Peppermint Fudge

My mom makes the best mint fudge.  But, when I asked her for the recipe, she told me she actually uses one bag of mint chocolate chips (not the green ones!) and one bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips.  And I could not find mint chocolate chips anywhere!  So, I made do with peppermint extract.  Still yummy!  I've made it twice this month... 

The crushed candy canes are optional - I just wanted to make it look festive for the Holidays.  Red and Green sprinkles would be cute, too.

The first time I made it, I only used one bag of chocolate chips and the fudge was too thin for my liking.  The next time, I doubled everything and got these monster bites of fudge (which is exactly what I wanted!).  The recipe can very easily be cut in half.  

Serves 18

 Peppermint Fudge

5 cups chocolate chips
2 (14 oz) cans sweetened condensed milk
4 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup milk
4 teaspoons peppermint extract
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 or 2 candy canes, crushed (optional)

Line a 9 x 9-inch square baking dish with aluminum foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray.  Combine chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk in a saucepan over medium heat.  Cook stirring frequently, until the chocolate is melted.  Remove from heat and immediately stir milk and butter into the chocolate mixture.  Stir in peppermint and vanilla extract.

Pour into the prepared baking dish and refrigerate until set, about 2+ hours. Gently pull up on the sides of the foil to release it from the pan.  Cut the fudge into small squares.  Store covered in the fridge.

*Tip - if yours doesn't really "set" you can store this in the freezer.  When I did the double batch, it never really firmed up and was not so easy to cut straight out of the fridge.  So, I've been keeping it in the freezer and it's prefect!

(Source:  Adapted from Allrecipes.com)