Hello to all fellow fans of Life in Grace! I’m Richella from Imparting Grace, and I’m so glad to be part of Edie’s 12 Days of Handmade Christmas! Wife to my college sweetheart and mother to three wonderful boys, I’m a woman who is blessed beyond measure. I am passionate about making a home for my family and living a life with God, learning to receive and impart grace as I go.
I’m excited today to be able to share with you one of my favorite Christmas projects. Each year, I like to give a little something to many people: neighbors, teachers, service providers. That list can grow long, but it’s important to me to be able to share a bit of the joy of the season in some small way. Like many of you, I bake cakes, make cookies, and roast nuts. But one thing I do every year is to make fudge. Lots and lots of fudge: at least 12 pounds every year.
My fudge recipe is special, I think. My mother’s family has lived in Kansas for many generations, and I inherited a few old Kansas cookbooks. My fudge recipe comes from one of those cookbooks. The body of the cookbook is long since lost, so I don’t know the name of the book; all I have is one yellowed and tattered page. The name of the recipe is Mamie’s Fudge, and under the recipe name is this note: “She made this to woo Ike.” Yes, indeed, this recipe originated with Mamie Eisenhower. President Eisenhower was from Abilene, Kansas, and Kansans proudly claim this family as their own. Just imagine sweet young Mamie Doud making this fudge for the handsome young lieutenant.
::Mamie’s Fudge::
pinch of salt
2 Tablespoons butter
12 ounce can evaporated milk
12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
12 ounces German sweet chocolate, broken into pieces
2 7-ounce jars marshmallow creme
2 cups chopped nuts
Butter a pan for the fudge. A 9 x 13 pan works well for thick fudge; a small sheet pan is good for slightly thinner fudge.
Place semi-sweet chocolate, German sweet chocolate, marshmallow creme, and chopped nuts into bowl. Set aside.
Combine sugar, salt, butter, and milk in heavy saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil. Boil, continuing to stir, for six minutes. Remove from heat and pour immediately over chocolate mixture; stir until all the chocolate bits are dissolved.
The mixture will look pretty goopy for a moment, but you’ll soon be rewarded with the delectable aroma of those chocolates and the look of smooth, satiny fudge.
Pour into buttered pan. Let stand one hour before cutting.
The fudge costs me about $13 per batch, which seems like a lot, but it makes more than six pounds. Mamie’s original recipe actually says that it makes seven pounds. Six or seven, the per-pound price is pretty low.
I keep a eye out for containers for my fudge, such as pretty gift boxes, tins, or ceramics. Just last week I found this cute mitten plate at my thrift store for $1.
My favorite presentation of all is simply to put some fudge on a plate, cover it in plastic wrap, tie a bow with some pretty ribbon, and attach an ornament.
::Peppernuts::This yummy little treat is of German origin and they are so wonderfully addictive! This makes a huge batch but they ‘keep’ forever—like months! Steve’s mom made these with the girls when she was here and then we made them again on Reformation Day.2 1/2 c. butter (marg or shortening also work)
1 1/2 c. molasses
2 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. milk
1/2 t. nutmeg
1/2 t. black pepper
2 t. baking powder
1 t. cinnamon
1 t. cloves
1 t. allspice
1 t. salt
9 c. all purpose flour
1 qt ground walnutsThe dough should be stiff but not overly dry so add the last 1/2 c. of flour slowly to make sure the dough isn’t too dry.Roll the dough into thin ropes, using a little flour to keep them from sticking to your surface. {the ropes should be about the size of your first finger—unless you have unusually large fingers} Apparently little Elea is unsure of this process—but I can tell you from experience that she loves these little cookies.Then freeze the ‘ropes’ so that they cut easily. It takes less than an hour for them to harden.We took one tray out of the freezer at a time and cooked those—then proceeded to the next tray.Then slice them into little coin size pieces and bake at 350 until they no longer ‘give’ when you press them (in my oven–about 12-15 min). The longer you cook them, the crunchier they’ll be and my family likes them crunchy. I prefer them on the less crunchy side but you’ll have to experiment.Then, wrap them up neat and pretty and Merry Christmas! Or Happy Reformation Day!
And Nancy from Basketmaster’s Weavings has a great tutorial on her blog for how to make a Christmas basket, along with many YouTube tutorials on the different steps of weaving. She lists directions for where to buy the stakes and what kind you’ll need. This would be so much fun to learn how to do with my girls—-and we love a good YouTube video. That cute little basket would be a great handmade gift all by itelf—or you could fill it with fudge and peppernuts.