Christmas is the time for baking far too many treats – to eat, to give away, to bring along to the many parties that end up being thrown in December.

I’m all for recipes that deliver great taste for minimal effort. And recipes that can be endlessly adapted so that you never get bored? Even better. From White Chocolate Strawberry & Balsamic , to Jaffa (Chocolate Orange), to Rocky Road, White Christmas, Milky Way, Rum & Raisin – the list of variations is only as limited as your imagination.

A batch of this delicious fudge makes a lot, so I end up bagging up portions in cellophane and keeping them in the fridge to grab at a moment’s notice. Stick a Christmas label on the front and voila – you have a neighbour gift, teacher gift, thank-you present. (Or you can just dig into it when the kids have gone to bed – completely up to you!)

Chocolate Fudge Recipe

Ingredients
1/4 cup unsalted butter
3 200g packets of good quality dark, white or milk chocolate, broken into pieces
1 (397g) tin of condensed milk
1 tbsp golden syrup
1 tsp vanilla essence
Pinch of salt

Variations – Additional Ingredients
1. Christmas: 1/4 cup dried cranberries, 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
2. Rum & Raisin: 1/4 cup raisins or sultanas soaked in rum, zest of one orange, 1/4 cup chopped nuts
3. Rocky Road: 1/4 cup dried cranberries, 1/4 cup chopped marshmallows, 1/4 cup chopped nuts, 1/4 cup clinkers, dash of brandy
4. White Chocolate Strawberry & Balsamic: 1/4 freeze dried strawberries, 1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar
5. White Christmas: 1/4 cup chopped apricots, 1/4 cup shredded coconut, 1/4 cup dried cranberries
6. Milky Way: Chopped up milky way chocolate bars, 1/4 cup flaked almonds (use milk chocolate as base)
7. Jaffa: Grated zest of one orange, 2 tbsp of Cointreau (use dark chocolate as base)

Method
1. Melt butter in microwaveable bowl.
2. Add in chocolate, golden syrup, condensed milk, vanilla essence and salt and microwave on low heat/express defrost setting until melted. Stir once or twice throughout (careful not to boil).
3. Mix through additional ingredients depending on variation.
4. Spoon mixture into tin or dish lined with baking paper.
5. Sprinkle with festive toppings (chocolate sprinkles, cocoa, coconut, edible shimmer powder etc).
6. Cover with cling wrap and place in refrigerator for a few hours until firm.
7. Remove and cut into bite-sized pieces.

Got any other variation suggestions? I would love to hear about them! Let me know in the comments below!