Fudge 2 ways: Choco Peppermint and Citrus

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The winter holidays are a particular time of the year, filled with joy and the spirit of sharing with your family and friends. They are also filled with another thing – food.

And while I do enjoy a good meal, I also know that we tend to overstuff ourselves during the holidays with heavy and difficult to digest foods. So I am always on the lookout for healthy versions of traditional meals. This recipe for homemade chocolate fudge is just the right thing for this.

I love this fudge because it’s both unconditionally delicious and diet and GAPS-friendly. I have fed it to several friends and none of them noticed that this fudge is filled with only natural, non-processed ingredients. That is a big win!

This recipe uses a lot of coconut oil which has been a personal craze of mine lately. It contains plenty of fatty acids, like lauric acid, which are unbelievably good for your heart. Coconut oil is a perfect substitute for less healthy fats that are usually used in traditional fudge recipes. There are two basic types of coconut oil: virgin coconut oil and expeller-pressed coconut oil. They are both full of beneficial nutrients but the virgin coconut oil has that distinct coconut flavoring and fragrance. Expeller-pressed coconut oil is more neutral so I usually choose it over the virgin one. Because the recipe also uses shredded coconut to add some more texture to the fudge, I feel like it would become too coconut-y. But it’s perfectly ok to use virgin coconut oil if that’s more to your liking!

Now I prepared two different versions of this fudge for you. One is peppermint and the other one uses citrus flavorings. Both are perfect for the holidays so choose whichever one you prefer!

Necessary equipment:

  • a baking pan
  • parchment paper
  • measuring cups
  • a food processor
  • a spatula
  • a cutting board
  • a knife

Chocolate peppermint fudge

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup of cocoa powder
  • 1/2 cup of coconut butter (also called coconut spread)
  • 1/2 cup of virgin coconut oil OR expeller-pressed coconut oil
  • 1/4 cup of raw honey
  • 1 cup of shredded coconut
  • 2 t. of peppermint extract
  • 1 t. of vanilla extract

Instructions:

  1. Line your baking pan with parchment paper and set aside for now.
  2. Put all the ingredients except for the shredded coconut in a food processor. Pulse until they all combine.
  3. Add in the shredded coconut and pulse a few more times.
  4. Transfer the mixture into your baking pan. If you need to, use a spatula to make it even.
  5. Put the baking pan in the fridge for 30 minutes so that your fudge can harden.
  6. Take out of the fridge and lift the fudge out of the baking pan by holding the parchment paper. Transfer onto a cutting board and cut into even squares or rectangles. If the fudge is too hard to cut, let it sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes.
  7. Keep the individual fudge squares in an airtight container in the fridge. Take them out about 30 minutes before serving.

Citrus fudge

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup of coconut butter (also called coconut spread)
  • 1 cup of virgin coconut oil OR expeller-pressed coconut oil
  • 1/2 cup of raw honey
  • 1 cup of shredded coconut
  • 2 T. of lemon zest (or other citrus)
  • 1 T. of lemon juice (or other citrus)

*If you use orange to make this fudge then lessen the amount of honey because orange is sweeter than lemon or lime.

Instructions:

  1. Line your baking pan with parchment paper and set aside for now.
  2. Put all the ingredients except for the shredded coconut in a food processor. Pulse until they all combine.
  3. Add in the shredded coconut and pulse a few more times.
  4. Transfer the mixture into your baking pan. If you need to, use a spatula to make it even.
  5. Put the baking pan in the fridge for 30 minutes so that your fudge can harden.
  6. Take out of the fridge and lift the fudge out of the baking pan by holding the parchment paper. Transfer onto a cutting board and cut into even squares or rectangles. If the fudge is too hard to cut, let it sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes.
  7. Keep the individual fudge squares in an airtight container in the fridge. Take them out about 30 minutes before serving.

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