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These chocolate meltaways are bite-sized, hand-held puddles of chocolate cream cheese fudge that are guaranteed to simply melt in your mouth.
These mini milk chocolate meltaways are the perfect holiday treat for many reasons. They don’t take long to make, you don’t have to bake them, and they last in the fridge for up to two weeks. Not that they’ll last that long, as once you have a bite of one of these chocolate meltaways, you’ll be coming back for more. With a mouthwatering fudge center and a sugary exterior, these bite-sized treats literally melt in your mouth.
If you’re also looking for more candies made from cream cheese, check out cream cheese divinity and cream cheese mints.
Recipe Ingredients
- Cream cheese (check out my easy homemade cream cheese recipe)
- Butter
- Cocoa powder
- Vanilla
- Lemon juice
- Milk
- Confectioner’s sugar
Place cream cheese and butter in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy, or about one to two minutes.
Add 1/2 cup of cocoa powder, vanilla, lemon juice, and milk, and beat again until fully mixed.
Add confectioner’s sugar, one cup at a time, beating well after each and scraping down the sides of the bowl, until thick and very sticky like cookie dough. You may not need all of the confectioner’s sugar, so stop when it has the consistency of cookie dough.
Stir together remaining cocoa powder and 1/4 cup confectioner’s sugar in a small bowl.
Pinch off small portions of the dough and roll into 1 inch balls. Roll each ball into the cocoa/sugar mixture. Tap to remove excess. Repeat until all dough is used.
You can use some silicone candy molds like those here. Otherwise, you can use a simple technique by pressing down lightly on top of each ball with the tines of a fork to flatten and imprint the design. Yep, so simple and it’s so easy to make these adorable bite-sized fudge treats!
(If you use the link above for the candy molds, please note Southernplate will receive a very small commission should you choose to purchase).
Store these chocolate candies covered, in the refrigerator, until ready to serve. These are decadent easy little treats!
Storage
- You can store these chocolate meltaways in the fridge for up to two weeks, as long as all the ingredients were fresh when you made this recipe.
- If you’d prefer to freeze them, seal them in an airtight container and place them in the freezer for up to one year.
Recipe Notes
Feeling minty? Drop 1/2 teaspoon of mint extract into your dough to instantly make mint chocolate meltaways!
Chocolate Meltaways
Chocolate Fudge Meltaways are little bite-sized, hand-held puddles of chocolate cream cheese fudge that melt in your mouth!
Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours hours
Total Time: 2 hours hours 5 minutes minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: chocolate
Servings: 50 -60
Calories: 24kcal
Author: Stacey Lynn
Ingredients
- 8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
- 3 tablespoons butter at room temperature
- 5 oz unsweetened cocoa powder split up into 1/2 cup (4oz) and 2 tbsp (1 oz)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 6-7 cups confectioner's sugar plus an additional 1/4 cup for dipping
Instructions
Place cream cheese and butter in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy, or about 1 to 2 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of cocoa powder, vanilla, lemon juice, and milk and beat again until well combined.
8 ounces cream cheese, 3 tablespoons butter, 5 oz unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 tablespoon milk
Add 6 to 7 cups of confectioner's sugar, one cup at a time, beating well and scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Keep adding sugar until the dough is sticky and thick like cookie dough. You will likely use at least 6 cups but may not need the whole 7.
6-7 cups confectioner's sugar
Stir together the remaining 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder with 1/4 cup of confectioner's sugar in a small bowl until no lumps remain. Pinch dough off and form into one-inch balls before rolling in cocoa powder/sugar mixture.
5 oz unsweetened cocoa powder, 6-7 cups confectioner's sugar
Press down lightly on each ball with the tines of a fork to flatten and imprint a pattern. Store in refrigerator until ready to serve. Can be stored in fridge for up to two weeks if all ingredients are fresh.
Notes
All nutritional calculations are approximate as can change depending on the ingredients chosen and the size of the meltaway created.
Nutrition
Serving: 1meltaway | Calories: 24kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g
You may also like these chocolate candy and fudge recipes:
Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls No Baking Necessary
Holly Jollies – Candy On A Budget; In A Hurry!
10 Favorite Christmas Candies
Chocolate Fudge That Can Take Over The World
To succeed in life you need three things: A wishbone, a backbone, and a funny bone.
~Reba McEntire
FAQs
Evaporated milk doesn't have sugar added. The sweetened condended milk is needed as no extra sugar is added to the fudge. If evaporated milk were used then the fudge would not be sweet enough and also would still be too soft unless the fudge is frozen.
Why is my 3 ingredient fudge not setting? ›
The main reason is that your Fudge has not reached the optimum temperature. If your mixture only reaches 110 or 112 degrees Celsius it will always be soft. That's why we recommend investing in a sugar thermometer. Another reason your Fudge is not setting is that the ratio of liquid to sugar is too high.
What is the secret to smooth fudge that is not gritty? ›
Once a seed crystal forms, it grows bigger and bigger as the fudge cools. A lot of big crystals in fudge makes it grainy. By letting the fudge cool without stirring, you avoid creating seed crystals.
What not to do when making fudge? ›
7 Common Mistakes to Avoid for Candy Shop-Worthy Fudge and Caramels
- Using the Wrong Pan. All candy and confections start by melting sugar. ...
- Stirring the Sugar. ...
- Not Using a Candy Thermometer. ...
- Leaving Out the Parchment Paper Lining. ...
- Skipping the Cooking Spray. ...
- Scraping the Pot. ...
- Using a Cold Knife to Slice.
Stir the ingredients to dissolve the sugar until the mixture comes to a boil. If your recipe uses milk, stirring will keep the mixture from curdling. But once it reaches about 236–238 degrees F/113–114 degrees C (the "soft-ball" stage), do not stir it or even shake the pan.
What is the best pan to make fudge in? ›
Secondly, the pot's material should allow for good heat distribution hence your top choice should be copper cookware or a pot with a copper core. Copper's exceptional heat conductivity offers unparalleled temperature control, an asset when working with finicky ingredients like sugar.
What happens if you use sweetened condensed milk instead of evaporated milk in fudge? ›
If you accidentally use sweetened condensed milk your fudge will be incredibly over the top sweet. Cut up the Butter– Before adding the butter in make sure to cut it into smaller pieces for faster melting. Best Pan to Use- The best type of 8 quart pan to cook this recipe in is a stainless steel 8 quart pot .
How do you fix condensed milk fudge that didn't set? ›
To fix it, you can reheat the fudge mixture over low heat and continue cooking until it reaches the proper temperature. Be sure to use a candy thermometer to monitor the temperature accurately. Alternatively, you can try to salvage chewy fudge by mixing it into ice cream or using it as a topping for desserts.
Why do you add vanilla to fudge? ›
Vanilla is often added to chocolate candies or other chocolate recipes because it complements and accents the flavor of chocolate.
How long do you boil fudge to get to soft ball stage? ›
How long does it take to make fudge:
- about 18 min to reach boiling.
- about 40 minutes to reach soft ball stage.
- 60 minutes to cool.
- 28 minutes to beat in a KitchenAid (your time for this may vary)
- 4 hours to set.
Conversely, if the cooking time is too brief and there is not enough evaporation, too much water will remain and the fudge will be too soft. A temperature of 112°C to 114°C (234°F to 237°F) must be maintained. This will ensure the fudge has the ideal concentration of water and sugar. Fudge is difficult to make.
What happens if you over boil fudge? ›
Too cooked
This fudge was cooked to a temperature of 118 °C (244 °F). At this temperature, the sugar is too concentrated and there is not enough water left to form syrup around sugar crystals. The result is hard and brittle fudge.
Can you Recook fudge if it doesn't set? ›
If it's overcooked (resulting in grainy fudge) or undercooked (resulting in poor setting) all you really need to do is add a bit of cream, reheat the fudge to the target temperature, and let it set again.
Can I remelt fudge? ›
To fix oily, hard or grainy fudge, scoop the fudge back into a pot with about a cup of water. Cook it over low heat until the fudge dissolves. Then bring the fudge back up to the temperature specified in the recipe and follow the remaining steps. The flavor may be slightly diluted, but the texture will be improved.
What does cream of tartar do in fudge? ›
Cream of tartar is used in caramel sauces and fudge to help prevent the sugar from crystallizing while cooking. It also prevents cooling sugars from forming brittle crystals, this is why it's the secret ingredient in snickerdoodles!
What keeps fudge from getting hard? ›
If you let your fudge get too hot, the sugars will start to concentrate and the fudge will be crumbly, dull, and hard. To fix it, put it back into the saucepan and add about 3–4 US tbsp (44–59 ml) of 35% fat whipping cream. Stir the mixture as you heat it until the sugar in the fudge is melted.
Why did my fudge not get hard? ›
The amount of time you cook fudge directly affects its firmness. Too little time and the water won't evaporate, causing the fudge to be soft. Conversely, cook it too long and fudge won't contain enough water, making it hard with a dry, crumbly texture.
What makes fudge hard or soft? ›
Fudge usually behaves this way when it's not cooked to a high enough temperature (due to oversight or a faulty candy thermometer). If your fudge is tough, hard, or grainy, then you may have made one of several mistakes: You may have overcooked it, beaten it too long, or neglected to cool it to the proper temperature.
