When it comes to Christmas baking, I’ve always been pretty traditional, opting to use recipes I grew up with. But after a trip to the Valrhona chocolate studios a couple weekends ago to taste holiday treats from bakers around the city, I fell in love with a fudge so good, I’ll even admit it’s better than my mom’s fudge recipe I’ve made for years. Who’s responsible for this delicious epiphany? The incredibly talented Jessie Sheehan of The Vintage Baker. Before continuing to read this post, go give her a follow on Instagram at @jessiesheehanbakes. Her dessert inspo is beyond.

Jessie’s fudge is loaded walnuts and marshmallows. The texture is a mix of pillowy, velvety, and crunchy. It hits the perfect balance of sweet and salty, and ensures you will go back for seconds. Rich and I made her recipe on Monday, opting to dial back on the vanilla a bit (we used 1 tsp) and to use mixed nuts because that’s all we could find at our local bodega during the icy weather. Somehow Jessie managed to make fudge even easier than I thought it could be. Normally I’ve had to use a candy thermometer. None needed with this recipe! We had it done in ten minutes, and the hardest part was stirring. Actually, the hardest part was waiting to dig in before it cooled (I may have spooned out a bite while it was still warm).

This would make an excellent sustainable gift if you still have people to shop for! Rich is giving half of ours to his coworkers this week before we jet off to Dallas for the holidays. That is if we don’t eat it all tonight.

GET THE ROCKY ROAD FUDGE RECIPE

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