Coffee Fudge

Mmmmmmmmm fudge!

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm coffee fudge!

This is the easiest fudge recipe I've ever come across. You don't need a sugar thermometer or anything! Which is great, because up until about a month ago, I didn't have one.

Coffee Chocolate Fudge

Ingredients

1 395 g can of sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 tablespoons of instant coffee (or an espresso shot if you have a coffee machine)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
450 g dark chocolate. I used 70% dark cooking chocolate blocks for this, but you can use whatever you have on hand.
3 tablespoons of butter, at room temperature (if using the espresso shot, I'd use a little less butter, but I haven't tried that out, as I don't have a coffee machine)

Directions
To start, you need a baking pan or tray ready to pour the fudge into once it's ready to be refrigerated. The thickness of the fudge dictates the size of the pan. The larger the pan, the thinner the fudge.
Once you've made up your mind, line the tray with baking paper, making sure there is enough hanging over the sides to use as handles when removing the fudge from the pan.

I started by melting the butter over a double boiler (a glass bowl on a saucepan of boiling water with a wooden kebab stick stuck between the saucepan and the bowl to stop it exploding) and stirring in the coffee until it was all dissolved.

Then I added the sweetened condensed milk and the vanilla and stirred that through until it was warm.

After that, I added the chocolate and stirred until it is all melted and fudgy looking.

You can tell it's ready when the mix comes cleanly off of whatever you're stirring it with. I use a spatula.

Once it has fudgified, you can pour it into the prepared tray and stick it in the fridge for at least four hours. I usually leave it for a full day before cutting it... Of course, you need to taste it before cutting it up, and that I usually do at 4 hours.

If, when you go to cut the fudge up, you find it sticks to the knife, you can heat the knife in a glass of boiling water before cutting... and periodically during the process.

I will add pictures tomorrow, when I can be bothered to dig out my camera.