No one knows why May 12 is National Nutty Fudge Day. The holiday has no origin. Fudge isn’t “in season.” And we always think of it as either a holiday gift or a treat from beach vacations. So, it seems like an odd time of the year to celebrate fudge. But, the national holiday is coming up, and we never miss out on a celebration.
We love nuts. They’re packed with health benefits. Fudge, on the other hand, is packed with sugar and carbs. It’s something many people with blood sugar concerns pass up. If you’re on a weight loss diet it’s probably not your go-to dessert. No one would consider it a health food. But, with a few tweaks, you can have fudge with fewer carbs. May 12 might be the perfect day to make one of the four recipes below to enjoy or give as a gift!
When making fudge, you usually have to mix things over heat and keep a close eye on the temperature. We love that this recipe uses room-temperature butter and cream cheese as the base. It’s perfect for making on a warmer day when you don’t want to stand over the stove. Be sure to use a brick of cream cheese rather than cream cheese from a tub because it won’t set correctly if it’s the spreadable version. A serving has 134 calories, 2.2 grams of carbs and 1.1 grams of fiber. Get the recipe.
This fudge is excellent for people who love a combination of fruit and nuts in their sweets. With cranberries, raisins, almonds and hazelnuts, you’re sure to be a fan. Low-carb condensed milk makes the fudge sweet and creamy. While the recipe isn’t hard to follow, it does require a stove. And while it calls for chilling for two hours, we think it will be closer to six. We would suggest making this fudge the day before you need it. A serving has 240 calories, six grams of carbs and 1.9 grams of fiber. Get the recipe.
We love that this recipe is vegan. Usually, fudge has dairy in it to be creamy. As long as you buy dairy-free chocolate, you will have a vegan treat when you make this. Made from a base of coconut cream and hazelnut cream, you get a rich chocolate fudge with nuts. This recipe is a bit more work-intensive than the others, as you do have to take it from the fridge when it’s partially set to add more nuts to it. But can you really complain about adding more nuts? A serving has 150 calories and six grams of carbs. Get the recipe.
Thinking back to the times we’ve been in candy stores with fudge, we can’t think of one where they have had macadamia nuts in chocolate fudge. Sometimes they are in a “blondie” flavor fudge. But we’re pretty sure we’ve never seen this for sale. That makes us so pleased to share it on our list! This recipe does require cooking on the stove, but it is really straightforward. One of the last steps is adding salt flakes to the top. We’ll leave that up to you. The feelings on our team are mixed. We have some advocates for salted chocolate and others who think salt has no place as sprinkles on a dessert! A serving has 231.7 calories, 13 grams of carbs, 5.7 grams of fiber and 1.3 grams of net carbs. Get the recipe.
These recipes should inspire you to try making fudge in your own kitchen. They use different methods, so read through them and find the one that suits your taste and cooking style. Before you know it, homemade fudge may be your go-to gift!
