Photo by Gina Moore
Makes 32 squares
2 cups dark chocolate
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1½ cups chopped pecans
½ teaspoon cardamom or cinnamon
Line an 8-inch-by-8-inch pan with foil. In a heat-proof medium bowl, combine chocolate, milk and butter, and cover with plastic wrap. Place bowl over a saucepan filled halfway with water (water should not touch bottom of the bowl). Put pan over medium heat, and let chocolate melt 15–20 minutes. Stir until smooth.
Add vanilla extract, 1 cup of the pecans and cardamom, and stir until smooth. Spoon into a foil-lined pan, and spread evenly with a spatula. Top with remaining pecans, and refrigerate until ready to serve. Lift foil out of the pan, and peel the foil away from the hardened fudge. Cut into 1-inch squares, and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
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Recipe tip
Secrets to success with melting chocolate – When working with chocolate, avoid any and all contact with water.
- Use clean, dry dishes.
- Make sure the bottom of the melting bowl doesn’t touch the water beneath it.
- Be careful, when removing plastic wrap, not to let water condensation fall into the melting chocolate.
When melting chocolate with butter, make sure the butter is at room temperature and not frozen. Melting chocolate with frozen butter introduces water to the chocolate, and water causes chocolate to seize (clump severely). If that happens, the best you can do is throw away the destroyed chocolate-and-butter mixture and start over.
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For chocolate lovers – February offers the perfect excuse for experimenting with decadent chocolate recipes. Whether you’re sharing sweets with your Valentine or just treating yourself, these desserts let you indulge a chocolate passion.