Almond Joy Fudge is a creamy fudge mixed with coconut and almond, and reminiscent of the candy bar favorite. This easy recipe is perfect for the holidays or to share with family and friends.
This post is sponsored by Dixie Crystals
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Chocolate & Confections
Best Gingerbread Fudge
Deck the halls and get ready for the sweetest holiday season! My Best Gingerbread Fudge is sure to be a hit at your holiday party!
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Slow Cooker Dark Hot Chocolate
Hot chocolate for a crowd just got easier with the best slow cooker dark hot chocolate. With only a few ingredients, it will keep you warm and cozy on cold Winter days.
This sponsored post is written on behalf of Florida Milk. All opinions are my own.
Hot chocolate is one of my go-to cold weather drinks and I love sipping it on a cool Winter night in front of a fire pit. Instead of the prepackaged just-add-water version, I partnered with Florida Dairy Farmers to create a creamy and delicious slow cooker dark hot chocolate. My family loves dark chocolate, so using bittersweet chocolate chips made everyone happy.
The key to the creaminess and richness is using whole milk and heavy cream, bittersweet chocolate, and sweetened condensed milk. There is no water in this hot chocolate recipe! When I drink hot chocolate, marshmallows are a necessary topping.
Whipped cream is also a good choice, as are sprinkles, because everyone knows I love and hoard sprinkles. I also enjoy chocolate curls, chocolate sauce, salted caramel, or peppermint crumbles on top. This recipe can easily be adapted for milk chocolate if you prefer a lighter tasting chocolate flavor, or add a little liqueur to make it an adult-only beverage.
Here in Florida, we are just starting to get the cool Winter weather and it is beautiful! Holiday parties are starting to happen almost every weekend, especially cookie exchanges and ugly sweater parties. I love party prep, but to make it a bit easier I rely on my slow cooker for delicious party drinks.
After pouring all the ingredients into the slow cooker, it heats on low for around 2 hours. I usually whisk it at the beginning, middle and end to make sure all the chocolate pieces and cocoa are melted and incorporated. You can use your slow cooker’s warming feature after the 2 hours, or just keep it on low for the party, but it is best served right away and please follow proper food safety rules.
For more great recipes and inspiration, visit Florida Dairy Farmers on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter and YouTube.
Slow Cooker Dark Hot Chocolate
By Love and Confections
Published 11/30/2017
Ingredients
- 12 ounces good quality bittersweet/dark chocolate chips
- 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
- 6 cups whole milk
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder, sifted (optional)
- pinch salt
- Marshmallows, whipped cream, or other toppings
Instructions
- Stir together the chocolate, sweetened condensed milk, whole milk, whipping cream, vanilla, cocoa if using, and salt in a 6 quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 2 hours, whisking occasionally until mixture is hot and chocolate chips are melted. Serve and top with marshmallows or whipped cream.
Yield: 8 servings
Prep Time: 0 hrs. 05 mins.
Cook time: 2 hrs. 00 mins.
Tools I used:
Until next time,
LOVE & CONFECTIONS!
Disclaimer: I have an ongoing relationship with Florida Dairy Farmers as a recipe developer. Thank you for supporting the brands that make Love and Confections possible. This post may contain Amazon Affiliate links – if you make a purchase after clicking the link, the price will not be higher, but a portion of the sale will go towards the sustainability of this website. As always, all opinions are my own.
Pumpkin Pie Spice Snowball Cookies #PumpkinWeek
Buttery, delicious snowball cookies get a Fall twist with the addition of pumpkin and pumpkin spice. Perfect for the holiday season and a great make-ahead cookie.
This post is sponsored by Dixie Crystals
Snowball cookies are a family favorite around the holidays. My aunt makes a ton of them for Christmas (she seriously makes a freezer full of cookies) and traditional Snowball Cookies are one of them. My other favorite her family makes is Nutmeg Logs. There is just something about those cookies that makes the holidays feel special.
I knew that I wanted to make a Fall version of those classic cookies and incorporated pumpkin puree, pumpkin spice and walnuts. The cookie dough is somewhat wet, and a cookie scoop is definitely helpful (see my recommendations below). The cookies need to be rolled in a mixture of powdered sugar and pumpkin spice, and can then be served or frozen.
We freeze these cookies all the time, and waxed paper is great at separating the layers. Also, before serving, I re-roll them in the powdered sugar pumpkin spice mixture, to make sure they are fully coated. I love the spice in these cookies, it gives it a great warming Fall flavor. Pecans are used in snowball cookies fairly often, but the walnuts give it a different taste. You can have pecans, walnuts, or do a mixture of both, depending on your preference. I hope you enjoy some of my Pumpkin Pie Spice Snowball Cookies this holiday season.
Until next time,
LOVE & CONFECTIONS!
Here are a few options for my favorite cookie scoops available on Amazon:
Here are today’s #PumpkinWeek recipes:
Pumpkin Drink Recipes:
“Grown Up” Potter Pumpkin Juice from The Crumby Kitchen.
Hot’N’Spicy Pumpkin Margarita from Culinary Adventures with Camilla.
Savory Pumpkin Recipes:
Pumpkin and Fish Stew from A Day in the Life on the Farm.
Pumpkin Chili from Making Miracles.
Pumpkin Crab Soup from Hardly A Goddess.
Pumpkin Pasta from Caroline’s Cooking.
Thai Pumpkin Curry from Palatable Pastime.
Pumpkin Chili from Making Miracles.
Pumpkin Crab Soup from Hardly A Goddess.
Pumpkin Pasta from Caroline’s Cooking.
Thai Pumpkin Curry from Palatable Pastime.
Sweet Pumpkin Recipes:
Caramel Pecan Pumpkin Bread from The Freshman Cook.
Easy Pumpkin Ice Cream from Forking Up.
Fall Harvest Pumpkin Sourdough Muffins from Cooking With Carlee.
Pumpkin Spice Milkshake from Family Around The Table.
Pumpkin Pie Cream Horns from Mildly Meandering.
Easy Pumpkin Ice Cream from Forking Up.
Fall Harvest Pumpkin Sourdough Muffins from Cooking With Carlee.
Pumpkin Spice Milkshake from Family Around The Table.
Pumpkin Pie Cream Horns from Mildly Meandering.
Pumpkin Pie Spice Snowball Cookies from Love and Confections.
Pumpkin Spice Thumbprint Cookies from The Bitter Side of Sweet.
Pumpkin Spiced Banana Bread from Daily Dish Recipes.
Pumpkin Tiramisu from The Redhead Baker.
I have an ongoing relationship with Dixie Crystals as a recipe developer and brand ambassador. I receive product, coupons and/or compensation for posts featuring their products. This post may contain Amazon Affiliate links. Thank you for supporting the brands that make Love and Confections possible. As always, all opinions are my own.
Cinnamon Pumpkin Muddy Buddies #PumpkinWeek
Cinnamon Pumpkin Muddy Buddies are my new favorite Fall snack. The perfect amount of spices and chocolate cover cinnamon cereal tossed with pumpkin. You will want to make these for every Fall holiday and party.
Muddy Buddies, or puppy chow, is such a fun treat to have. I knew that I wanted to make pumpkin muddy buddies for #PumpkinWeek a while ago. While I like pumpkin pie, I prefer other pumpkin-flavored treats more. I think it just stems from having pie crust that doesn’t taste that great, so I take pie out of the equation and have all that deliciousness in a snack. It’s also covered in powdered sugar, so you can’t go wrong with them.
Chocolate is the most common flavor, and one that I grew up loving. Playing around with flavor profiles is always fun, and these pumpkin muddy buddies are soon to be your family’s favorite. I plan on making some more batches for Halloween and Thanksgiving, and maybe even as favors for everyone to take home.
A lot of recipes out there use candy melts. I opted to use white chocolate, which can seize a bit if overheated or adding wet ingredients to it. That’s where the coconut oil comes in. You can use shortening as well, but since I have wet pumpkin in the mix, I wanted to thin the chocolate just a bit. It also helps to try and pat your pumpkin dry as much as you can before mixing it in.
See that cute ghost in the photos? That little guy was made by my grandfather a few years before he passed. My grandfather was a great artist and he made it for my mom for Halloween one year. I wanted to incorporate him into the photos because he really is too cute.
Cinnamon Pumpkin Muddy Buddies
By Love and Confections
Published 10/05/2017
Ingredients
- 12.1 ounce box Cinnamon Chex (approx 8 cups)
- 1/3 cup pumpkin puree, patted dry
- 3 teaspoons coconut oil, divided
- 3 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, divided
- 16 ounces Ghirardelli white chocolate chips
- 3 cups confectioner’s powdered sugar
Instructions
- Pour cereal into a large mixing bowl and set aside. Make sure pumpkin is patted as dry as you can get it. Place pumpkin, 2 teaspoons of coconut oil, and 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice in a heatproof container. Heat in microwave, a few seconds at a time, until oil is melted. Mix together then pour over cereal. Toss to coat.
- Place chocolate and remaining coconut oil in a heatproof container or measuring cup. Melt according to package directions. Pour over cereal and toss gently to coat each piece.
- Combine powdered sugar and remaining pumpkin pie spice in a large zip top bag. Add cereal to bag and shake to coat. May need to repeat the process in batches.
Until next time,
LOVE & CONFECTIONS!
Here are today’s #PumpkinWeek recipes:
Savory Pumpkin Recipes:
Pumpkin Farrotto from Culinary Adventures with Camilla.
Pumpkin Habanero Salsa from Rants From My Crazy Kitchen.
Pumpkin Quesadilla from Making Miracles.
Sweet Pumpkin Recipes:
Cinnamon Pumpkin Muddy Buddies from Love and Confections.
Pumpkin Cheesecake Macaron from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures.
Pumpkin Cheesecake Macaron from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures.
Pumpkin Cheesecake Truffles from The Crumby Kitchen.
Pumpkin Chip Cookies from Palatable Pastime.
Pumpkin Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting from Daily Dish Recipes.
Pumpkin Cream Cheese Danish from It Bakes Me Happy.
Pumpkin Cream Puffs from The Redhead Baker.
Pumpkin Creme Brulee from Kudos Kitchen by Renee.
Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies from A Day in the Life on the Farm.
Pumpkin Struesel Bar from Cookaholic Wife.
Slow Cooker Pumpkin Butter from Mildly Meandering
Spiced Pumpkin Mini Cakes with Mulled Cranberries & Brandy Brown Butter Glaze from Bacon Fatte.