Monday, July 12, 2010

Curious Chocolatiers

Let me start with a note to make myself feel better about this post: I do strive to promote healthy eating in my family. With my first son Oliver, I was able to keep him oblivious to the world of candy until he was three-years-old. Then Halloween happen this past year. Wow. He and his two-year-old brother, Elliot, were so excited about their discovery of sugary confections. I've been lucky enough to limit candy as a treat, but none the less, the boys like to read, think, talk, and dream about CANDY.

BOOK: We love all things related to Curious George in our house. One of the boys' favorite George books is Margret and H.A. Rey's Curious George Goes to a Chocolate Factory where the lovable monkey gets mixed up into chocolate-making hijinks and ends with a tummy ache. When reading this book for the hundredth time this week, we got to page 10 which lists -- with illustrations -- each type of chocolate that is made in the factory. "This little swirl means fudge, this one says that caramel is inside, and this wiggle is for marshmallow." Oliver stopped me there to ask if candy like this really exists. (Clearly he has not yet had the chance to dive into a box of Godivas.) "Yes," I told him. His eyes got wide. "And as a matter of fact, we could make some today," I said. And then the fun began...

ACTIVITY: Easy Fudge
My mother happened to be here for a visit when I offered that we could make candy. The only reason I even suggested this treat is that she has the easiest recipe for fudge that I have ever seen. So she and the boys got to work, setting up their own chocolate factory at our house. 

Ingredients needed:
- 3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 tsp vanilla
- any optional add-ins such as nuts, marshmallows, etc.

My mom let the kids help her measure the chips and put them into a large, microwave-save bowl. Then they stirred in the can of milk. This mixture then went into the microwave for 3 minutes, stopping halfway just to stir it. After the microwave finished, the vanilla was added. The boys wanted to add marshmallows, so they did as it was being poured into an 8x8 square pan, lined with waxed paper. Once the fudge set in the refrigerator after a few hours, it was ready to cut and sample. And the kids were curious monkeys as they waited to see how it would taste. But believe me, they were happy with the results!

4 comments:

  1. This looks so easy and delicious! I can't wait to try this with my daughter!

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  2. Our favorite Curious George book! I think this is the fudge my mom makes as well. You'd never know it was so easy.

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