Foolproof Dark Chocolate Fudge

Ok, how about another recipe!  Dark chocolate fudge with black walnuts--I made this the other day and although I set aside a baggie for my mother-in-law (also a great lover of dark chocolate), there is very little left now.  This might even be something you fellas could do to surprise your sweetie for Valentine's Day.  As the title says, I promise you it truly is foolproof!  And when she says, "oh honey, you really shouldn't have" (interpret--"you've just gone and ruined my diet"), you can point how how heart healthy dark chocolate and walnuts are.  You know, antioxidants and omega-3's and all that good stuff.  :)

Foolproof Dark Chocolate Fudge

• 3 (6 oz.) pkgs of bittersweet (60% cacao) chocolate chips (equals 3 cups)


• 1 (14 oz.) can of sweetened condensed milk


• a dash of salt


• 1/2 to 1 cup of chopped nuts


• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

In a heavy saucepan over LOW heat, melt chips with condensed milk and salt, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat.  Stir in nuts and vanilla.  Spread evenly into a wax paper lined 8" or 9" square pan.  Chill 2 hours or until firm.  Turn fudge out onto a cutting board and cut into squares.

See?  Easy!  I had some black walnuts I had collected from a tree on my mother-in-law's property last year and had been saving them for something special.  They were perfect in this fudge.  I lightly roasted them at 300 degrees for a couple minutes which adds a smokey flavor to the nut and I hear also makes them even healthier. 

It takes a long time to hull out and crack black walnuts with a hammer.  The effort is well worth it.  Their flavor cannot be beat and the regular walnuts you buy at the store for cooking cannot compare.  I feel sorry for people who don't have black walnut trees where they live.  They don't know what they are missing!  They literally grow like weeds around here, but it takes a little time to locate a tree that produces good quality, large nuts.  Like I said, it is a lot of trouble to crack them, so you hope to get a lot of nutmeat out of them.  One of these days I am going to invest in a heavy-duty nut press for these types of hard shelled nuts.

So this fudge is so easy you have no reason not to give it a try.  Pecans or hazelnuts (filberts) would also be great in it.  If you surprise your sweetie for Valentine's Day, drop me a comment and let me know how it went.  :)