Okay, the base recipe for this fudge is super easy, I found it over at Chocolate, Chocolate and More a few years ago and have made it several dozen times with my adaptations…I confess I actually haven’t ever made the original version they posted, because I always want heaps of stuff in my fudge – but having eaten spoonfuls of it prior to pouring it into the pan, I can say that the base recipe is definitely delicious enough to stand on its own.

But I wanted something chewier and that looked a bit fancier, so I added my own spin on it by incorporating chunky sea salt and a homemade caramel sauce swirled into the top. Looks incredible and is still less effort than old fashioned stove top fudge.

Ingredients

• 14 oz. Sweetened Condensed Milk
• 12 oz. Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
• 1 Tbsp. Heavy Cream
• 1 tsp. Pure Vanilla Extract
• Coarse Sea Salt (to sprinkle over the top!)
• Caramel Sauce

• • ¼ Cup Water
  • ¾ Cup Granulated White Sugar
  • ¼ tsp. Salt
  • ½ tsp. Pure Vanilla Extract
  • ½ cup Heavy Cream

Recipe:

1. Line an 8 x 8 cake pan with parchment paper. Press the paper into the corners to make nice 90 degree creases, so you can maintain the square shape.
2. In a saucepan, bring the water, granulated sugar and salt for the caramel to a boil over medium heat. Once it boils, reduce to a simmer until the syrup turns golden, stirring continuously to keep it from sticking too much to the pan or burning in one place. The syrup should start to deepen in color (about 8-10 minutes total). Reduce the heat to low and add the heavy cream. Keep stirring for another 3-5 minutes. Add in the vanilla extract and allow to cool. Side note: Be really careful – this is HOT stuff and it will be bubbling. Make sure your spatula or wooden spoon has a nice long handle to keep your hands and arms out of harm’s way.
3. Stir chocolate chips, heavy cream, and the sweetened condensed milk together in a microwaveable bowl. Heat for one minute, and then stir the mixture again. Add the vanilla extract. Return to microwave for about 15 seconds at a time, checking and stirring as needed.
4. Pour the fudge into the pan and spread out to the edges. Drop caramel sauce by the spoonful onto the fudge, and use a butter knife or toothpick to drag back and forth in long lines, creating a striped pattern. Rotate your pan one turn and go back with your knife or toothpick in the opposite direction, like you’re making a hashtag (#). Sprinkle coarse sea salt over the top. Try to only get the salt on the chocolate areas, as it will dissolve into the caramel sauce and won’t look as pretty.
5. Pop it into the fridge for about three hours to allow it to set completely.
6. Slice into small squares and enjoy! It’s very rich – so I keep my portion sizes about 1″ x 1″.

This lasts about a week, if you can manage not to eat it all long before then – I know I can’t! If you have leftover caramel sauce, store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a month.