Heavenly Hash Fudge

I love Valentines Day. Really, I have always loved V-day. I loved V-day when I was a kid and got to make Valentines for everyone in my class or those Valentines when I felt everyone in the world had a Valentine but me...even then, I still loved the holiday.

Since I do love Valentines, I have been making my favorite sweets and trying to experiment with others. Living in France I loved Mousse au Chocolat and so I found a recipe and made it. The mousse was good but not great and not worth sharing. And of course the plan was to make my the beloved Bradford Sugar Cookies for friends and although the weekend got away from me, still hope to do so this evening. Along with my pre-Valentines day baking I came across this recipe for Heavenly Hash Fudge. I am a sucker for anything fudgie.

David Gaus, a Pastry chef shares this recipe as his favorite Valentines Day treat. He says that growing up in New Orleans "the candy box of choice was Elmer’s Heavenly Hash. The local department stores – Maison Blanche and Krauss’ – were piled high with them during the season, in all their gleaming cellophane glory. Coming out of a sweet-deprived Lent, it really did seem like a little slice of heaven".

You would think that David, a pastry chef, would choose as a his fav Valentine's Day dessert something other than fudge but he says "there’s still nothing more appealing to me than a perfect morsel of fudge, preferably studded with pecans, thanks to my Southern bias. The smooth, soft chocolate with the crunch of a fresh roasted nut is an ideally balanced texture. The richness is decadent. I’m talking about Heavenly Hash."

With that said, after making it I too was taken by it. It was rich, smooth and those toasted pecans and soft marshmallows put it over the top. Warning: It is rich, so too much will result in a tummy ache (this may or may not be due to personal experience).

Heavenly Hash Fudge
1 cup sugar
1 cup evaporated milk
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
3⁄4 pound semisweet chocolate (preferably 58%–61% cacao), finely chopped
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
1 1⁄2 cups toasted pecan pieces
1 1⁄2 cups mini marshmallows

Lightly coat an 8-inch-square baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Place a 10-inch-square piece of parchment paper in the baking dish, coat with nonstick cooking spray, and set the dish aside.

Bring the sugar, evaporated milk, and corn syrup to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the syrup reaches 220°F (it will have a foam of finely textured bubbles on top like the foam on a beer), about 8 minutes.

Turn off the heat and whisk in the chocolate, vanilla, and salt until the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is smooth. Let it cool for 3 minutes (you shouldn't’t feel any heat if you touch a dab to the bottom of your lip) and then stir in the pecans and marshmallows until combined.

Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish and spread it into a somewhat even layer using a rubber spatula (it’s okay if it’s a little bumpy and rustic). Tap the pan on your work surface a couple of times to compact, and then cover flush with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hour or overnight. David says in his recipe to let it sit for 1 hour or over night but my fudge took several hours to set and was even better the next day.

Place a deep bowl or pitcher of hot water next to your work surface. Invert the chocolate onto a cutting board and carefully remove the parchment paper. Dip a chef’s knife or pizza wheel into the hot water and cut the bar into 2-inch squares (I cut my pieces into 1 inch squares because of its richness). Place the heavenly hash in paper candy cups, wrap in decorative foil, or arrange on a serving platter and refrigerate. Let the candies sit out at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before serving.

*Note: It you are not a bittersweet fan, I would use a semi-sweet or milk chocolate for this recipe which I think would taste divine too.

These are the perfect chocolaty Valentines Day treat and so easy to make!

Happy Valentines Day!

XOX