Peppermint Fudge
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Made with a sweet and creamy combination of cream cheese icing and vanilla chips combined with crushed candy cane pieces, this festive peppermint fudge recipe is quick, easy, and the perfect minty holiday treat.
When we got married, my husband thought the only place you could get fudge was in a candy kitchen in the Smoky Mountains. He had no idea that the best fudge came from your own kitchen! Everyone in my family dearly loves fudge. However, I usually make it only during the holidays, with the rare treat for a birthday or other occasion when someone specially requests it. The main reason for this is that the fudge I love is a good bit of work.
However, the basic recipe for this candy cane fudge is a game changer and it is adaptable to countless variations. I’m bringing you just one variation today, more to come in the coming weeks!
This peppermint fudge tastes like my old-fashioned recipe but:
- It’s simpler to make.
- There’s no need for a candy thermometer.
- It requires no stovetop cooking so is so much quicker and easier to make.
- It can be made at about half the cost.
I know when you see the recipe you won’t believe that this tastes like old-fashioned fudge. Because yes, it’s made with just 4 interesting ingredients (and not one of them is sweetened condensed milk): cream cheese frosting, vanilla chips, peppermint oil, and crushed candy cane pieces. All you need to do is melt the chocolate and icing and combine all ingredients together.
That’s all there is to it! Let it cool and then take a bite of this sweet fudge that’s got just the right amount of peppermint flavor. It truly has the same texture and consistency of regular fudge that you’d have no idea it was made with frosting! I bet you’re intrigued now, right? Let’s go make some easy peppermint fudge!
If you need some other Christmas dessert recipes check out these; Christmas Cutout Cookies, Holly Jolly Christmas Jars, Homemade Christmas Candies, Recipe For Easy Chocolate Fudge, Peppermint Oreo Milkshake, and Candy Cane Cookies.
Recipe Ingredients
- Store-bought cream cheese icing
- Vanilla chips
- Peppermint oil
- Crushed candy canes
Helpful Kitchen Tools
How to Make Peppermint Fudge
In a microwave-safe bowl, place vanilla chips.
Microwave at one-minute increments, stirring after each, until melted and smooth.
Open the icing container and remove the foil lid.
Place it in the microwave for about one minute, then stir it into the melted morsels until well blended.
Stir in peppermint oil, if desired, and then add crushed candy canes.
Pour the fudge mixture into greased 8×8 baking dish and cover it with plastic wrap.
Then allow your candy cane fudge to cool completely before cutting it into small squares.
Storage
- When stored in an airtight container in the fridge, homemade fudge lasts for up to 1 week.
- However, you can also freeze fudge for up to 3 months. Let it thaw in the fridge overnight before serving.
Recipe Notes
- You can use Duncan Hines or Betty Crocker or even Aldi’s brand of cream cheese frosting. I’ve used them all.
- Instead of candy cane pieces, you can use crushed peppermint candy pieces.
- I recommend cooling your fudge for at least 2 hours before cutting and serving.
- If you can’t get your hands on peppermint oil, peppermint extract also works. You’ll want to use about a teaspoon, as it’s not as concentrated as peppermint oil.
Recipe FAQs
Can I use a different kind of chocolate in my peppermint fudge?
Absolutely! You can use vanilla chips or white chocolate chips. Or you can make chocolate peppermint fudge with semi-sweet chocolate chips, dark chocolate chips, or milk chocolate chips. Another option is to use chocolate chunks or a coarsely chopped baking chocolate bar.
Can I make peppermint fudge ahead of time?
Absolutely! This peppermint fudge recipe is a great holiday treat to make in advance, as it lasts up to 1 week in the fridge. So feel free to make it a few days in advance and store it in the fridge until it’s time to serve it.
Here are more fantastic fudge recipes:
Recipe For Easy Chocolate Fudge
Homemade Fudge With Variations
Ingredients
- 1 16-ounce can store-bought cream cheese icing
- 12 ounces vanilla morsels or white chocolate chips
- 2-3 drops peppermint oil (optional)
- 3-4 crushed candy canes
Instructions
- In a microwave-safe bowl, place vanilla chips. Microwave at one-minute increments, stirring after each, until melted and smooth.12 ounces vanilla morsels or white chocolate chips
- Open the icing container and remove the foil lid. Place it in the microwave for about one minute, then stir it into the melted morsels until well blended.1 16-ounce can store-bought cream cheese icing
- Stir in peppermint oil, if desired, and then add crushed candy canes.2-3 drops peppermint oil (optional), 3-4 crushed candy canes
- Pour the fudge mixture into a greased 8x8 baking dish and cover it with plastic wrap. Then allow it to cool completely before cutting.
Nutrition
“God didn’t bring ya this far to drop ya off now!”
~Bea Ezell, Submitted by Cindy Roadman.
Christy, I am definitely going to have to try this! I’ve only made the “old-fashioned” Easy fudge that you cook on the stove. I get tired of stirring it while it is boiling for the 4-5 minutes. That is all that my mom ever made. I have learned from a tip I saw on pinterest, to use the mixer to stir all of the ingredients in after removing from the stove. It sure saves a lot of time and effort. and works great too! A lot of people never even try to make fudge thinking it is too hard to make. I would need to make a 13×9 pan or two 8×8 pans of this recipe to have enough to put into my Christmas boxes for friends and family. I usually make a 13×9 pan of each kind of fudge plain chocolate, chocolate w/pecans, peanut butter, and peanut butter/chocolate mixed. I think the most requested kind is peanut butter from my friends although they like all of it. Thanks for all of the awesome recipes you share with us!!
I can’t wait to hear what you think about it Donna!!!
Again a recipe that looks like you worked for hours but in reality took only minutes. This is a show off recipe, great for gift giving (if you can just not eat it before you package it up) People love fudge because they rarely make it themselves — it is such a finicky type of thing (not if you use Christy’s recipe)
This sounds so good but we do not have a microwave. Can this be made on the stove? Would I need to add anything to the pan so not to burn the chips?
You can make this on your stove top, but you need to use a Double Boiler. If you don’t have a Double Boiler, set a small pan into a larger pan. Put some water into the large pan, but make sure the water level is low enough as not to boil into the pan on top. Heat the water to a low boil or simmer. Put your chips in the pan on top, and melt over the simmering water, stirring often until melted. Melt your frosting the same way.
Thank you for this awesome recipe. This will surely end up in several of my family’s Christmas tins. What would I have ever done if I hadn’t found you!!
Aww, thank you so much Kim!!!
Every time I see peppermint I am reminded of the beautiful white cupcakes with crushed peppermint topping that I made for an office party one year. I was horrified when I walked in at party time to find my cupcakes sitting on the table with the peppermint bleeding all over the cupcakes!!!! They looked more halloween than Christmas!!! I live in the humid south, how do you keep the peppermint from bleeding ?
Does this fudge have to be refrigerated since it has canned icing in it? Can’t wait to make it for my peppermint-obsessed neighbor!! (Saving some for me of course!)
Hi Christy,
Can you use peppermint extract instead of the oil??