fudgalicious

This is not "real" fudge, but I don't care. It is luscious and chocolatey and hits the sweet-tooth spot. Furthermore, though I love cooking, I do not like tedious processes (peeling juicy peaches, for instance, or finagling potatoes into paper-thin slices). Happily, here you don't need a double boiler, a candy thermometer, or the know-how to distinguish between soft ball and hard ball; you don't need to caramelize anything, nor do you need to grease candy molds.

All you need is a nice heavy saucepan, a spoon, and a few very basic ingredients. Onward!

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Possibly the Easiest Fudge Ever
(from my college friend Courtney)

3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla

Melt everything together in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-low heat (no flimsy pots allowed . . . they let things burn too easily). Stir constantly. Once smooth, scrape into a 9x9 square baking dish lined with parchment. Refrigerate for several hours, then cut into bite-sized pieces.

If you'd like to make a fun peppermint version, stir in 1 cup crushed candy cane pieces after removing the mixture from the heat. :)