Smores Fudge

I guess summer is just about over. I think I'm in denial. I know everyone is back to school, football season has started, blah, blah, blah... but honestly temperatures are still in the 90s every day at my house and the sun is shining and I'm still wearing white (after Labor Day- Ha!). Don't get me wrong, I LOVE football season... USC football, Penn State football, Steelers football. But since it still feels like summer in Oklahoma, I'll share this little tribute to one of my favorite summer desserts - with a twist.

I love smores in the summer. I probably at my first smore before I could walk, made on the fire pit in our backyard or at one of my uncle's campsites. Half of the time we wouldn't even bother with the graham crackers and chocolate, we'd just eat the perfectly toasted marshmallows. I remember how hard it was to be patient as a kid waiting for the hot embers to be perfect for marshmallow toasting. The trick is to hold the marshmallow over the hot ember (not directly in the flame or it will catch on fire) and turn it to carefully and evenly toast it to a nice warm brown color without burning it. Oh how I wish I had a fire going in my backyard right now so I could toast some marshmallows. Or I could just make some of this smores fudge - no fire required.

Smores Fudge

1/2 cup (3 oz) dark chocolate chopped or semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup (3 oz) milk chocolate chips

1 (7oz) jar marshmallow creme

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 cups packed brown sugar

1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk

3/4 cup heavy cream

6 tablespoons butter

1/4 teaspoon salt

6 graham crackers, chopped

1 cup mini marshmallows

Line an 11 by 7 inch metal pan with foil so that the foil overlaps the sides. Spray with cooking spray. 

Combine the chocolate, marshmallow creme, and vanilla in a large bowl. In a large sauce pan or pot heat the brown sugar, sweetened condensed milk, cream, butter, and salt over medium heat. Stir until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to high and bring mixture to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to medium, insert a candy thermometer, and stir constantly until the mixture reaches 230 degrees. 

Immediately pour the hot mixture into the large bowl containing the chocolate, marshmallow, vanilla mixture. Stir quickly to melt the chocolate and combine all of the ingredients. The fudge will start to thicken. Carefully fold in the chopped graham crackers. Pour the fudge into the prepared pan and smooth with a spoon or spatula. Sprinkle mini marshmallows and graham cracker crumbs (left over from chopping the graham crackers) on top.

 

Set your oven to BROIL. Place the pan of fudge under the broiler to toast the marshmallows. It should take about 2 minutes, but watch the fudge very carefully so your marshmallows don't burn. Remove from oven and let sit at room temperature for at least 2 hours.

When fudge is set, lift out of the pan using the foil and place on a large cutting board. Cut fudge into pieces using a sharp knife and wiping the knife clean after each cut. Store in an air-tight container at room temperature.

 

Enjoy!