White Chocolate Cookies & Cream Fudge

Some people may say that it’s a little early for Holiday Baking

And normally I think of fudge as a pre-Christmas season delicacy.

But I’ve determined that fudge is pretty much amazing year round.

Today is the day for the Secret Recipe Club reveal

I was assigned the blog Fake Ginger

Amanda at Fake Ginger has so many amazing recipes!

But when I saw her fudge: white chocolate, no candy thermometer required, no bake, and just a few ingredients

I decided to use her recipe as my template and tweaked things from there.

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White Chocolate Cookies & Cream Fudge (adapted from Amanda of Fake Ginger’s Recipe)

2 1/4 c white chocolate chips

+ 1/2 c white chocolate chips, reserved (or any kind of chocolate chips)

1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk

3 c Oreo cookies, chopped

+ reserve 1-2 tbsp Oreo crumbs for dusting the top layer of the fudge

1 tbsp vanilla extract (reduce a bit if you’re not a fiend like I am)

Directions:

Combine 2 1/4 c white chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk and melt over low heat in a saucepan taking care to stir frequently and watch it so the mixture doesn’t burn (you could also probably do this in the microwave but I haven’t tried it).  When mixture is melted and smooth, add vanilla extract.  Then add the chopped Oreo cookies and stir.  Pour mixture into 9 x 9 foil-lined or parchment-lined pan.  Then lightly press 1/2 c white (or regular/dark) chocolate chips into the top layer.  The fudge will start to set up fairly fast and just press the chocolate chips in lightly.  Dust top layer with 1-2 tbsp Oreo crumbs if desired.  Place fudge in freezer for at least two hours to fully set up.  Remove from freezer, slice, and serve at room temperature.   Store extra in the freezer or fridge and it will likely keep for month(s).  It will keep for much longer than you’ll be able to keep it around.

Notes:

Don’t overchop your Oreos if you want really white fudge.  I believe I made my Oreos too small/too many crumbs and the overall fudge mixture turned more gray rather than bright white chocolate with chocolate Oreo pieces in it.  If you use too many crumbs/too small of Oreo bits it will turn your really white chocolate into a more gray fudge.  It all tastes the same, but this is just a visual tip that I can pass on if you care about the visual.

To make this vegan, use vegan white chocolate and Oreos are already vegan.  Use full fat coconut milk sweetened with agave in place of the sweetened condensed milk

To make this gluten free, use GF cookies and read the labels if you are extremely gluten sensitive on all other ingredients.

I cannot speak to the final outcome of this fudge if you use the vegan/GF options since I have not personally tested them but am providing a starting place and ideas of how you may want to proceed.

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A Visual Guide

Add the white chocolate chips + can of sweetened condensed milk

Melt them + add the vanilla extract

Take the chopped Oreos & add them to the melted white chocolate mixture (I just squeezed them with my hands but you can use a food processor or Vita but didn’t want to dirty anything extra)

Press mixture into a foil-lined & sprayed pan and then lightly press in the 1/2 c reserved unmelted white chocolate chips (or regular chocolate chips) & dust the top with reserved Oreo crumbs

Freeze for at least 2 hours

Slice & Serve

I store this fudge in the freezer and it never gets rock solid

Probably because of the sweetened condensed milk in the recipe

At room temperature in a warm house (78F+), it softens and gets slightly melty around the edges

Then again, it may be because I took these pictures when it was 100F outside in San Diego during The Scorcher which is contributing to a little meltiness.  Now that the temperature has dropped, no melting has occurred.

They say chocolate is good for the soul.

This stuff has been great for my soul.

Taste-wise this fudge is amazingly similar to a Hershey’s Cookies & Cream bar

But better because the vanilla in the recipe is quite pronounced and it gives the fudge a wonderful, vanilla-enhanced flavor that the Hershey bars lack entirely.

Plus, the finished fudge it’s still soft like fudge, rather than snappy-crunchy like a chocolate candy bar

 

Plus anything with nearly a whole container of Oreos is destined to be “pretty good”.  Ahem.

I used Fudgee Oreos rather than Original but it doesn’t matter.

There’s so much creaminess and sweetness going on in this fudge to really notice the type of Oreos used.

 

If you are like me and don’t really enjoy making candy or fudge because you don’t like using a candy thermometer and being that precise about your recipes, then this fudge is for you.

Or maybe these other fudge options are for you.  Candy thermometer not required for any of them:

Vegan Fudge (10 Minute No-Bake Recipe, Gluten/Soy/Tree-Nut Free)

Raw Vegan Girl Scout “Thin Mint”-Inspired Fudge

Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge (3 Minutes, Microwave-Friendly)

And if you are a white chocolate person, see my White Chocolate Dessert Recipes compilation post

 

Questions:

1. Do you like fudge?  Ever tried white chocolate fudge?

2. Are you looking forward to Christmas/Holiday baking season?

I used to not be that into pumpkin desserts and pumpkin-flavored items but that has changed.  Homemade Pumpkin Spice Lattes have been consumed in massive amounts in recent weeks.

But Christmas cookies, caramels, fudges, barks, rich brownies, amazing cakes, those only-make-it-once-a-year items…

Oh, that’s the stuff that I am really looking forward to.  12 Days & Desserts of Christmas, come to mama.

But til then, this fudge was perfect and easy.  To be enjoyed any time of the year rather than waiting for the holidays, if I do say so.

Have a great week!