Day 2: Treats and Clean Eating

Yesterday went well.  I made my first treats.....fudge!!!!!  I always use the Kraft Fantasy Fudge recipe that is on the Jet-Puffed Marshmallow creme jar.  It has never failed, and I even cut back the sugar a bit to 2 1/2 cups instead of the standard three.  One of these days I may try just 2 cups, since the chocolate and the marshmallow creme are SUPER sweet - but then again, it's the holidays!!

I made one pan of Peppermint Fudge, and one pan of Andes Mint Fudge.  I did indulge a tiny bit (my small treat for the day) and while the Peppermint was good, I was okay just taking a small bite of that one.  But the Andes fudge - get it out of the house!!  I could have eaten half the pan. (Don't worry, I didn't;)  I stuck mainly with protein and veggies and just ate salad for dinner (with leftover turkey!)

I started the Peppermint fudge first and sprinkled a few Andes Peppermint bits to the bottom of the greased 8x8 pan. (In past years, I have used a 9x13 for a thinner fudge, but decided to go with a smaller pan for thicker fudge.  I believe the recipe calls for a 9x9 pan, but this is the closest size I have.  It all works out!)  I mixed up the recipe, omitted the vanilla with the intention of adding peppermint extract...then I forgot to add it in!  All measured out and on the counter and everything!!!  It tastes just fine, but if I make more this season, I will try to remember the extract just to see how much of a taste difference it makes.

Once I had that pan cooling, I started on the Andes Mint Fudge.  I had Andes baking bits, but since I have Andes mints on hand for the kid's Advent calendar, I thought it would be fun to layer a few into the fudge.  I spread about half the fudge into the greased pan, sprinkled some bits, then added the large candies before pouring the remainder of the fudge over.  In the future, I would add some bits on the bottom of the pan (you guessed it, I got ahead of myself and forgot!)

Here are the finished results....look close and you will notice the Andes mint baked in...yum!!!!

Note:  We like our fudge COLD, so we keep it in the freezer - I usually cut the fudge frozen for a neater, cleaner cut.  HOWEVER,  with that Andes full mint in there, if you try this you will want to bring the pan to room temperature or else you won't be able to easily cut through the fudge without breaking your nice, neat squares.

As with all the baking I'm planning on doing, I section everything out once it is baked/cooled.  I labeled 2 sandwich bags "Christmas Eve" and put each flavor into the freezer.  Then, I labeled 2 bags as "give" that will eventually go into tins or bags for friends and neighbors. Then I put a small container in the freezer for snacking or dessert for the the kids lunches.  At the end of my baking days this month, I should have a great assortment for Christmas.

Now, off to make Day 2 treats....and attempt the clean eating!