No Foodies Allowed: December 2011

I miss the baking season - When it's okay to cook lots of fattening food and swallow it down with jugs of alcohol. But with the addition of our baby boy in September (awww) I haven't had a lot of time to bake, and even less time to drink.

So when I saw a recipe that only took nine minutes to make, I couldn't pass it up. Maybe I could make some fudge and even enjoy a glass a wine before the baby wakes up!

I said maybe, didn't I?

I've been cooking long enough to know that recipes take a lot longer at home, where toddlers scream for chocolate chips and you forget to preheat the oven.

I still had to give this fudge recipe a chance. To make things fair, I got all my ingredients together before starting the clock. When it was all over, my toddler was covered in chocolate and 21 minutes had gone by. Not nine. Not even close.

Granted I took some pictures as I went along, and my toddler was chasing me around asking for more chocolate - Conditions that I'm sure were not present in the Cooking Light test kitchen. Even so, the fudge was easy to make, and I'm sure my co-workers will appreciate it when I bring it into work on Monday.

Working mom of two kids finds enough time to make fudge for her co-workers? I'll be a hero! I guess that's worth 21 minutes of my time.

Recipe from Cooking Light: Peanut Butter and Dark Chocolate Fudge
- If you don't care about the dark chocolate, regular cocoa will work fine
- I'd cut the amount of vanilla in half
- For extra peanutiness, try using all natural peanut butter. I used Jiff, and it didn't really pack a punch
- Make sure you pour the chocolates when they're hot. Once they cool down, it's a lot harder to spread
- Finally, make sure you have wax paper so you don't have to ask the significant other to stop at the store on the way home from work

Nine minutes? I think not