Those that have known me for a little while will know that for a few years now I have made edible Christmas gifts.  I always find gift buying so stressful. I never knew what to get people, and always feared that what I did get would end up either in a charity shop or gathering dust somewhere.

Admitting one is crap at buying gifts is half the battle. For my path to recovery I decided to play to my strengths. I enjoy making things, and people enjoy eating things I have made, ergo I should make edible Christmas gifts. This is by no means a new thing, but I feel that it is once again growing in popularity as people become more and more disillusioned with the growing commercialism of the season.

I try and put a different mixture of sweet treats in my little gift hampers, but I know that a popular addition is fudge. Last year, I made Chocolate and Walnut Fudge. The year before I think it was White Chocolate. This year, I wanted to do something my family hadn’t had from me before.

I was given a large bottle of Bailey’s by a generous friend at Halloween, and it was biscotti flavour. I love Bailey’s over ice, but how I really enjoy it is in fudge! Using the Baileys in the fudge mixture would give a subtle hint of that biscotti flavour, but  I also wanted to add the texture, so I carefully broke up some deliciously crunchy biscotti into small pieces.

I followed my basic fudge recipe as below, adding the biscotti flavoured Bailey’s, 70g of biscotti pieces, and a very small dash of good quality almond extract to ramp up that biscotti flavour.

Basic Fudge Recipe

Print recipe

• Print with main photo
• Print text only

Serves

48

Ingredients

• 500g Caster Sugar
• 500ml Double Cream
• 150g White Chocolate (finely chopped)
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 30g Butter

Directions

1.	Start off by lining a deep baking tray (approx 9"x9") with a couple of layers of cling film.
2.	Butter the sides of a large heavy bottomed pan, and add the sugar and cream.
3.	Stir gently and continuously until the sugar has melted, then turn the heat up.
4.	Continue stirring to prevent the mixture burning, and heat until the mixture starts to boil, then turn the heat down to a low-medium
5.	Continuing to stir, let the mixture continue to simmer until the temperature on a sugar thermometer reaches 'soft ball' stage 235°F / 113°C. The mixture will bubble and rise but once the bubbles start to subside, and become tighter, you check for soft ball stage by dropping a small amount into some iced water. If the mixture can be pressed into a soft ball, it is ready.
6.	Once 'soft ball' has been reached, turn off the heat, and move the pan away from the heat source. Add the butter but don't stir in. Leave the thermometer in and allow the mixture to cool until it reaches 110°F/43°C
7.	Add in the chocolate and flavourings and start to beat the mixture. Continue beating just until the mixture starts to loose its glossy appearance. Pour quickly into the waiting tray. Spread around the pan with the back of a metal spoon.
8.	Leave to cool for a few hours at room temperature before turning out carefully and cutting with a sharp knife.

Note

The recipe is quite easy to customise. You could replace the white chocolate with milk or dark chocolate. You could add 50ml of Baileys or any liqueur, or even top with sweets. You could also add 50g of chopped nuts, or dried fruit. Possibilities are endless.

You can freeze the fudge after it has cooled. Divide layers between greaseproof paper, and store in an airtight container. Ensure you allow it to fully defrost before serving.