Bake with Melynn part 4: Eggnog Fudge and Chocolate Filled Russian Tea Cakes

Melynn has pretty much finished her holiday baking now (even though I haven’t even started!). Her gorgeous and yummy cookie and treat platter will be at work on Monday, so we’ll be sure to share photos. In the meantime, Melynn was willing to share two more holiday recipes with us:

I had never really made fudge until I found this recipe. It represents the season nicely with its inclusion of eggnog, which just also happens to be one of my husband’s favorite holiday drinks (and is now one of my daughter’s as well)! You need a candy thermometer for this recipe.

Eggnog Fudge

• ½ cup butter (1 stick)

• ¾ cup eggnog

• 2 cups sugar

• 10 oz white chocolate chips

• 1/8 t ground nutmeg

• 7 oz jar marshmallow crème

• 1 t rum or rum extract

Combine butter, eggnog, and sugar in heavy 2 or 3 qt saucepan. Bring to rolling boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium and continue cooking 8-10 min. or until candy thermometer reaches 234 degrees, stirring to prevent scorching. Remove from heat; stir in chocolate & nutmeg. Add marshmallow crème & extract; beat until well blended. Pour into greased 8 or 9” square pan. Cool at room temperature; cut.

I like this tea cake recipe as they include a chocolate star hidden inside each one which makes them a bit more special than the usual tea cake cookie. Doesn’t chocolate make everything better? 🙂

Chocolate Filled Russian Tea Cakes

• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter at room temp

• ½ cup powdered sugar

• 1 t vanilla

• 2 cups flour

• ¼ t salt

• ¾ cup ground pecans

• 48 milk chocolate stars

Sugar coating:
½ cup powdered sugar
1 T red sugar
1 T green sugar

Heat oven to 400 degrees. In large bowl, beat butter, ½ cup powdered sugar, and vanilla with electric mixer (I use stand mixer) on medium speed until well mixed. On low speed, beat in flour, salt, and ground pecans. Shape slightly less than 1 measuring tablespoonful of dough around each chocolate star to make 1” balls; place 2” apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake about 8-10 minutes or until set and bottoms begin to turn golden brown. Meanwhile, is small bowl, mix coating ingredients. Immediately remove cookies from cookie sheets; roll in sugar coating (I wait to coat in powdered sugar until just prior to serving since I freeze them). Cool completely on wire racks, about 30 min, then roll in sugar coating again.

When asked if she’ll make anything extra she said, “The only sort of extras that I do (that don’t go on all of the platters) is a small batch of frosted cutouts that I make with my daughter. I’m also going to try a gluten free, egg free spritz (family members have developed some egg allergies). I’m not sure they’re even going to work!”

It’s nice to know that even a baking Goddess such as Melynn experiments with new recipes that might fail. Of course, if it works, maybe she’ll share the recipe with us next year :-).

SaveSave