Easy Chocolate Peppermint Fudge Balls
Whether you’re making cookies for a Christmas cookie swap, need to take something to a pot-luck holiday dinner, or just want some festive sweets to eat at home, this no-fail chocolate peppermint fudge balls recipe is the perfect holiday season treat.
‘Tis the season for peppermint everything!
I personally love peppermint and chocolate together, so I decided to make these easy chocolate peppermint fudge balls.
This is not your typical homemade fudge recipe. It turns out every time. And there’s no candy thermometer required.
So it’s simple enough for even beginners to whip up in no time at all.
Plus they look very festive, the individual servings are great for Christmas parties, and everyone will love this fudge!
Which makes this amazing recipe the perfect treat for the holidays.
Ingredients
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Here is your shopping list:
- dairy – 2 Tablespoons butter, ¼ cup half-and-half
- sugar – ¾ cups white sugar
- salt – ⅛ teaspoon
- flavoring – ½ teaspoon peppermint extract
- sweets – 1½ packed cups mini marshmallows (about 3 ounces), 1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips, 1 cup peppermint candies (like Starlight or candy canes)
Substitutions
- Semi sweet chocolate chips will work instead of the bittersweet ones.
- You can also substitute 6 ounces of bittersweet or semi sweet baking chocolate instead of the chocolate chips. To make them easier to melt, chop them into small pieces before adding them to the pot.
How to make chocolate peppermint fudge balls
Prep work
Cut a piece of parchment paper that is long enough to line the loaf pan and overhang the edges by a few inches.
Trim the width of the parchment so that it will fit inside the pan.
Fit the parchment paper inside the loaf pan so that it overhangs the edges. You’ll use the overhang as “handles” to get the fudge out of the pan later.
Use a food processor or rolling pin to crush the peppermint candies.
Make the fudge
Heat 2 Tablespoons of butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
Add 1½ cups marshmallows, ¾ cups white sugar, ¼ cup milk and ⅛ teaspoon salt in a medium-sized saucepan.
Cook, stirring constantly until the marshmallows have completely melted about 7 minutes. Make sure not to leave the pot on the heat without stirring, since the mixture can burn quickly.
Stir in ½ teaspoon peppermint extract.
Remove from the heat.
Add 1 cup of bittersweet chocolate chips to the marshmallow mixture and stir until the chocolate has melted.
Spread the chocolate mixture out in the prepared pan. It will only fill the pan up to about an inch, so you haven’t done anything wrong if the pan isn’t full.
Let the loaf pan sit on a wire cooling rack until completely cool, about 30 minutes.
Cover and refrigerate until firm at least 1 hour and up to 3 days.
Roll the fudge balls in crushed peppermint candies
Loosen the fudge in the pan by running a knife along the ends of the pan that are not covered by parchment paper.
Remove the fudge from loaf pan by pulling up on the parchment paper overhang.
Cut it into 1 inch squares.
Put on rubber gloves to prevent your hands from getting too messy.
Roll each square between your hands so that it forms a ball.
If it is too hard to roll, let the fudge sit for a few minutes. Once it warms up, it will be easier to shape.
Spread the crushed candies out on a cookie sheet.
Then roll the chocolate fudge balls in the crushed candy canes or peppermint candies.
How to store
Place them in an airtight container or on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. If you need to stack the balls, separate the layers with pieces of parchment paper to prevent them from sticking.
Put the lid on the container or cover the cookie sheet with plastic wrap.
Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
How to serve fudge balls
I like to serve them in mini cupcake liners.
They are the perfect size and makes them easier for your guests to pick up.
FAQs
Yes. This chocolate peppermint fudge recipe can be frozen in the pan before it has been cut. Take it out of the freezer a few hours before you’re getting ready to serve it. Then cut, roll into balls and coat with crushed candy canes following the directions above.
Other Christmas cookies you might like
- Grinch heart sugar cookies
- Lemon cream cheese Christmas cookies
- Christmas tree sugar cookies
- Old-fashioned cherry winks
- Holiday shortbread thimble cookies
More Christmas cookie recipes –>
Easy Chocolate Peppermint Fudge Balls
Equipment
- 5″ x 9″ loaf pan
- parchment paper
- saucepan
- food processor or rolling pin for crushing the candies
- wire cooling rack
- rubber gloves
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 1½ packed cups mini marshmallows about 3 ounces
- ¾ cups white sugar
- ¼ cup half-and-half
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon peppermint extract
- 1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup peppermint candies (such as Starlight or candy canes) crushed
Instructions
- Fit a piece of parchment paper inside the loaf pan so that it overhangs the edges by a few inches on each side.
- Melt 2 Tablespoons butter in a medium-sized sauce pan over medium heat.2 Tablespoons butter
- Add in 1½ cups marshmallows, ¾ cups white sugar, ¼ cup milk and 1/8 teaspoon salt.1½ packed cups mini marshmallows, ¾ cups white sugar, ¼ cup half-and-half, 1/8 teaspoon salt
- Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until the marshmallows have melted, about 7 minutes.
- Stir in ½ teaspoon peppermint extract.½ teaspoon peppermint extract
- Remove from the heat.
- Add 1 cup of bittersweet chocolate chips to the marshmallow mixture and stir until the chocolate has melted.1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
- Pour into the parchment paper lined loaf pan.
- Let the loaf pan sit on a wire rack until completely cool, about 30 minutes.
- Cover and refrigerate until firm at least 1 hour and up to 3 days.
- Remove the fudge from the loaf pan by pulling up on the parchment paper overhang.
- Cut the fudge into 1 inch squares.
- Roll each square between your hands so that it forms a ball.
- Then roll each ball in the crushed peppermint candies so that the outside is completed covered.1 cup peppermint candies (such as Starlight or candy canes)
- Place the balls in an airtight container with layers separated by parchment paper.
- Cover and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Notes
- Rolling the fudge into balls can get a little messy so you may want to wear gloves for this step.
Nutrition
Nutrition values are estimates only, using online calculators. Please verify using your own data.
Have comments or questions about our easy peppermint chocolate fudge balls? Tell us in the section below.
This post was originally published on December 1, 2021 but was updated with new content on February 20, 2023.