You might have noticed that I didn’t really write a lot about Christmas, other than fact that the religion I belong to doesn’t do that holiday. Nope, I don’t have a tree. But I love baking for others during the holiday season even more. It’s such a great time for cookies and cheer!
When all the festivities have ended, my pantry is still full of holiday chips and holiday Oreos and the like. So this morning, I baked up these bars. They’ll be making the rounds to people this weekend who (I hope) appreciate them.
My post today is short because I spent the holiday yesterday with my family. I’m lucky enough to live near my siblings, and we had a great day together. Our kids love one another and, not having a Christmas dinner to consume, we went out to eat. French fries were involved. I was a happy camper.
But in the middle of the family and the hugs and all of the fun, I still had time to bake these, photograph them, and eat them. It added a little extra joy to the day!
If you’re like me and your pantry is full of half-used bags of holiday-themed treats, make these bars! I’ll write in the recipe what I used, but you can use any combination of treats you like.
And if you’d like to see me bake something specific in the new year, let me know! I’m having a bit of baker’s block these days, so suggestions are welcome!
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350. Coat a 9 x 13 pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
- Melt the butter with the chocolate chips in a medium-sized bowl, heating for one minute. Stir until smooth.
- Stir in the graham cracker crumbs and brown sugar until all ingredients are combined. Press evenly into the prepared pan and bake for 15 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the oven and layer on (in this order) the Oreos, holiday chips, toffee bits, and chocolate chunks. Pour the condensed milk over the top, trying to cover the entire surface.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes until the condensed milk is incorporated into the bars. Cool completely.
- Cut into squares and serve.
This final offering is made with white chocolate (yep, I’ve done milk and dark already this week) and it’s soft and perfectly fudgy. To be honest, I wanted to use Chanukah colors for this fudge, but guess what? Oreo doesn’t make a Chanukah variety, and Nestle doesn’t do blue chips. I had to keep the colors to Christmas. That’s okay!
But let’s focus on what’s going on here. This fudge is surrounding Oreos. And holiday chips. And it’s so decadent and delightful!
Unlike my other two fudges this week, I made this one on the stovetop. White chocolate is not chocolate, and it’s finicky. If you melt it down too much, if it gets even slightly overheated, the stuff seizes up and becomes unworkable. So I prefer to use the stove because I can stir as it melts and take it off the heat at just the right moment.
A lot of people make their white chocolate fudge with heavy cream, or marshmallow cream, or both. You can go that route, but I’ve never been into fussing. The more ingredients you put into fudge, the higher the chance of messing it up. So my trusty sweetened condensed milk and I will stay together forever!
Once your fudge base is melted and ready to go, you just barely stir in the mix-ins. Too much stirring will bring color streaks into your pretty white fudge. Maybe you want that, but I did not. Something about wintry white fudge this time of year is really appealing to me! Probably because I envision eating it under a blanket while staring out at the snow falling. And yes, it makes a great gift!
Considering it’s just kind of gray and gross outside, that’s another fantasy for another day. For now, the fudge itself will have to do. And believe me, it’ll make you happy enough!
Ingredients
Instructions
- Line an 8 x 8 pan with aluminum foil, using enough to hang over the sides. Spray it lightly with cooking spray. Line the bottom with a few broken Oreos. Set aside.
- On the stove over low heat, melt the white chocolate chips with the condensed milk, stirring constantly, until the mixture is melted and smooth.
- Remove from the heat.
- Quickly and gently mix in the holiday chips and remaining Oreos, but don't stir too much or your fudge will change color.
- Pour into the pan, spreading carefully to even out the top. Sprinkle on the remaining holiday chips.
- Chill for 3 hours. Let the fudge come to room temperature. Cut into squares with a sharp knife and store in an airtight container.
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