Fudging it up

This year we are pretty short on pennies (nothing new there then) so I have invested some money and time into making home made gifts. Initially I wanted to give chocolates and truffles but they don't have a very long shelf life so I would have to make them on demand which is hassle I don't need as Christmas. So I thought that fudge would be a better choice.

I bought some flat pack gift boxes and have already started assembling them. adding ribbons and labels, soon I'll start making job lots of fudge to fill them. It wont be long intill I start giving them out with as a dose of Christmas cheer :)

Here is my recipe for delicious Scottish tablet which is a crumbly fudge that melts in your mouth.

Vanilla Scottish tablet
1 400g tin of condensed milk
500 grams of granulated sugar
50 grams of butter

Put all ingrediants into a pan on the hob and mix. When it has been at a steady rolling boil for 5 minutes it should be ready. Check the temp with a confectionery thermometer or if you don't have one try the soft ball test like I do. Take a tea spoon of hot mixture and drop it into a class of cold water. if it is firm ball when you lift it out then its ready.

Place into a foil lined container to cool at room temperature. When it is firm but not hard score the fudge into cubes. Cool for a few hours (over night is best) and when stored in a sealed container it should last for weeks. That s if it doesn't all get eaten before then!

If you would like variations, once the mixture is ready you can add chopped nuts and chunky peanut butter or even dried fruit and chocolate chips without changing the recipe above. I used creamed coconut in the mix with 20grams less sugar, adding dessicated coconut on top when it is starting to set. Enjoy :)