Cubicle kitchen: Not Terry's Chocolate Orange Fudge

Well, Halloween is over, and you know what that means?  Christmas!  At least that's the impression you get from walking around the stores.  The aisles are starting to be filled with ornaments, layaway programs have already begun, and soon we shall begin the countdown to madness as Christmas music comes pouring through the speakers.  In Tokyo they were already starting to erect Christmas trees in one of the plazas.  I suppose without Thanksgiving, there isn't even a theoretical gap between Halloween and Christmas.  Even here, it seems like only grocery stores really care about turkey day, since they are the ones selling you the turkey.

Anyway, one thing that I associate with Christmas that I will always welcome coming early is a Terry's Chocolate Orange.  They aren't particularly Christmas-y, but like cherry cordials at Valentine's Day, they tend to come out around that time of year, and make yummy stocking stuffers.  This was my reasoning for turning my super-simple base fudge recipe into a salute to the delicious coupling of chocolate and orange.

This recipe is so simple, it takes literally a few minutes to make.  Then a few more minutes to cut up after it's chilled.  Perfect for when you've cultivated a reputation for bringing in treats but between jet lag, shopping, and 5k runs you didn't really have time to put a lot of effort in.  Keep in mind that this can be adapted into almost anything.  White chocolate with peppermint extract (also good for Christmas), milk chocolate with almond extract and chopped hazelnuts for a kind of Nutella fudge.  You will see this pop up again and again over the course of this blog.

And as quickly as this comes together, it disappears just as fast, because it is so delicious.  That's the best combination, easy and impressive!

Not Terry's Chocolate Orange Fudge
(adapted from Sparkpeople)
Makes about 40 squares

Ingredients:

• 1 bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 can of fat-free sweetened condensed milk
• 1 tsp orange extract
• sprinkling of dried orange zest (optional)

Directions:

1. Line a 9 x 13" (or similar) pan with parchment paper.
2. In a microwaveable bowl, mix the entire bag of chips with the can of condensed milk.  Stir in some zest.
3. Place in the microwave and melt carefully.  I started with 30 seconds, then stirred, and back in again in 15 second increments.  You don't want to scorch it, just get it smooth.  Stir in the extract.
4. Pour the mixture into the pan, spreading a little to get it evenly in there.  Sprinkle with a little more zest if desired.
5. Place the pan into the fridge and leave to chill.  Once firm, cut into squares.