Almond Joy Fudge is a creamy fudge mixed with coconut and almond, and reminiscent of the candy bar favorite. This easy recipe is perfect for the holidays or to share with family and friends.

This post is sponsored by Dixie Crystals

Easy Fudge:

Fudge is a family favorite and always reminds me of vacations to the beach. My dad and I always visited a little fudge shop to try samples and purchase fudge for our beach vacation. Fudge can come in unlimited flavors and made in many different ways. I tend to make fudge for special occasions and holidays, like my Gingerbread Fudge for Christmas.

Some fudge recipes use marshmallow as a base, are made in the microwave, or use a candy thermometer. This recipe uses melts sweetened condensed milk, chocolate chips, sugar and butter. In this recipe, most of the ingredients are melted together in one pot. I prefer a one-pot recipe, because the condensed milk makes a creamy and rich fudge. In addition, brown sugar gives the chocolate a slightly richer flavor than if you used regular granulated sugar.

Sweetened versus Unsweetened Coconut:

The main difference between sweetened and unsweetened coconut is the sweetened has added sugar and the unsweetened is plain coconut with no added ingredients. Sweetened coconut adds more moisture in the recipe, and often used for baking. Unsweetened coconut is slightly drier and chewier, and good for both sweet and savory recipes.

I prefer unsweetened coconut, because I like to be precise with the amount of sugar and moisture. For example, unsweetened coconut is perfect for Almond Joy Macaroons or Pumpkin Pie Macaroons.

Tips, Tricks, and Tools:

• Silicone spatulas are a must-have kitchen tool. Here are a few favorite spatulas.
• Keep fudge in an airtight container.
• If possible, use unsweetened coconut.

Head to Dixie Crystals for the full recipe:
EASY ALMOND JOY FUDGE

I have an ongoing relationship with Dixie Crystals as a recipe developer and brand ambassador. I receive product, coupons and/or compensation for posts featuring their products. Thank you for supporting the brands that make Love and Confections possible. As always, all opinions are my own.

The post Easy Almond Joy Fudge appeared first on Love and Confections.

Deck the halls and get ready for the sweetest holiday season! My Best Gingerbread Fudge is sure to be a hit at your holiday party!

Fudge is always a welcome dessert at holiday parties, and what better way to enjoy the season than with gingerbread! If you love gingerbread, try my Gingerbread Latte Cupcakes with the cutest cookie and sprinkle topper.

Best Gingerbread Fudge:

Easy recipes are always a good idea around the holidays, and this fudge recipe is definitely one to keep handy. Some fudge recipes use a candy thermometer and specific temperatures to set the chocolate, but my Best Gingerbread Fudge can be made in one pot and takes less than 10 minutes to come together.

The spices in this fudge are spot-on. My kitchen smelled like a gingerbread cookie as I was mixing the fudge, and it is just the right amount of sweet and spice. For these photos, I cut them into 24 squares, but feel free to cut the fudge even smaller, depending on how much you like per bite.

Sprinkles:

While the fudge is great on it’s own, I love topping it with fun and festive sprinkles. My favorite sprinkles for gingerbread treats is “Reindeer Food” from Sweets & Treats. These sprinkles are absolutely adorable, and the tiny gingerbread men quins top this fudge perfectly. Make sure you add the sprinkles as soon as you pour the fudge into the pan. The fudge should be liquid enough that you really don’t need to spread it, other than to ensure it gets into the edges of your pan.

Tips, Tricks, and Tools:

• A good spatula is necessary for making fudge, and these silicone spatulas are my favorite.
• My fudge pan is slightly bigger than what most other recipes call for, but hold the perfect amount for my recipes.
• Stir the melting chocolate constantly, to ensure it doesn’t burn in the pan.
• When measuring out sticky ingredients, like molasses or honey, spray the measuring cups with cooking spray. the sticky ingredients slide out easily!

Print

Bests Gingerbread Fudge

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes minutes

Chill Time 2 hours hours

Servings 24 servings

Ingredients

• 22 ounces white chocolate chips
• 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup molasses +1 tablespoon
• 1 14-ounce can sweeten condensed milk
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• sprinkle mix

Instructions

• Prepare 7x11 pan with parchment paper and set aside.
• In a medium saucepan combine white chocolate chips, butter, molasses, and sweetened condensed milk. Heat over medium, stirring constantly, until chocolate chips are melted and ingredients are combined
• Add in Spices and vanilla extract. Stir to combine.
• Pour into prepared pan and top with sprinkle mix. Cool at room temperature for 30 minutes, then refrigerate minimum 2 hours.
• Cut into 24-36 squares and serve. Fudge can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature or in the refrigerator.

Welcome to #ChristmasSweetsWeek 2019! Co-hosted by Terri from Love and Confections and Christie from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures! What better way to celebrate the holidays than with food and fun? 25 bloggers from around the country have come together to share some of their favorite sweet Christmas recipes!! Deck the halls and get ready for very merry sweet treats, like fudge, cookies, Christmas morning breakfasts, layer cakes, cocoa, and more! Follow along on social media with our #ChristmasSweetsWeek hashtag. Happy Holidays!

Enjoy these #ChristmasSweetsWeek recipes from our bloggers:

Christmas Beverages:
Fluffernutter Latte from The Kitchen Prep
Hansel and Gretel Gingerbread Latte from Blogghetti
Mexicoco from YumGoggle
S’mores Hot Chocolate from For the Love of Food

Christmas Breakfasts:
Cinnamon Roll Pancakes from Daily Dish Recipes
Flaky Nutella Christmas Tree from Shockingly Delicious
Gingerbread Sweet Rolls from The Redhead Baker
Grinch Pancakes from Katie’s Cucina
Mini Chocolate Peppermint Baked Donuts from It Bakes Me Happy

Christmas Pastries and Desserts:
Angel Sugar Crisps from Jolene’s Recipe Journal
Chocolate Cherry Loaf from Seduction In The Kitchen
Hot Chocolate Cookie Cups from Sweet Beginnings
Peppermint Chunk Cookies from A Day in the Life on the Farm
Snowman Cupcakes from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
Toy Soldier Frosted Brownies from Big Bear’s Wife
Vegan Gingerbread Layer Cake from The Baking Fairy

Christmas Candies:
Bourbon Balls from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
Chocolate Peppermint Truffles from Family Around the Table
Christmas Crack (Saltine Toffee) from Palatable Pastime
Gingerbread Fudge from Love and Confections
Slow Cooker Chocolate Peanut Candy from Cheese Curd In Paradise
Spiced Pecans with a Rum Glaze from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
Star Crunch Inspired Bars from Our Good Life

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Hot chocolate is one of my go-to cold weather drinks and I love sipping it on a cool Winter night in front of a fire pit. Instead of the prepackaged just-add-water version, I partnered with Florida Dairy Farmers to create a creamy and delicious slow cooker dark hot chocolate. My family loves dark chocolate, so using bittersweet chocolate chips made everyone happy.

The key to the creaminess and richness is using whole milk and heavy cream, bittersweet chocolate, and sweetened condensed milk. There is no water in this hot chocolate recipe! When I drink hot chocolate, marshmallows are a necessary topping.

Whipped cream is also a good choice, as are sprinkles, because everyone knows I love and hoard sprinkles. I also enjoy chocolate curls, chocolate sauce, salted caramel, or peppermint crumbles on top. This recipe can easily be adapted for milk chocolate if you prefer a lighter tasting chocolate flavor, or add a little liqueur to make it an adult-only beverage.

Here in Florida, we are just starting to get the cool Winter weather and it is beautiful! Holiday parties are starting to happen almost every weekend, especially cookie exchanges and ugly sweater parties. I love party prep, but to make it a bit easier I rely on my slow cooker for delicious party drinks.

After pouring all the ingredients into the slow cooker, it heats on low for around 2 hours. I usually whisk it at the beginning, middle and end to make sure all the chocolate pieces and cocoa are melted and incorporated. You can use your slow cooker’s warming feature after the 2 hours, or just keep it on low for the party, but it is best served right away and please follow proper food safety rules.

For more great recipes and inspiration, visit Florida Dairy Farmers on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter and YouTube.

Cook time: 2 hrs. 00 mins.

Until next time,
LOVE & CONFECTIONS!

Disclaimer: I have an ongoing relationship with Florida Dairy Farmers as a recipe developer. Thank you for supporting the brands that make Love and Confections possible. This post may contain Amazon Affiliate links – if you make a purchase after clicking the link, the price will not be higher, but a portion of the sale will go towards the sustainability of this website. As always, all opinions are my own.

The post Slow Cooker Dark Hot Chocolate appeared first on Love and Confections.

Snowball cookies are a family favorite around the holidays. My aunt makes a ton of them for Christmas (she seriously makes a freezer full of cookies) and traditional Snowball Cookies are one of them. My other favorite her family makes is Nutmeg Logs. There is just something about those cookies that makes the holidays feel special.

I knew that I wanted to make a Fall version of those classic cookies and incorporated pumpkin puree, pumpkin spice and walnuts. The cookie dough is somewhat wet, and a cookie scoop is definitely helpful (see my recommendations below). The cookies need to be rolled in a mixture of powdered sugar and pumpkin spice, and can then be served or frozen.

We freeze these cookies all the time, and waxed paper is great at separating the layers. Also, before serving, I re-roll them in the powdered sugar pumpkin spice mixture, to make sure they are fully coated. I love the spice in these cookies, it gives it a great warming Fall flavor. Pecans are used in snowball cookies fairly often, but the walnuts give it a different taste. You can have pecans, walnuts, or do a mixture of both, depending on your preference. I hope you enjoy some of my Pumpkin Pie Spice Snowball Cookies this holiday season.

LOVE & CONFECTIONS!

Here are a few options for my favorite cookie scoops available on Amazon:

Here are today’s #PumpkinWeek recipes:

Pumpkin Drink Recipes:

“Grown Up” Potter Pumpkin Juice from The Crumby Kitchen.
Hot’N’Spicy Pumpkin Margarita from Culinary Adventures with Camilla.

Savory Pumpkin Recipes:

Pumpkin and Fish Stew from A Day in the Life on the Farm.
Pumpkin Chili from Making Miracles.
Pumpkin Crab Soup from Hardly A Goddess.
Pumpkin Pasta from Caroline’s Cooking.
Thai Pumpkin Curry from Palatable Pastime.

Sweet Pumpkin Recipes:

Caramel Pecan Pumpkin Bread from The Freshman Cook.
Easy Pumpkin Ice Cream from Forking Up.
Fall Harvest Pumpkin Sourdough Muffins from Cooking With Carlee.
Pumpkin Spice Milkshake from Family Around The Table.
Pumpkin Pie Cream Horns from Mildly Meandering.

Pumpkin Pie Spice Snowball Cookies from Love and Confections.

Pumpkin Spice Thumbprint Cookies from The Bitter Side of Sweet.
Pumpkin Spiced Banana Bread from Daily Dish Recipes.
Pumpkin Tiramisu from The Redhead Baker.

I have an ongoing relationship with Dixie Crystals as a recipe developer and brand ambassador. I receive product, coupons and/or compensation for posts featuring their products. This post may contain Amazon Affiliate links. Thank you for supporting the brands that make Love and Confections possible. As always, all opinions are my own.

The post Pumpkin Pie Spice Snowball Cookies #PumpkinWeek appeared first on Love and Confections.

Muddy Buddies, or puppy chow, is such a fun treat to have. I knew that I wanted to make pumpkin muddy buddies for #PumpkinWeek a while ago. While I like pumpkin pie, I prefer other pumpkin-flavored treats more. I think it just stems from having pie crust that doesn’t taste that great, so I take pie out of the equation and have all that deliciousness in a snack. It’s also covered in powdered sugar, so you can’t go wrong with them.

Chocolate is the most common flavor, and one that I grew up loving. Playing around with flavor profiles is always fun, and these pumpkin muddy buddies are soon to be your family’s favorite. I plan on making some more batches for Halloween and Thanksgiving, and maybe even as favors for everyone to take home.

A lot of recipes out there use candy melts. I opted to use white chocolate, which can seize a bit if overheated or adding wet ingredients to it. That’s where the coconut oil comes in. You can use shortening as well, but since I have wet pumpkin in the mix, I wanted to thin the chocolate just a bit. It also helps to try and pat your pumpkin dry as much as you can before mixing it in.

See that cute ghost in the photos? That little guy was made by my grandfather a few years before he passed. My grandfather was a great artist and he made it for my mom for Halloween one year. I wanted to incorporate him into the photos because he really is too cute.

Until next time,
LOVE & CONFECTIONS!

Here are today’s #PumpkinWeek recipes:

Savory Pumpkin Recipes:

Pumpkin Farrotto from Culinary Adventures with Camilla.
Pumpkin Habanero Salsa from Rants From My Crazy Kitchen.
Pumpkin Quesadilla from Making Miracles.

Sweet Pumpkin Recipes:

The post Cinnamon Pumpkin Muddy Buddies #PumpkinWeek appeared first on Love and Confections.