#handcraftededibles ~ White Chocolate Peppermint Fudge

In an effort to make all of our holiday gifts this year Camilla at Culinary Adventures with Camilla invited some of her favorite foodie bloggers to share recipes for hand-crafted edibles. Over the course of twelve weeks, we'll be sharing recipes that you can make at home to give to friends and loved ones, or things to serve at holiday parties. We hope you'll follow along for inspiration. You can find out more information, including the schedule: here.

This week, we are letting out our inner chocolatiers shine, sharing all sorts of recipes with chocolate.

Here's what we're posting this week...

• Amy's Cooking Adventures shared 10+ Homemade Candies
• Fantastical Sharing of Recipes created Salted Chocolate Cookie Butter Bark
• Cookaholic Wife cooked Peanut Butter M&M Bark
• Making Miracles made White Chocolate Peppermint Fudge
• Christmas Tree Lane posted Dark Chocolate Pomegranate Bark
• A Day in the Life on the Farm wrote about Fruit and Nut Clusters
• Culinary Adventures with Camilla rolled some Saffron Truffles

Next week - week 11 - check back for our recipes to inspire you as we let our mad cookie baking skillz show. Don't forget to check out our #handcraftededibles pinterest board.

This is the perfect holiday treat to make and share with your family, friends, coworkers, or a stranger on the street. Share the love! These are creamy little bites infused with just a touch of peppermint flavor, rich with white chocolate, and a touch of crunch and milk chocolate flavor in the cookie crust (I used my Vitamix to make very short work of the Oreo cookies for the crust - I don't know what I would do without that thing)!

I haven't made fudge in a very, very long time but with chocolate being our theme this week - what better excuse to experiment a little and test out a new fudge recipe. I very rarely do anything white chocolate - but I'm pretty sure my son is going to be extra happy that I did when I take him a couple pieces of this. He is a huge white chocolate fan. Apparently my sister is too which I didn't know. I'd bought 4 boxes of the Jell-O white chocolate pudding mix; I knew I needed some but couldn't remember how many plus I'd never seen white chocolate pudding before so I grabbed a handful. It turned out I only needed 1 box for this recipe but my sister was pretty interested in the remaining 4! Hopefully my two white chocolate lovers in the house will help make short work of this yummy, creamy fudge. I've spent so much time baking the past couple days for a few different groups I'm connected too - it's not even December yet and the Holiday Baking has been in full effect in my kitchen! Cake, cookies, fudge, and muffins to name a few. Oh, and Lobster Mac. But that's for another day. (Drool.)

White Chocolate Peppermint Fudge from Love Bakes Good Cakes

Ingredients
For the crust:
2 cups chocolate cookie crumbs (about 28 Oreo cookies)
5 TBS butter, melted

For the filling:
3 cups white chocolate chips
2 TBS butter
1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
1 box (3.3 oz.) Jell-O white chocolate flavored instant pudding mix
1 jar (7 oz.) marshmallow cream
1 tsp. peppermint extract

For the topping:
Assorted red and green sprinkles
2-3 crushed candy cane pieces

Instructions

1. Line an 8x8-inch baking pan with parchment paper and set aside (I lined only the bottom, but if you can smoothly line the sides as well it will make it easier to remove the entire pan of fudge at one time, which  makes cutting MUCH easier!).
2. In a medium bowl, combine the cookie crumbs and 5 TBS melted butter. Firmly press the cookie mixture into the bottom of the prepared pan. Set aside.
3. Place the white chocolate chips, 2 TBS butter and the sweetened condensed milk in a large saucepan. Cook and stir regularly, over medium heat, until the white chocolate chips are melted and the mixture is smooth. Add the pudding mix and continue to stir for an additional 1-2 minutes, thoroughly mixing the ingredients until smooth again. Next add in the marshmallow creme along with the peppermint extract. Stir until combined. 
4. Remove from the heat and immediately pour the white chocolate mixture over the prepared chocolate crust. Quickly top with colored sprinkles and candy cane pieces. Gently press the topping ingredients into the warm fudge to make sure the sprinkles and candy pieces stick and set into the top of the fudge. Refrigerate a few hours, or until firm.
5. Remove fudge from pan, using a sharp knife cut into small squares to serve. Store covered in the refrigerator. 

(**The original recipe suggests storing for up to a few days at room temperature, but I prefer a firmer texture for my fudge so keep mine in the fridge. You can also store some in the freezer to be enjoyed at a later date, just make sure you wrap it very well and keep as much air away from the stored pieces as possible.)