In today’s post: This delicious chocolate peppermint fudge is so easy you can make it in the microwave!
Fudge is the quintessential Christmas candy, right? It’s rich and smooth and chocolatey and really, there’s nothing about it not to love!
The only problem is that I don’t love it. Weird, I know, considering how much I do love just about every other chocolate thing. But for some reason classic fudge has always seemed a little…boring. I’ve always felt like fudge needs a mix of flavors to be truly delicious.
Enter Peppermint Bark Fudge. It has the classic taste of peppermint bark (candy cane + chocolate) but in fudge form! It’s tasty, I tell you. And ridiculous easy to make. No need for a candy thermometer or a timer. Or a saucepan or a stove!
This is a microwave and stir fudge that turns out beautiful and delicious. And once it sets the texture is perfect! Smooth and creamy and perfectly soft – but also sliceable and firm enough to hold its shape.
Easy Microwave Fudge Recipe
Peppermint Bark Fudge
Ingredients
- 1 14 oz can Sweetened Condensed Milk divided
- 2 cups Mini Marshmallows divided
- 2 tbsp butter divided
- 1.5 cups Semi Sweet Chips 9 oz
- 1.5 cups White Chips 9 oz
- 1/2 to 1 teaspoon Peppermint Extract
- 2 Candy Canes crushed
Instructions
- Line an 8x8 square pan with wax paper. NOTE: If you lightly spray the pan with nonstick spray before lining the wax paper won’t move around when you try to spread the fudge in it.
- Measure half the sweetened condensed milk into a microwave safe bowl (that’s 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon.) Add 1 cup mini marshmallows, 1 tablespoon butter, and the semi sweet chocolate.
- Microwave for 30 seconds and stir thoroughly. Microwave 30 more seconds and stir thoroughly again. Mixture should be smooth and combined (if not, microwave one more time). This is the chocolate layer.
- Pour chocolate layer into prepared pan and spread until flat. Place in the freezer while making the peppermint layer.
- Place the other half of the sweetened condensed milk in a microwave safe bowl along with 1 cup mini marshmallows and remaining tablespoon butter. Add the white chocolate chips.
- Microwave for 30 seconds and stir thoroughly. Microwave 30 more seconds and stir thoroughly again. Mixture should be smooth and combined (if not microwave one more time).
- Stir in the peppermint extract. Use 1/2 a teaspoon for a mild peppermint flavor or 1 teaspoon for a stronger peppermint flavor.
- Pour most of the peppermint layer over the chocolate layer, reserving a couple tablespoons of peppermint layer to color red (if desired). Smooth out the peppermint layer. It will be slightly softer than the chocolate layer.
- If you reserved a few tablespoons of the peppermint layer, color it red with food coloring and pour into a plastic sandwich baggie. Snip off one corner of the baggie and “pipe” the red peppermint fudge in rows over the white fudge. Use a toothpick to swirl the red and white fudge together. Sprinkle with crushed candy cane.
- Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for about 3 hours to set. It should be sliceable at this point, but it will continue to firm up over the next 12 hours or so. Store covered on the counter for softer fudge or in the fridge for firmer fudge.
Peppermint Bark Fudge Step by Step Photos
It’s important to line your 8×8 pan so it’s easy to remove the fudge after it has set. I like to use two piece of wax paper, overlapped as you see below. If you lightly spray the pan with nontstick spray before placing the wax paper in, it helps the wax paper to “stick” to the pan and not move around when you’re spreading the fudge.
Here’s what the chocolate layer looks like during the microwave process. The top right photo shows it after it’s been microwaved for 30 seconds. Bottom left shows it after it’s been microwaved twice. The final photo shows it spread in the pan.
Here are step shots with the peppermint layer:
And the last step is to sprinkle it with the crushed candy cane! Then cover and place in the fridge for 3 hours to set.
Enjoy!
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