When Gramma Fudge Has Milk And Takes Too Long
Gramma Basey had the famous fudge recipe. No other fudge ever tasted right. But the whole dairy thing kept it out of my life for most of my days. In an unfortunate twist of fate I somehow pass my allergy up the DNA line instead of down.
Suddenly Mom couldn’t have milk either. Maybe if I’d given her grandkids, the DNA sequencing would have sent it downstream like a normal family.
Last year I got all Kitchen Ambitious and made Gramma Fudge in a non-dairy way. It wasn’t bad. Wasn’t “quite right” but clearly it disappeared within days and was a hit to the tongue.
In the blur we call “recently” I decided it was time to make fudge again. But as 7pm rolls around, all ambition had completely disappeared. Chocolate cravings, however, had not.
Mom walks into the kitchen asking what I was making “fudge” was my answer. “fudge without the marshmallows”, I correct myself.
It’s been several days (weeks? months?) since, and I continue to be too lazy to make proper non-dairy fudge. I now make what I can only realistically call “Chocolate Soup”.
11 Easy Steps
Step 0: Now this won’t work without the proper container. The skies will decent and ascend in abject horror at your defiance. No one wants that.
Step 1:
dump some white sugar into your vintage hook-teacup
honey will NOT fix your chocolate craving
it will taste good and you will sit there wishing you had eaten the chocolates in daddy’s famous Wagon Of Chocolate – the ones that make your tummy real real sad
this is no time for messing around with “healthy” alternatives, we’ve already taken milk off your plate this is a travesty in and of itself and all the cheese cows miss you so so terribly much
Step 2:
dump some baking chocolate powder into your vintage teacup
any kind will do, but some brands are very clumpy and will add too much time between your craving and chocolate soup in your mouth
Step 2a: (optional but recommended)
add one to two cranks of the salt grinder
just a tish to full-out the flavor
Step 3:
take your miniature egg whipping thingy (everyone has one of those, right?) and stir your cup until the bad clumppies decide to resume their powdery happy place
skipping this step will make for a texture nightmare, but if you just can’t wait, and don’t mind the mess, … no, don’t do it, make the clumppies disappear
Step 4:
this is where your vintage teacup shape is making the recipe its perfect proportion
pour coconut milk on top of your clump free happiness until right when you can’t see the happiness anymore
like a cloud, but I promise the rainbow is nigh
and by coconut milk I do NOT mean that giant milk container of 75 thousand ingredients; I mean the thick awesome full-fat one that say “thai coconut milk” and has coconut, water, guargum in it
do NOT mess around with alternatives; everything else is going to suck big ass donkey ballz and make your mouth very very sad
Step 4:
microwave for 30 seconds (800watt rig)
most of you prolly have a thousand watt rig, so 20 seconds should be plenty
Step 5:
stir your chocolate soup with your favorite spoon while you’re walking to the baking cupboard
do NOT skip this efficiency step
you do NOT want to wait one second extra for your rainbow
Step 6:
now is where you fully personalize your experience
vanilla extract
orange extract
cloves
allspice
cinnamon
ginger
whatever your spicy heart desires
or maybe you’re in a peppermint extract mood
or almond, or butterscotch, whatever your mouth craves
Step 7:
put everything away
trust me
you don’t want to mess around with post-chocolate Kitchen Blues
just take 2 seconds to put them all back
Step 8:
stir your thick rainbow chocolate delight while you head to your favorite chair, put on your favorite music/movie/cone of silence
Step 9:
savor every glorious bite
· · ·
silly me, I almost forgot …
Step -1:
put on shoe-like objects, run up and down the driveway or apartment hallway 3 or 4 times
this step is Key to eliminating guilt
the entire purpose of Chocolate Soup is “Enjoy!”
Photo (featured photo up top) by:
Pablo Merchán Montes