Slow cooker chocolate fudge

Various chocolate flavours can be used for this fudge and you can decorate it with various chocolates or lollies – whatever you like.

Makes approx 50 small pieces using a 20 x 20 cm (8 x 8 inch) baking tray

Preparation 5 mins • Cook 1½–2 hours

Ingredients

500 g (1 lb 2 oz) chocolate

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon vanilla essence

395 g (14 oz) tinned sweetened condensed milk

Method

1. Put all the ingredients in a slow cooker. Cook on LOW with the lid off for 1½–2 hours, stirring every 15 minutes or so.

2. Pour into a baking tin, about 20 cm x 20 cm (8 inch x 8 inch) lined with baking paper and put in the fridge to set. When set firm, cut the fudge into squares and store in the fridge.

Variations

PEANUT BUTTER & HAZELNUT CHOC FUDGE – Paulene Christie

Ingredients

• 550 g (1 lb 4 oz) hazelnut chocolate, broken into chunks
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon vanilla essence
• 395 g (14 oz) tinned sweetened condensed milk
• 3 tablespoons peanut butter, plus 2 tablespoons extra to decorate

Method

1. Add the chocolate chunks and 3 tablespoons of peanut butter in Step 1.
2. When the fudge is cooked and poured in the tray, heat the extra 2 tablespoons of peanut butter in the microwave until runny.
3. Pour over the fudge in the tray and use a wooden skewer to drag the peanut butter around the surface of the fudge in swirls.

MALTESER FUDGE – Susie Adams

Use the master recipe above, plus a small packet of Maltesers and a little white chocolate for melting and drizzling.

Stir the Maltesers through the fudge mixture at the end of cooking, before pouring into the tray to set. When the fudge has set, melt the white chocolate in the microwave and drizzle over.

JAFFA FUDGE – Melodie Tapp

Use the master recipe above, plus add the zest of ½ orange in Step 1, and press a packet of Jaffa lollies into the fudge when it has been poured into the tray to set.

COOKIES ’N’ MINT FUDGE – Demi Cooper

Substitute milk chocolate for white chocolate in the master recipe above, plus 1–2 teaspoons of peppermint essence instead of the vanilla essence, and 3 teaspoons of green food colouring, 1 packet of Oreo biscuits and a squirt of Choc Ice Magic.

Carefully mix the green food colouring into the can of condensed milk, one teaspoon at a time, and add to the fudge mixture in the slow cooker at the start of cooking. After cooking, roughly crush the biscuits and mix ¾ of the packet into the fudge mixture. When fudge has been poured into the tray to set, sprinkle remaining crushed biscuits over the top, and decorate with a swirl of Choc Ice Magic.

This recipe is taken from Paulene Christie’s best selling book Slow Cooker Central. If you loved this recipe and want to see more, you can purchase the book here.