Valentine's Day Fudge Recipe

Valentine's Day and sweets go hand-in-hand. February 14th is also a great day to do something extra special for your loved ones, no? So when you make Valentine's Day fudge from scratch and give it to your sweet-toothed sweetheart? That's an arrow that'll hit the target. (And yes, that's a Cupid pun.)

Now, does your sweetheart have to know that this thoughtful DIY fudge requires only five ingredients, two of which are completely ornamental, and that the whole process takes just 10 minutes, provided you don't count the chilling time? No. No they don't. So when you follow the steps laid out by chef and recipe developer Jessica Morone of Jess Loves Baking, you really can whip up this fudge in about 10 or 15 minutes. That means if you accidentally forget to do something special for Valentine's Day, this recipe just might be your saving grace!

Remember how we said there are only five ingredients needed, and two are just for looks? We meant it. Practically speaking, you can make this fudge with nothing but a few cups of white chocolate chips, a can of sweetened condensed milk, and some vanilla extract. But the red food coloring and sprinkles really seal the deal.

Also, note that because this is such a simple recipe, you can use it as a jumping off point for other fudge experiments. Try swapping out half the white chocolate chips with dark chocolate or butterscotch bits. Or switch out the white chocolate completely for milk chocolate, if that's your loved one's favorite flavor. It's easy to personalize the recipe as you see fit. 

To start off, line an 8x8-inch pan with parchment paper and set it aside. Next, in a large microwavable bowl, mix the white chocolate chips with the sweetened condensed milk. Then microwave the mixture for 30 seconds at a time, stirring well between each interval until the chocolate is completely smooth. This usually takes 60 to 90 seconds. 

"The main thing to watch out for is overheating the chocolate," Morone says. "If you cook it for too long in the microwave it will get burnt. But if you heat it in 30 second intervals and stir between each one you should be [okay]. It should be done by [1 ½] minutes. If it's still a little lumpy at that time, I would take it out of the microwave and keep stirring it until it smooths out."

Once the chocolate is melted and mixed, stir in the vanilla extract, and add 3 drops of red food coloring. Stir well, and if you want, add more food coloring until you reach the desired pink color. Next, spread the mixture evenly into the prepared pan and sprinkle the top with Valentine's-themed sprinkles and press them lightly into the top of the fudge.

Refrigerate the fudge until it's completely cool and firm before cutting it into squares. Morone says, "I'd say it could stay up to a week in the fridge in an airtight container. You can also freeze it for up to [3] months."

So here's the thing about this Valentine's Day fudge: It doesn't have to be Valentine's Day fudge at all. "This can work for any holiday, or even no holiday," Morone says. "You can dye it any color and add any kind of sprinkles you want."

So a soft pastel blue, purple, or yellow for Easter? By all means! Orange for Halloween? Indeed. Make two small batches and dye one blue, and the other red for the Fourth of July? Or one red, and one green for Christmas? Yes, you can! Or, as Morone said, leave out the dye and sprinkles, and make this a quick-and-easy 3-ingredient fudge.