So, first completely new Christmas thing for this year! (Fire and Ice Patties notwithstanding because they were really just an extension of something I always make). I was extremely excited about this, mostly because, unlike my usual system, I did absolutely no research into these. I said to myself “self” (because isn’t that how everyone addresses themselves in their thoughts? Alternatively, you could say “brain” I suppose, but that just seems too clinical and also sounds too much like Brian, and I just don’t feel like a Brian 😉 ) “….PAY ATTENTION SELF, I’m not talking to you for my health over here (*aggressive finger wagging*). Yeesh, if you can’t pay attention to your own brain and thoughts, how can you ever expect other people to? Anywho, self, you do not need the internet of things to help you create the most deliciously epic and vegan cookies and cream fudge known to universe-kind!” (Yowzers – my brain sure has an ego 😉 Check your modesty at the door).
I’ve already posted a couple of fudge recipes on here, so obviously I could use that as a starting base. My only beef…errr…tofu(?) with those fudge recipes though is that they start to get a smidge melty (that is of course the technical term) if they’re out of the fridge for hours on end. This is normally no problem whatsoever of course, but when you’re gifting tins to people and taking tins to various festivities where they will be sitting out for hours at a time, you start to see the downside (namely all other desserts in the tin/ on the plate end up needing the addendum “Fudge Covered …” e.g. “Fudge Covered Peanut Butter Balls!” “Fudge Covered Maple Cream Cookies!” “Fudge covered Fudge!”…ok, that last one sounds kind of like a dream come true. It’s not that all that sounds bad per se, but it’s definitely messy, and I didn’t necessarily want to be known as the dessert soup lady 🙂 (although dessert soup sounds pretty good. It would completely eliminate all of that time consuming and labour intensive chewing that usually goes along with eating 😉 ).
With that in mind, I decided an ingenious way to thicken these up would be to add some melted vegan marshmallows (I would’ve ideally used vegan marshmallow crème, but alas, such a product, though I know of it’s existence, remains ever elusive to me 🙁 ). Not only would this thicken and stabilize the fudge, I figured it would pair perfectly with the “crème” element of the cookies and cream. Smart no? Answer to question….no, it is not smart.
Now some of you may have noticed by now that the heading to this post makes minimal reference to fudge. Bonus points to you. That is because, as you will soon see, things don’t always turn out the way you think they will when you get all high and mighty and think you know what you’re doing. The addition of the melted marshmallows (which took my entire lifespan to melt FYI. Following this epic baking adventure, I actually had to invent a time machine to bring them back to the modern day. But hey, I got a whole second life out of it right? So…score?), though tasty, made this fudge not so much fudge, but much more candy-like in texture. While I was sobbing alone in my time machine and contemplating going back in time again so that I could undo this epic fail, Kevin came into the kitchen and swiped a piece, chewed, made a blissful face and declared them to be delicious and that they reminded him of toffee. I knew he was in marketing for a reason. So…guess what? Cookies and Cream Toffee!!! Now that the expectation of soft, buttery, melt in your mouth fudge has been removed, and been replaced with the image of sweet and chewy morsels of goodness, I could see these with a whole new eye (my other eye was busy watering with joy). Other upside? I’ve heard of cookies and cream fudge before, but I don’t typically hear about cookies and cream toffee (if you Google it you see a lot more toffee sandwiched between cookies and cream fudge. Now, though this looks and sounds delicious too…I call that false advertising. I’m way too honest for that nonsense 😉 ), so now I get to feel like a trailblazer as well! (Massive ego restored 😉 ).
Ingredients
- 1/2 bag of vegan marshmallows (or approx. 1 cup)
- 1 tablespoon vegan butter
- 1 cup cashew butter (or make your own by processing in a food processor for about 15 minutes, scraping down sides occasionally)
- 1/2 cup coconut butter (or make your own by processing in a food processor for about 15 minutes, scraping down sides occasionally)
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons agave
- 1 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 cup crushed oreos (reserve some to sprinkle on top)
Directions
1. Line an 8×8 glass dish with wax or parchment paper (or lightly grease it. The wax paper just makes it easier to take the toffee out afterwards, but it’s not necessary).
2. Using a double boiler, allow the water in the bottom to get to simmering, then lower heat to medium-low (or if you don’t have a double boiler, you can use a small saucepan, just make sure to keep the heat on your stove really low and stir constantly). Add the marshmallows and vegan butter and stir occasionally letting the mixture get as melted as your patience will allow (ideally marshmallow fluff consistency, but I didn’t wait that long).
3.Add all the other ingredients except the oreos. Stir constantly until everything is smoothly melted together (the coconut butter will likely take the longest).
4. Pour into a large bowl and stir in crushed oreos (don’t forget to leave some aside to sprinkle on top!). The mixture is fairly thick at this point so feel free to get in there and work the oreos in with your hands.
5. Dump the mixture into your prepared dish and spread it out as best you can to fill the dish. I laid a little parchment paper on top of the mixture and pressed down with a heavy glass to smooth it out. This does take a bit of elbow grease, so all your arm workouts are now coming to fruition….or you’re now embarking on a fun new workout routine…toffee smoother-outer 😉 .
6. Place in the refrigerator or freezer until firm.
7. Remove from fridge or freezer and upend your dish to dump the toffee onto a cutting board. Allow to warm up a bit (I did not do this and found it very difficult to cut, so patience young grasshopper) then cut into small pieces.
8. I’m storing these in the freezer, but if you’re planning on consuming them in the near future, I’d actually recommend just storing them in a tin or airtight container at room temperature so they’re not too hard to eat.
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