level too 🙂 #client
Ramona W says
Wow, I love this fudge! I love the candied ginger and citron... great flavors to pair with chocolate. Wonderful gift ideas too. 🙂 Yummed and Stumbled your post. 🙂
Arman @ thebigmansworld says
I wish I was going to be around you guys at Christmas- A gift and a delicious fudge? Count me in!
allie @ Through Her Looking Glass says
What thoughtful and delicious hostess gifts Catherine! I love a candle burning, as a matter of fact I am burning an orange citron one at the kitchen counter right now. And the fudge...how can you resist perfection??? XOXO
marcie says
I love dark chocolate fudge, and the dried fruit and nuts sound like they add such a nice pop of flavor! This looks like such a great holiday treat!
Shashi at RunninSrilankan says
Catherine, what a lovely pairing of a candle and fudge - especially, fudge as decadent as this! Love the candied ginger in it!
Melissa @ Treats With a Twist says
Oh I love Yankee Candles and this fudge sounds so delicious too! Double yum
Melissa Falk says
Nice, Catherine! Really? Dark fudge and nuts? My will power will be tested all week as I continue my pre-holiday dieting 🙂
Alvin says
Great combination. nuts and dried fruits with chocolate are the best.
Alicia says
This seems good for gifts and im gonna try this. I always have issues on what to give to my friends on holidays but this one is a great idea. thanks so much for this. My friends are gonna love this.
Alona says
It looks so tempting. My kids would really love this. I cannot wait to try this at home. Most of the time, my ingredients that i bought is from online store. I recommend this online store that has the best dried fruits and nuts. If you have time you can stop by on this link.
Check this out:
https://gourmetnutsanddriedfruit.com/