KitchenTakeovers : Vegan Fudge

So I have been on a sweet high of late, really I don't know what is going on with my taste buds. I am normally a savoury gal to be honest. But, needs must and all that I decided to satisfy my sugar urges with as little gastric upsets as possible.

So, I adapted a Waitrose fudge recipe to make it non-dairy! and it was good. Oh my goodness it was good. I had a few trial and error with getting this right, first of all. I tried it using Trex vegetarian shortening type thing didn't stand up to the high heat required for setting the fudge = burnt! disappointed but happy I only used half the recipe to test it out.

Another issue I came upon was the fact that one needs a rather large and deep sauce pan or divide up the ingredients and make the fudge in smaller batches. I had half of my mixture boiled over on the cooker not impressed.

All rights to images reserved copyrights Alicia Lewis @ KitchenTakeovers

Now I had a rough idea of what I was dealing with, I went full steam ahead. They came out fairly well but think next time I will try a digital thermometer, as this Tala one I think has had it. One more thing I have learnt from this, you NEED patience.

All rights to images reserved copyrights Alicia Lewis @ KitchenTakeovers

I used roughly chopped pistachio and cranberry for some and dark chocolate with chilli for the others. I am thinking these might be great in a foodie gift basket, for anyone you know who have a sweet tooth but is vegan or have issues with dairy.

WARNING! THE OWNERS AND DEVELOPERS AT KITCHENTAKEOVERS CANNOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY UNREASONABLE DEMANDS OR HEALTH IMPLICATIONS THAT MAY ARISE FROM MAKING OR CONSUMING THE FOLLOWING.

You've been warned - now lets get to the good stuff!

Ingredients

Basic Vanilla version:

280 ml coconut cream
100 g dairy free margarine
400 g golden sugar
100 g golden syrup
1 full teaspoon vanilla paste

Version 1:

30 g raw pistachio
30 g dried cranberry

Version 2:

2 tablespoon cocoa powder
3 large dark chocolate square
1 teaspoon chilli flakes
1 teaspoon icing sugar

#As with all recipes on this blog unless otherwise stated they are my own; be kind enough to, link back to original, make, share and highlight - happy sharing #

Preparation

Line a square baking tin with parchment paper, creasing the corners. Or if you wish to get fancy like I did, lightly oil some chocolate mould and leave a side for later.

Making the basic version will give you so many options later.

Measure out accurately all the ingredients and put in a large, deep saucepan. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT!

All rights to images reserved copyrights Alicia Lewis @ KitchenTakeovers

Put on saucepan on low to medium heat, do not stir the mixture just let it come to a gentle rolling boil.

All rights to images reserved copyrights Alicia Lewis @ KitchenTakeovers

Making sure to attach the candy thermometer if you are using one, the fudge needs to get to 116-125 degrees.

Without a candy thermometer:

Place a dish of water in the freezer to chill, once the mixture boils and starts forming small bubbles, dip a teaspoon into the hot fudge mixture getting about 1/4 teaspoon of the liquid fudge. and immediately place in the cold water from the freezer. Rub the cold mixture between finger and thumb if it forms a soft mailable ball it's at a fudge consistency.

All rights to images reserved copyrights Alicia Lewis @ KitchenTakeovers

Remove the pan from the stove and spoon the mixture into the prepared tin or moulds. Leave to set at room temperature or you could put it in the fridge if you are impatient. The only thing I didn't like with the ones I trialled to cool down in the fridge was the fact they sweated a bit when I got them out of the fridge.

Once cooled, cut into square and dust with icing sugar combined with cornstarch 2:1 ration.

To add other ingredients, simple stir these through at the end of the cooking process before pouring in moulds.

#To get the nuts on the top of the fudge, put a small amount in the tin or moulds first, then add the liquid fudge.#

All rights to images reserved copyrights Alicia Lewis @ KitchenTakeovers

Bon Appétit!!

All rights to images reserved copyrights Alicia Lewis @ KitchenTakeovers

***Disclaimer: Any of the information within this blog post and others on this site is for information and educational purposes only and is NOT intended to be taken as diagnosis, treatment, cure or to prevent any disease. Any reader concerned about his or her health is advised to seek medical advice from their GP or relevant medical professional***

Vegan Fudge

Vanilla Vegan Fudge