Easy Breezy Raspberry Nut Fudge

Last night I made fudge for Kathie, the woman who works on the Bookmobile with me. She and her husband just celebrated their 38th wedding anniversary, and I joked that if she had told me I would have baked a cake.

"Would you?" she asked in delight.

Well, I am not much of a baker...

"No, but I might have made you some fudge," I said. "But now I missed your anniversary."

"Fudge, Michael," she told me sternly, "is good anytime."

So I made fudge. I decided to experiment with my basic microwave fudge recipe and got some raspberry extract ...

If you want a nice change from your regular fudge, I highly recommend this:

Easy Breezy Raspberry Nut Fudge

12 oz bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips
14 oz can of sweetened condensed milk
1/2 teaspoon of raspberry extract
Chopped nuts as desired (I used about a half cup of chopped walnuts)

1. Put semi-sweet chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk in microwave proof bowl. Microwave on high for about 1 minute. Remove and stir until chips melt. Microwave again for about thirty seconds. Remove bowl and stir until chips are completely melted and the chocolate is a shiny, smooth texture.

2. Mix in 1/2 teaspoon of raspberry extract.

3. Fold in nuts just until they are evenly distributed throughout mixture.

4. Pour into a 6x9 or 8x8 glass pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray or coated lightly with butter. Spread fudge to edges of pan and level surface.

5. Cool in refrigerator until firm, about two hours.

6. Cut into squares and serve.

7. Store leftovers (if there are any!) in refrigerator.