It’s that time again!! Guest post time!! So excited to have Alaena from Grazed and Enthused sharing her delicious recipe for Peppermint Fudge. Having guest posts is super helpful right now while I’m in the process of finishing up my next cookbook. I just haven’t had much time to cook or use my brain while I just constantly type up recipes so having creativity from other bloggers is inspiring! Now let’s get to it and get the holidays going with this fudge!
_____________________________________
Juli was my gateway drug into Paleo back in January 2012. I had been coming off a vegan bender, and I needed some TLC. After listening to Crazy, Sexy, Cool all the way through, I decided to make her Blueberry Chai Muffins. Her cooking talents reeled me in, but her wit made me stay. My morning Internet update sessions began to look like this: weather.com, paleomg.com, cnn.com, gmail.com. Top 4 status, people.
I survived that first year on Paleo because of Juli’s recipes, notably the Crockpot Ropa Vieja, Morning Glory Muffins, Chicken Tortilla Soup, and Magic Brownie Bars. My health on Paleo improved dramatically, but I still had lingering issues caused by leaky gut and autoimmune disease. After two years on Paleo, I jumped to the Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) and started my blog Grazed and Enthused to keep me motivated. AIP is a healing, anti-inflammatory diet designed for people with autoimmune disease. It eliminates additional Paleo foods such as eggs, nightshades, nuts, seeds, alcohol, and chocolate for a period of time to let the gut mucosa heal and immune system regulate. I know that sounds incredibly restrictive, but I credit the AIP to giving me my life back and putting my Hashimoto’s and leaky gut into remission. AIP Represent.
Way to bring the party down, right? Well the good news is I have successfully reintroduced chocolate and that means two things: Whole Foods just gets that much more of my money and you get fudge. My husband promised this recipe is PaleOMG-worthy! This is measured by how many servings he eats once he knows he has already eaten too many. Seven. Of course I also included an AIP-version of this recipe because everyone deserves holiday fudge.
Guest Post: Peppermint Fudge
- Yield: 20 1x
Ingredients
Peppermint Fudge Layer
- 1 cup cooked and mashed Japanese yam*
- ½ cup palm shortening
- ½ cup melted coconut butter
- ½ tsp peppermint oil, 8-10 drops of peppermint essential oil, OR 1 tsp peppermint extract
- 2 T honey
- Small pinch sea salt
Peppermint Chocolate Layer
- ½ cup coconut butter
- 2 T palm shortening
- 1 T honey
- 1 T melted coconut oil
- 2 T cacao powder (or carob powder for AIP)
- ½ tsp peppermint oil, 8-10 drops of peppermint essential oil, OR 1 tsp peppermint extract
- Small pinch sea salt
Instructions
- Place all ingredients for Peppermint Fudge Layer in a high-powered blender or food processor. Blend until pureed and smooth. Taste and add 1-2 more drops of peppermint flavor, if an extra minty flavor is desired. Set aside.
- Place all ingredients for Peppermint Chocolate Layer (except peppermint flavor) together in a microwaveable bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds until the coconut butter and palm shortening are softened enough to easily stir and combine. Add peppermint flavor and stir to incorporate.
- Line a 9×5 inch bread loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving overhang on each of the lengthwise sides. Pour Peppermint Chocolate Layer into the pan first and smooth with a rubber spatula so the surface is evenly covered. Freeze for 10 minutes until hardened.
- Remove pan from freezer and spoon Peppermint Fudge Layer on top. Carefully smooth fudge over the bottom layer to evenly cover. Return to freezer for 30-40 minutes to harden. Slice into squares. Store in a sealed glass container in the fridge.
Notes
*Japanese yam has a white flesh. You can substitute a white California sweet potato, if you cannot find Japanese yams.
**You can use any of these 3 peppermint flavorings. For AIP, use 100% peppermint essential oil.
Grazed & Enthused is a recipe website by Alaena Haber, a self-taught cook, providing unique AIP, Paleo, and Low-Histamine recipes with a sprinkle of sarcasm. Okay, more like a hefty pinch.
Find Alaena on:
Totes doin’ this up! Thanks for such a delish recipe, Alaena. 🙂
I tried this recipe. I love that it used up my extra half of a Japanese sweet potato I had kicking around in the fridge. I was pretty skeptical during the “sweet peppermint-flavored mashed potato” phase but once it’s all together and hardened in the fridge, it’s yummy. I also added a tad more honey and peppermint, to taste. The only real qualm I had was once I cut the fudge into squares, most of the white layer separated from the chocolate layer. Not sure why. A very different, yet creative and interesting recipe!
Angelina! I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe… the reason why two layers would separate is because the first layer has to completely hardened before adding the second layer. In the instructions, it says “until hardened” because all freezer temps are different and the fudge will set at a different rate for everyone. Next time you make, try making sure the first layer is solid, then add the second layer. I do not have this issue if I do it this way 🙂
Amazing fudge! I will definitely be making this fudge again for Christmas day! Thanks Alaena!
What is the best way to cook the yam?
in the oven
I am sensitive to coconut. But I am on thr AIP diet…what can. I sub for coconut butter in this recipe?
Do you cook the sweet potato first?
Yes
These were soooo good! Mine separated a little too, even though I left the carob layer to harden for a long time. I found it really easy to press the white layer into the carob layer for the pieces that did come off. Also, a sharp knife helps for cutting.
Now, how to stop myself from devouring them all…
This recipe is fabulous! I am not kidding around fabulous. I have found my fudge that i have been craving for years. Thank you for having an extraordinary talent so I can eat the most amazing food…because the extent of my creations were beans and rice. Nom. Nom. Nom.