Oh, fudge!

Thanksgiving is next week and I am thinking ahead. The holiday is on the late side this year which means the day after it will be not quite one full month to Christmas. Many years I prefer to make something homemade to give to our family for Christmas gifts though in recent years I'll confess to giving gift cards which was, admittedly, easier with the added bonus of not needing that special expensive trip to the PO for shipping. (Though we helped keep them in business! Ha!)

I've been thinking of giving baked goods this year. It has been a very odd year for everyone. A hard year for many. A year that may require more treats than usual. In years past, we gave pumpkin bread and/or cranberry bread. Some years an assortment of our family's favorite cookies.

This year, I am thinking fudge. I was inspired the other day when a healthy website included a fudge recipe in their newsletter. That ticked off two boxes for me that I try to fill at the holidays: traditional and healthy-ish. I haven't believed that sugar solves the world's problems in a very long time. Decades. Well, perhaps occasionally and only in moderation. 

Here's the recipe I'll use: 6-Ingredient No-Bake Nut Butter Fudge.

I modify most recipes and will do that here. I think believe that nearly every recipe with sugar as an ingredient is too sweet and will use 1/2 of the sugar required. Even though the 'sugar' in this recipe is maple syrup which is a bit healthier than regular sugar. This '1/2 rule' works in every baked good recipe I have ever made. It does not change the texture. It's an easy way to serve less sugar to your loved ones and make the product healthier. And it still tastes good. I promise.

I'm going to make a triple batch. I'm using a combination of almond butter and cashew butter. I am omitting vanilla bean paste. I don't have it and will not buy it. Instead, I'll add 1 teaspoon of my homemade vanilla (organic vanilla beans stored in inexpensive vodka).