Recipe: Gluten-Free Christmas Fudge

Merry Christmas! Hopefully, Santa treated you and your family well. As I was getting ready for our holiday meal, I was going through some of my favorite recipes and wanted to share a couple here with you guys.

I always associate fudge with Christmas because it was a staple in my Grandmother’s house. She made several different varieties of fudge each year, but my favorite has to be her Remarkable Fudge. It truly is “remarkable”.

Remarkable Fudge

• 4 cups sugar
• 1 cup butter (1/2 pound)
• 1 ½ cups evaporated milk

Cook above in a buttered, heavy 3 qt saucepan to soft-ball stage (236 degrees) stirring frequently.

Add:

• 1 12 oz bag of milk chocolate morsels
• 1 pt. Marshmallow crème (2 small containers, 7 oz each)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup walnuts or pecans (optional)

Beat until well blended. Pour into a 13 x 9.5-inch glass baking dish. Score while warm, and cut when firm. This recipe freezes well.

Next up? Almond Cranberry Bites. These aren’t your traditional Christmas cookies, but they are out-of-this-world!

Almond Cranberry Bites

**Original recipe from Eatingwell.com; modified to be gluten-free by me

• 1/3 cup whole almonds (I used Trader Joe’s raw almonds)
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2/3 cup coarsely chopped dried cherries
• 2/3 cup gluten-free flour mix (I used gfJules flour mix)
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 large egg white
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 tablespoons chocolate chips or finely chopped dark and/or white chocolate, for decoration (optional)

Makes about 20 cookies.

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350.

2. Grind raw almonds & sugar in a food processor until you have the desired texture; the finer the texture, the more intense the almond flavor & less crunch from the almond. Be careful not to turn the almonds into a paste. Transfer the mix to a large bowl & mix in flour & cranberries.

3. Add egg white, oil, vanilla & almond extracts. Mix until well incorporated.

4. Shape dough into small balls and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the bottom is slightly brown; the tops will not brown.

5. Transfer to a wire rack & cool completely.

6. Optional- melt chocolate & drizzle over cookies with a fork. Let stand until the chocolate sets.

Merry Christmas!