Fudge. “Oh, fudge!” Once the battle cry of Ralphie (well, that’s what the censors let us hear in “A Christmas Story”), this is a call to chocolaty arms from hungry cocoa bean lovers everywhere who want to know, “Why the F…udge is there no believably delicious sugar-free alternative for the holidays?”
Well, it is fall and I am ready to bring the dense, sweet, chocolate bites of decadence right into your kitchen. I love to make things, but I was a little bit concerned about this one. The thought of putting processed cheese
Tip: For this recipe, prepare my confectionery sugar recipe in advance (or use your own), along with this processed cheese recipe for a decadent “Velveeta Fudge” based on this recipe.
The result of these ingredients is impressive! The calorie count is fairly low, at only 85 without nuts, and in terms of carbohydrates, each candy ‘costs’ only 2.3 net grams! Not bad. This means you can give these to everyone who’s been on your nice list for Christmas and know they will positively try harder to remain there next year, too.
Here, as you can see, I package each little 1″ x 1″ square in a mini petit four/cupcake wrapper. This makes less mess when eating, but it also means a cute presentation when placed four to a box for your friends. Don’t have friends (or none you want to share with? I’m not judging)? Then freeze the pieces for later enjoyment and to help you from overdoing it. Those calories can add up, and you don’t want to stimulate cravings.
Just Like Velveeta Fudge
This easy-to-make candy is perfect for holiday gifts, special treats, and Birthday bashes. You can halve the recipe and turn the batter into a greased bread pan as well.
Serves 36.
1 cup (2 sticks) softened butter
8 ounces processed cheese recipe
5 cups confectionery sugar equivalent in a substitute
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 cup plain or vanilla* protein powder
2 tsp vanilla extract*
2 cups chopped nuts (I used pecans and walnuts)
In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt butter and processed cheese together, stirring frequently to prevent sticking and burning on the bottom of the pan. Remove the pan from heat. In a large mixing bowl, gently combine powdered sugar and cocoa to prevent particulate from making a mess. Add the cocoa and sugar mixture to the cheese and butter mixture. Add the protein powder, vanilla, if not using vanilla protein powder, and nuts. Stir to incorporate all ingredients. Pour into a greased 8 x 8 x 2 pan. Chill. Cut into squares.
YIELD: 36, 1″ x 1″ servings
NOTE: *If using the vanilla-flavored protein powder, cut vanilla extract by half or eliminate based on taste.
NUTRITION INFORMATION PER PIECE: Calories: 128, Carbohydrates: 3.2 grams, Fiber: .5 + .17 alcohol grams, Net Carbohydrates: 2.5 grams, Protein: 5.1 grams, Fat: 10.3 grams.
WITHOUT NUTS PER PIECE: Calories: 85, Carbohydrates: 2.3 grams, Fiber: 0 + .17 alcohol grams, Net Carbohydrates: 2.3 grams, Protein: 4.3 grams, Fat: 6 grams.
What is the cheese spread? Velveeta?
I use a recipe I worked out: https://yourlighterside.com/make-processed-cheese-like-velveeta/
Seriously? Velveeta in fudge……
It. Is. Fabulous. And considering what goes into the Velveeta (cheddar cheese), it’s a really nice ingredient to pair with the chocolate. It is tremendous. Simply fudgy and fantastic!
This is just wacky enough to be awesome! Can’t wait to try it!
I love wacky and madcap kitchen fun! I hope you like it. you are fabulous, Mellissa. <3
What sugar substitute did you use?
Melinda, I make my own Ideal-style Confectionery: https://yourlighterside.com/make-sugar-free-powdered-confectionery-sugar/
Unbelievable! I had to read both your posts TWICE…kept waiting for the declaration that it was April Fool’s Day! This is the MOST jaw dropping thing I have ever read! And…I just made some confectioner’s xylitol a few minutes ago. Let’s see…I do have cheddar in the fridge….I will check to see if I have all ingredients! Oh, boy! Fudge!
Regards,
Glad
I hope you like the recipe, Gladys! Xylitol does have some cooling effect, but hopefully if pulverized and combined with the other ingredients, it won’t give you any problems.
What does the asterisk after vanilla powder and vanilla mean?
Ivonne– It means if you use vanilla powder, skip or reduce the vanilla extract. You might get too much vanilla…
Can you skip the vanilla powder then?
You would want to use plain protein powder in place of the vanilla protein powder, but I wouldn’t recommend skipping the protein powder.
Thanks Jamie! I have plain protein powder so will use that.
Perfect! That will be phenomenal.
I made the cheese and the fudge recipe and it’s just.. weird. You can still taste the cheese and I used Splenda so there’s a strong sweetener aftertaste. It tastes like artificially sweetened cheddar cheese with a hint of chocolate. 🙁 I even added a bit of extra cocoa so that wouldn’t happen! I donno.. I guess I was expecting it to taste like regular fudge.
Really? I swear to you mine tastes just like fudge to me. Extra cocoa will add to the bitterness. If anything, I might try to re-melt it and add heavy white cream and butter.
Which sweetener did you use? Maybe I need to be specific about my sweeteners. I just typically want people to choose the ones they like best…
I used Splenda in mine
I typically find Splenda to be oversweet (that might be just me, though). I combine Splenda with xylitol to lessen the sweet and the carbohydrate count.
Would it be possible to use actual velveta in place of the cheese mix?
Hi there. Absolutely!
What brand of unflavored protein powder do you use?
BTW, I LUV-LUV-LOVE your website!
Hi, Kim. Thank you so much! I use Designer Whey because it is reasonably priced and because I can find it at WalMart.
Wow I would never have thought to put cheese in fudge! Think you could replace they protein powder with something else as an alternative? I dislike the texture it tends to give things, although there’s not much of it in this recipe comparatively. Thoughts?
You could probably use an almond flour in place of the protein powder, but since the powder is very similar to a powdered milk, it really makes a terrific stand-in!
Thanks Jamie, I might give it a go with the protein powder (the taste sounds like a nice blend) in a small batch and see if it’s good for me, or if I need to try make some subs. It looks so darn good doesn’t it! Your pics are always fantastic.
You are so kind, Hayley! Thanks so much. I am typically not a protein powder girl, but in this recipe… there’s just something wonderful about it…
Now you’re just making me hungry!
Ha! If we lived closer, I’d feed you. I have the fudge in the freezer now (portion control).
Yes Australia is just a bit too far! Good idea on the freezer. I’ll let you know how I go with it
Oh now. You know Colorado is just Northwestern Australia. Definitely let me know!
OK, what are some choices for this “5 cups confectionery sugar equivalent in a substitute” most everything I find is corn starch. Thanks.
You don’t need the corn starch. Like at all. Make mine instead. It’s cheap and easy: https://yourlighterside.com/make-sugar-free-powdered-confectionery-sugar/
Wow! I happened to stumble into here a couple of weeks ago when I decided to start Adkins. Every recipe I’ve tried has been phenomenal! I tried this fudge recipe today and OMG! It’s sooooo good and I would never know it was made with velveeta! Keep up the great work.
I am so happy to hear it, Thomas! Thanks so much!
the worst ever….used 5cups of splenda….it was too salty from the butter and had horrible aftertaste from the splenda….don’t waste your time with this using splenda