Cookie Dough Fudge: Take Two (★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆)

I live life on the edge.

I'm not talking about bungee jumping over a volcano in Chile,

Or painting the town red till four in the morning.

I live by a different edge.  

The kind of edge that forces you to audition for an opera class even though you've never sung opera in your life and you were, frankly, in the class by complete accident.  It's the kind of edge that compels you to try Vegemite because, hey, twenty-two million Aussies can't be wrong (right?), but it's actually the worst substance that will ever hit your tongue.

This is the edge that follows me through life.  Usually, it's only my fears that it makes me face.  But once in awhile it drives me to do something a little more troubling - dangerous. 

Like to eat cookie dough.

Raw.

Spoonfuls and spoonfuls of cookie dough.

We're talking drive to the store buy a roll of cookie dough and attack it with an eating utensil...or skip the middle-man and use your mouth before you even get it home...with never the nary intention of cooking it to the proper "anti-E. coli" temperature that every other sane human being seems to be so capable of.  

I love cookie dough.

It is - if I dare say - just as good as a freshly baked cookie and waayy better than an old one.

It's even worthy of this blog post I saw awhile back.  And while the intention was to familiarize the world with the blogger's newest cookie dough creation, it came off as one of the greatest odes to cookie dough I've read, ever.

Skim through it, if you have the time: To Cookie Dough, A Love Letter  (name change is all mine. :)

So being that it is on my Top 10 Foods Of All Time list, I felt obliged to remake the edible Cookie Dough Fudge I posted about a few weeks ago.

The concept was superb, but the powder sugar flavor was overwhelming.  I understand trying to make a fool proof recipe (I had to make this one twice), but if you are going to fashion something with cookie dough, don't you think it deserves the best the world has to offer?  The most delicious, legit fudge - candy thermometer or not?

I'll answer that.

It does.

--

And now a cookie dough fudge that is 50 times more delicious than that other stuff...

I present to you "Take Two."

Brace yourself, it's about to get crazy involved.  But I learned so many important lessons during this whole "fudge" experience that what kind of blogger/baker would I be if I didn't pass on my blood-sweat-and tears earned wisdom?

Cookie Dough Fudge

Inspired by Sally's Baking Addiction and Pink-Parsley 

Cookie Dough Fudge:

• Candy Thermometer 
• 1 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 heavy cream
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 Tbsp corn syrup
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup flour
• Edible Cookie Dough
• 1 cup chocolate chips

Edible Cookie Dough:

• 1/3 cup butter, room temperature
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp cream (or milk)
• 1/2 cup flour

*Side Note: After tasting the fudge, I highly suggest you double the Edible Cookie Dough recipe.  I can't vouch for how the end product tastes or holds up because I didn't do it, but, for me, the sweetness of the fudge overpowered the cookie dough flavor.  If I was to make this again, I would double the recipe.  

Fudge

1) In a medium/large sauce pan combine sugar, brown sugar, cream, milk, corn syrup, and salt.  Cook  

    over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar mixture reaches 242F degrees (what is known as 

    the "soft ball stage").    

Tips for Tricky Things Like Fudge

*You'll want to have your candy thermometer attached to the side of your pan so it is constantly 

   immersed in the mixture, but not touching the bottom of the pan.

*Additionally, you will want to make sure that your candy thermometer is accurate as it can drift to read 

  higher or lower degrees over time.  You can test this by boiling a pot of water and seeing what 

  temperature the thermometer reads at a healthy consistant boil.  Since water boils at 212F, add or  

  subtract degrees as needed to get a correct reading.  (i.e. if your thermometer reads 192F at boiling 

  point...as mine did...you know you must add 20F to your reading.  Hence, the mixture will be done  

  when my candy thermometer reaches 222F).

Bad Fudge Batch #1.  Crusty and clumpy.  This was before it dawned on me to double check my thermometer reading and had grasped the concept of the "soft ball stage."  Learn from my mistakes!

*In addition to watching the temperature of the mixture, you can also determine if it has reached the 

  correct consistency by testing small amounts in a cup of cold water.  As the temperature is nearing 

  242F, take a small spoonful of the mixture and plop it into a cup of cold water (from the tap is fine).  If

  you are able to grab the mixture and roll it into a soft ball - kinda like play dough - you are set!  Take 

  the mixture off the stove.  If not, and the mixture is still too runny wait 30 sec - 1 min and try again. I  

  found this video that was a lifesaver!  Not only does it thoroughly depict what is and isn't softball 

  stage (at the 1:53 mark), it also has some plain good advice...which I gladly took. 

2) After mixture has reached soft-ball stage, remove from heat and place on cooling rack.  At this point 

    it is very important that you stop stirring until the mixture has cooled to about 110F degrees.  Add 

    the butter and let melt on top of sugar mixture, remembering not to stir.  Stirring after it has reached 

    242F will cause it to have a grainy texture.  

3) Once sugar/butter mixture has cooled to 110F (about an hour), add vanilla and flour.  With a hand 

    mixer beat at medium speed until ingredients are combined and mixture is thickened, approx 3 min.

4) Add Edible Cookie Dough to fudge and mix until just combined.  (The best time to make this 

    would be while the fudge is cooling).

5) Grease or spray an 8x8 inch baking dish and add cookie dough fudge.  Smooth with a spatula if 

    needed.  

6) Sprinkle chocolate chips on the top and lightly press them into the fudge.  The fudge will be still too 

    warm for the chocolate chips to be mixed into the fudge.  Trust me, I tried...hence the little chocolate 

    swirls in my pictures.  

7) Place fudge in the refrigerator for at least two hours or until set.  Cut into squares...or circles.  Eat.  

    Enjoy.  Savor.  

Good Batch #2.  Picture on left is sugar mixture at softball stage with butter melting on top.  

Fudge should be smooth not clumpy, picture on right.

Dough (Can be made while fudge mixture is cooling)

1) Cream butter, sugar, and brown sugar in a medium sized bowl.  Beat until fluffy.  

2) Thoroughly mix in the vanilla, salt, and milk.

3) Add flour to mixture and beat until just combined.  

You can keep your motorcycles and crazy rock and roll music. 

I've got safe-as-vanilla cookie dough!

I. Am. A. Grandma.  

Photography by Travis Howland Photography 

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