Divas: A cheat sheet for sweet treats

The holiday season is upon us. Our schedules are already hectic and now there are presents to buy, parties to plan, concerts and pageants to attend, and cookies to bake and sweets to make! I already have visions of sugar plums dancing in my head.

I also have visions of being totally frazzled. I think everyone does. Therefore, it’s time for a cheat sheet, a shortcut, a hack! Here’s a recipe that lets you get a lot done in a short amount of time.

Homemade fudge in just five minutes, with only three ingredients. Are you with me?

Yes, you can make fudge in more traditional ways. We can drag out the double boiler and the candy thermometer. That’s delicious and let’s pencil it in for Valentine’s Day. For now, let’s free your time for more important things, like spending quality time with people you love.

When I did this recipe test, I made all four varieties in the photo in less than 30 minutes and even took time to let the kids lick the bowl. Really.

Three Ingredient Fudge

What You’ll Need:

1 (12 oz.) bag chocolate chips – or chip flavor of your choice

1 (16 oz.) can chocolate frosting – or frosting flavor of your choice

1 cup – mix in – like nuts, dried fruit, cookie pieces, or candy bar pieces

Here’s How:

Line a 9X9 inch pan with wax paper, or parchment paper or spray the pan with cooking spray, set aside. In a microwave-safe mixing bowl, melt chips, stirring at 30-second intervals. Once melted, add the whole can of frosting. Stir quickly to combine as the cool frosting will start to stiffen the chips. Quickly add your mix-ins and combine. Spread the mixture into the prepared pan and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes. Cut into squares and enjoy!

It’s that simple. One, two, three - Diva done.

This is too easy for words and the flavor combinations are limited only by your imagination. Just think – chips, frosting and mix-ins. Un, deux, trois. The mix-ins are where you can get really creative, anything goes. I was walking down the aisles at Smith’s thinking “That cookie could go with chocolate, that cereal could go with butterscotch” and so on. Also, so many candy bars are available as baking bits this year it makes me giddy.

Here are some combinations to get your wheels turning: Milk chocolate frosting, milk chocolate chips with chunky peanut butter. Vanilla frosting, white chocolate, with coconut. Lemon frosting, white chocolate chips and lemon wafer cookies. Dark chocolate frosting, dark chocolate chips and crispy rice cereal. Cream cheese frosting, white chocolate chips and dried cherries. Buttercream frosting, butterscotch chips and oatmeal cookies. Chocolate frosting, semi-sweet chocolate chips with any kind of cookie under the sun.

Featured in the photo, left to right - Strawberry frosting, white chocolate chips with pecans. Milk chocolate frosting, milk chocolate chips, with sliced almonds. Vanilla frosting, white chocolate chips, red velvet Oreos. Caramel frosting, butterscotch chips, and honey-roasted peanuts.

Friends and family - spoiler alert! You’re looking at your Christmas gift.

Fabulous Festive Food contributed by Patti Diamond from Divas On A Dime – Where Frugal, Meets Fabulous! Website and blog - www.divasonadime.com Join us on Facebook at DivasOnADimeDotCom.