Today I am congratulating myself with a huge pat on the back and TWO squares of peppermint fudge, because I succeeded in resisting all temptation! I cannot say it was easy and I definitely cannot deny that I wasn’t sorely tempted to give in – but I did it, I ignored all festive urges until the month of December!

Don’t get me wrong, I’m no Scrooge or Christmas Grinch. I love the festive season, but Christmas seems to arrive earlier and earlier every year, so by the time the “big day” arrives I am already suffering from indigestion brought on by an overdose of Christmas music, mince pies and endless pushing and elbow shoving against the hoards of Christmas shoppers.

You could say that I had some “help” this year, with Thanksgiving providing a welcome distraction. Indeed it made a refreshing change to have something other than the usual “rude awakening” that takes place in November, stricken with pangs of guilt and panic for not having already bought the majority of my Christmas gifts, decorated a tree that only Philippe Starck could be proud of, or hand-crafting personalised Christmas cards for every person I have encountered over the past ten years.

But now that Thanksgiving is over, the turkey eaten, the pumpkin pie devoured, and the Thanksgiving spirit drunk (hiccup!) – it’s time to turn our attentions to Christmas! So here is my first, perfectly timed, Christmas recipe for Festive Peppermint Fudge. This fudge is deceptively easy to make and calls for five, yes just five, ingredients. It tastes absolutely divine and is the perfect partner for your after-dinner coffee.

I used mini peppermint marshmallows to add extra “gooeyness” and a delicate pink tinged swirl to my fudge. However, if you can’t find peppermint marshmallows you can easily replace them with regular pink marshmallows, red or pink food colouring, or you can leave them out completely. I also used white chocolate chips as I think these are most suited to the peppermint flavouring, but you could milk, or dark chocolate chips, or even a mixture, if you prefer.

Before you start to make the fudge, line a small dish (approx. 8″ square) with parchment paper. Once this is done, pour the condensed milk into a saucepan and place on a medium heat on the hob. Put a handful of the chocolate chips aside for decorating the top of the fudge. Now add the remaining chocolate chips one cup at a time, stirring well, until all have been added and melted into the milk.

Turn off the heat and stir in the crushed peppermint candy, putting some aside for decorating the top of the fudge. If you cannot find ready crushed candy, you can always crush your own by putting peppermint candy into a strong freezer bag, or wrapping it in a piece of muslin and putting your hammer, or heavy rolling pin, to work!

Now add the peppermint extract and marshmallows to the fudge mixture and stir until everything is totally combined – don’t be alarmed if the marshmallows expand and melt into the fudge, this is supposed to happen! When done, pour the fudge mixture into the lined baking dish and sprinkle with the reserved crushed candy and chocolate chips to decorate.

Cover the fudge and chill in the fridge for around an hour, or until it firms. Once chilled, cut the fudge into small squares, et voila!

These fudge-y squares of yumminess are very sweet, so I tend to cut mine into fairly small servings.

To make this Festive Peppermint Fudge Recipe I used the following equipment:

• Tovolo® ‘Festive Lights’ Christmas Silicone Spatula
• Cristel Saucepan
• USA Pan Square Cake Pan

UK followers can now purchase some of the products featured in this article from the newly launched Arugula & Rocket Cookshop!