Penuche Fudge Day: History & Recipe

Today is Penuche Fudge Day. This tasty fudge is sometimes called Penuche Fudge, sometimes Brown Sugar Fudge, Creamy Praline Fudge, New England Fudge, and even Sucre a la Creme (in Canada)! Whatever you call it, it's fabulous.

Historically, Penuche Fudge has been attributed to New England (New England Fudge) as well as some places in the South (Creamy Praline), but there are many variations in nearly every part of the world. Milk is usually boiled down to thick fudge, and then brown sugar is added to it to create the distinctive butterscotch taste. This fudge is very similar to Mexican Cajeta which is also a kind of sweetened thickened goat’s milk with the same dull brown color of penuche. There are also many East Indian versions of the same dish using thickened milk called as peda or milk fudge burfi. The only difference between the regional variations is the thickness of the eventual dish. Cajeta is liquidy and can be used a as a spread, while penuche is semi-soft like a fudge and pedas or milk burfis are stiffer. But the basic ingredients in the penuche fudge recipe and preparation process are the same. Dulce du leche is another very popular version where condensed milk is thickened with hours of cooking resulting in a thick paste. Different versions of this dish are very popular all over Latin America and France even though they are given different names.

O.K. I meant to mention that there's no chocolate in Penuche Fudge. So if you want Chocolate Fudge, check out my National Fudge Day Recipe Round-Up!

Penuche Fudge

Ingredients
4 cups brown sugar
1 cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1-2/3 cups chopped pecans

Directions
Combine brown sugar, cream, and butter in medium saucepan. Stir until dissolved. Heat to between 234 and 240 degrees F.
Remove from heat and stir until mixture loses its gloss (or process in food processor 30 seconds) Quickly stir in vanilla and nuts and spread into 9 x 9 inch dish.
Chill before cutting into squares.

S'MORES FAST FOODS: National Junk Food Day

Today is National Junk Food Day. What really constitutes junk food? Candy you ate as a child but were told not to eat? Candy and cookies and chips that ruined your dinner? Treats that had no nutritional value? Ready-to-eat ultra-processed food? What do you think? Feel free to comment below.

If you're in any doubt, go to TheImpusiveBuy blog. O.K. this site goes beyond junk food, but you should still take a look. Want to take that a step further, check out Junk Food Betty's reviews.

I'm a huge fan of S'mores, and I tend to make my own variations, but here are a few "junk food" S'mores you can pick up at 7Eleven, Target, the drugstore, or your supermarket.

S'MORES FAST FOODS

S'mores Chips Ahoy
Pepperidge Farm S'mores
Nabisco Honey Maid Grahamfuls S'mores Filled
M&M's S'mores
Klondike S'mores Ice Cream Bars
Fiber One S'mores Bars
S'mores flavored gum
S'mores Crunch Bar

Kellogg's S'mores Frosted Pop-Tarts

Walmart's Great Value Smores Trail Mix

Costco's Caramel S'mores Clusters

Whole Foods' S'mores Bites

Target's Favorite Day S'mores Trail Mix Candy

Pepperidge Farm Goldfish S'mores Grahams

Oreo Limited Edition S'moreOreo sandwich cookies

Malt-O-Meal S'mores Breakfast Cereal

S'mores Gourmet Popcorn

Pop-Tarts Frosted S'mores Pastries

Want to make your own S'mores Pop Tarts? Here's an easy recipe from Adrianna Adarme that  appeared on the KQED website a few years ago, and these really do taste so much better than the store bought ones:

HOMEMADE S'MORES POP TARTS

Ingredients 

For Pop Tart crust: 
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter
2 large egg yolks
1/4 cup, plus 2 tablespoons, ice water

For Egg wash: 
1 large egg, beaten

For Filling:
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 cup heavy cream
3 ounces dark chocolate chips
2 tablespoons white granulated sugar
1 tablespoons butter, cubed
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup marshmallow creme or marshmallow fluff
2 graham crackers, crushed, plus more for topping

For Icing (optional): 
1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted
3 tablespoons cocoa powder, sifted
3 to 4 tablespoons heavy cream
Pinch of salt

Directions 
Combine flour, powdered sugar, and salt in large bowl. Using box grater, shred butter onto flour mixture and mix, using your hands, until mixture resembles coarse meal, with pea size pieces of butter.

In small bowl, mix 2 large egg yolks with 1/4 cup water. Create well in center of flour mixture and pour in egg mixture. Stir until begins to clump together. If you pinch some of the crumbly dough and it holds together, it’s ready. If the dough doesn’t hold together, add a little more water and mix again. Remove dough from bowl and place in mound on a clean surface. Knead dough until it holds together and form into two discs. Wrap each disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour, and up to 2 days.

While dough is in refrigerator chilling, start filling. Combine unsweetened cocoa powder, heavy cream, chocolate chips, sugar, butter, and pinch of salt in top of double boiler or saucepan over a saucepan with water over simmering heat. Gently stir until mixture is smooth. Remove and set aside. Chocolate mixture will thicken as it cools.

Remove both dough disks from refrigerator. Let sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes in order to soften just enough to make rolling out a bit easier. Roll out dough with rolling pin on lightly floured surface in shape of a rectangle with 1/8″ thickness.

Using cutter, cut the dough into a 10″ x 13″ rectangle. Repeat with second disk of dough.

Take your two 10″ x 13″ rectangles and, using your cutter or knife, cut each piece into thirds so you have about 6 to 8  - 3 1/2″ x 4″ rectangles. Re-roll scraps to get additional pop tarts. If your dough is very soft, put on parchment-lined baking sheet, being sure they don't overlap, and stick in freezer fro 5 minutes. This will make it easier to assemble.

To assemble: 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Place one half of  pop tart squares, about inch apart. Transfer teaspoon of chocolate filling to center of rectangles. Then, a few scoops of marshmallow fluff --about two scoops of marshmallow creme and one chocolate scoop. Sprinkle each mound of chocolate and marshmallow creme with small handful of crushed graham crackers. Brush edges with egg wash to hold two layers together.
Place second rectangles of dough on top of ones with filling, gently crimping edges together, using tines of fork.
Transfer assembled pop tarts to freezer for 10 minutes. After freezer, brush tops with remaining egg wash and using  fork, prick four-five holes in tops. Place in pre-heated oven and bake 17 to 20 minutes, or until lightly golden brown.
Transfer to baking rack to cool for 10 minutes.

While pop tarts are baking, mix together glaze.
In small bowl, mix together powdered sugar, cocoa powder, heavy cream, and pinch of salt until very smooth. If needed, add splash more of cream. Top warm pop tarts with glaze and sprinkle crushed graham crackers.

CHOCOLATE TOOTSIE ROLL POPS: National Lollipop Day

Today is National Lollipop Day. It should come as no surprise that my favorite lollipop when I was growing up was a Chocolate Tootsie Roll Pop. I loved licking the hard outside to get to the chewy center. And, at some point, I used to chomp on the lollipop to make that crunchy hard candy shell combine in my mouth with the chewy tootsie roll center.

The Tootsie Roll Pop official website says that the Tootsie Roll Pop was the first lollipop providing an embedded candy"prize." That's exactly what it was...a prize! I can still taste it. Of course I only wanted a chocolate tootsie roll pop because what goes better with chocolate than more chocolate. And, don't forget the sticks. They were always great to chew on even after all traces of 'chocolate' were gone.

History of the Tootsie Roll Pop: Tootsie Roll Pops were invented in 1930 by Brandon Perry, an employee of The Sweets Company of America or in another history, by an employee named Luke Weisgram who was experimenting with new products, or in another story an employee named Tom Medric. Doesn't matter! The Chocolate Tootsie Roll Pop was made from putting company's famous Tootsie Rolls into hard candy, and it quickly became one of the best selling lollipops in the world. 

For people with more time on their hands than they should have: A student study at the University of Cambridge concluded that it takes 3481 licks to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop. Another study by Purdue University concluded that it takes an average of 364 licks to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop using a "licking machine", while it takes an average of 252 licks when tried by 20 volunteers. Yet another study by the University of Michigan concluded that it takes 411 licks to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop. A study by junior high students at Swarthmore School concluded that it takes 144 licks to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop. As I mentioned before, I chomp near the end, so I would certainly skew the statistics.

For those who love a mystery, read the history of Leo Hirschfeld: Tootsie Roll Tragedy - and the murky Tootsie Roll history HERE.

And, for those of you who prefer their Tootsie Pops in a Glass, here's a cocktail recipe to celebrate the day.

Tootsie Pop Cocktail Recipe 
You'll be amazed at how much this tastes like a tootsie roll!

1 part Kahlua
1 part Root beer
2 drops chocolate syrup

In a highball glass, add Kahlua, then root beer. Stir. Then let chocolate syrup drop. Add tootsie pop (unwrapped) to garnish.

NATIONAL DAIQUIRI DAY: 3 Chocolate Daiquiri Recipes

Today is National Daiquiri Day, and how better to celebrate than with a Chocolate Daquiri! And, instead of one recipe...here are three recipes with different fruits and flavors. Perfect for the summer.

FYI: A traditional Daiquiri is a cocktail that usually combines rum, citrus (usually lime), and sugar or another sweetener.

Chocolate Daiquiri 

4 parts Light Rum
2 Parts Dark Cacao Liqueur
2 parts lime juice
1 part simple syrup

Fill shaker with ice cubes. Add all ingredients. Shake and strain into chilled daiquiri glass.

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Daiquiri

3 ounces chocolate vodka
1 cup fresh strawberries

Combine ingredients in blender. Blend well. Pour into chilled daiquiri glass. Garnish with chocolate covered strawberry!

Chocolate Banana Daiquiri

2 cups ice
1 banana, chopped in pieces
2 ounces golden (or white) rum
2 ounces creme de banane (this should be on your bar shelf!)
juice of 2 limes
2 Tbsp chocolate syrup

Blend ice and banana and blend on high speed. Then add all other ingredients to blender. Pulse until everything evens out and then blend on high until smooth. Serve in daiquiri or high ball glasses.
OMG.. this is fabulous!!