Carrot Patch Fudge

This year for our church's 2024 Easter dinner gathering, I took an original dessert creation of mine:

CARROT PATCH FUDGE

Photo by Elsie Park

It was super easy to make and real fun to see the finished product.

Coloring the Coconut: I bought a package of sweetened shredded coconut (though unsweetened would have worked, too) and colored it green with liquid food coloring. I placed the coconut in a large mixing bowl, added 5-10 drops of the coloring (add more or less to desired shade of green), kneading and mixing the flakes around the bowl with silicone-gloved hands until all the coconut was equally covered. Set aside.

Fudge Recipe: 1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk, 1 & 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 3 cups of a 50/50 mixture of semi-sweet and milk chocolate chips, dash salt.

Melt all ingredients together in large cooking pot over medium heat, stirring constantly to prevent bottom from burning until all chips are melted. Pour the thick mixture into an 8x8-inch baking pan that has been lined with foil with foil reaching up over the sides. Use a rubber scraper to get all the chocolate out of the pot.

While fudge is still warm in the square pan, spread the green coconut on top (if using) and press it gently into the fudge so it sticks somewhat. I only put coconut on half of the fudge because some people don't care for coconut and I was making this for a large gathering. After the fudge cools, lift it from the pan using the foil edges. Remove the foil and cut the fudge into 1- to 1.5-inch squares with a pizza cutter or large knife. Top each square with a gummi carrot.

Photo by Elsie Park

Carrot Decorations and Substitutes: I bought my gummi carrots at my local Smith's Marketplace in northern Utah. The carrots are from a company called Snack Worthy, created and distributed by the Lehi Valley Trading Company in Mesa, Arizona.

Photo by Elsie Park

If you can't find any gummi carrots then jelly beans, chocolate Robin's Eggs, M&Ms, or any other small Easter decoration work just as well and are just as cute. Look around and be creative. If it is something that easily rolls off, however, you might have to slightly press the candy down into the fudge to keep it in place (or use a dab of frosting to "glue" it to the fudge).

And voila! Carrot Patch Fudge! Enjoy!

Photo by Elsie Park