GUEST POST: Cookie Butter Fudge

Hey! Kyle here. Devoted readers of this blog will know me as Dana’s frequently mentioned boyfriend. She’s a name-dropper, that one. Besides, I’ve already met both of you. Anyway, I’ve been saying pretty much since Dana and I met last year that I would contribute a guest post to Anything But Ranch, and in the interest of not making myself a liar, here we are.

Recently, I realized that A) I had not yet attempted to make cookie butter fudge and B) I, somewhat atypically, already had every ingredient of a new recipe on hand. I was seconds away from excitedly texting Dana when I was struck by the idea to make it as a surprise for her. While she and I often cook together and for one another, the lion’s share of the sweets go from her kitchen straight into my face. I thought it might be nice for her to come over after a long day of mastering witchcraft (trust me, I’ve seen her differential equations textbook and that is exactly what she is doing) and enjoy a little reward. You know, besides getting to spend time with me.

Anyway, in terms of deliciousness to effort ratio, this fudge was off the charts. You don’t need any fancy gadgets or esoteric ingredients. Hell, you barely need a functional kitchen, or much skill therein. Boiling milk can be messy if you heat it too quickly and/or take your eyes off of it for a while, but you could even cut that step out if you have a can of sweetened condensed milk lying around.

I didn’t, so I boiled milk and sugar in a small saucepan. Since I used 2 percent rather than whole, I added a bit of butter to replace the lost fat. This is fudge, people. Dana works magic with her crazy hippie voodoo, and I almost always love the results, but some foods just weren’t meant to be healthy. In a similar spirit, I added the optional cup of chocolate chips, though I went with white chocolate based on personal preference and what I had in the pantry.

From there, it was a simple matter of combining the newly condensed milk with cookie butter and vanilla. I poured the mixture into a small, greased baking dish, drizzled melted chips on top, sprinkled in the secret ingredient and put it in the fridge to set. Half an hour later, voila!

Obviously, I was too excited to take a picture before I cut a piece out for myself, but I was right to be. First time making fudge: definitely a success. First time posting: Also yes.