Caramel Coffee Fudge

I'm not much of a sweet-eater especially chocolate, so fudge isn't exactly my thing unless it's got some fun flavors. Well this one is great because there's no chocolate and it has two fun flavors. Let me start this by saying you should follow the actual directions for this. I couldn't find dulce de leche (didn't think to check the aisle that has all of the Mexican foods), so I substituted a caramel butterscotch sauce. It came out just fine, but the texture of the caramel layer is very, very sticky. Dulce de leche and caramel are not the same thing, so beware if you want to substitute like I did.

Here's a fun cooking lesson for today. You can make your own dulce de leche. It obviously takes more time than buying it, but it's cheaper. Who doesn't want to save a few pennies? Baking can be expensive, so saving a little extra dough (get it?!) never hurts. Here's one way to make your own:

You need:
1 can sweetened condensed milk
kosher salt
a baking dish
foil
a large roasting pan
water
an oven

1. Preheat oven to 425.
2. Pour 1 can of sweetened condensed milk into a baking dish and sprinkle with kosher salt. Cover tightly with foil.
3. Place the baking dish into the roasting pan and fill with water around it until it's about three quarters of the way up the side of the baking dish. This is what we call a water bath.
4. Bake for 60 to 90 minutes checking o it every half hour. Add more water if the water level drops. The dulce de leche is done when it's brown and caramel-looking.

Easy isn't it? How does this work? You basically just have to take the water out of the sweetened condensed milk, which just leaves the fat and sugar to caramelize. You can also do this using the stove top, microwave, or a crockpot.

I forgot to mention in my previous post about the Dark Chocolate Peppermint Oreo Fudge that I went to the grocery store 4 times in 2 days last week right before Christmas. I forgot the Fluff EVERY TIME, despite writing it on my list EVERY TIME. So, I went back to the store again, and then ended up getting the stomach bug so I couldn't even make the fudge after all, which is sad because this fudge is wonderful. Other than the chewier, stickier texture of the caramel layer, it was awesome. You can equally taste each layer when you eat it, and the chocolate drizzle just adds more flavor and more fun. I will definitely try this again (actually using dulce de leche) to see how the texture and flavor differs. If you choose to make it with caramel sauce like I did, be prepared to spend lots of time peeling it off the foil, because it makes the foil stick right to it.

Caramel Coffee Fudge
from Inside Bru Crew Life

For the caramel layer:
2 cups white chocolate chips
2 tbsp. butter
3/4 cups dulce de leche
1/2 cup marshmallow cream

For the coffee layer:
2 tsp instant coffee granules
1 tsp. hot water
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
2 cups white chocolate chips
2 tbsp. butter
1/2 cup marshmallow cream

For the chocolate drizzle:
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips
1/2 tsp. shortening

1. Line an 8x8 baking dish with foil.
2. For the caramel layer melt the white chocolate and butter in  a saucepan over med-low heat and stir until melted. Stir in the dulce de leche until smooth. Stir in the marshmallow until smooth. Pour into the prepared dish and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
3. For the coffee layer, mix the coffee and hot water together until the coffee is dissolved. Mix the coffee into the sweetened condensed milk and set aside.
4. Melt the white chocolate and butter in saucepan over med-low heat until melted and combined. Mix in the sweetened condensed milk until smooth. Mix in the marshmallow until smooth. Pour over the caramel layer. Place in the refrigerator for 4 hours or longer.
5. For the chocolate drizzle, place the dark chocolate and shortening in a microwave safe bowl and heat 1 minute in the microwave. Heat for another 30 seconds if needed and mix together until creamy and smooth. Pour the chocolate into a piping bag or small plastic baggie and cut the tip or corner off. Drizzle over the entire block of fudge or drizzle over each individually cut piece (what I did).

*To cut the fudge, use a warm knife, it cuts much smoother.