If you’re willing to part with two cups of precious huckleberries, I have a recipe for you! I know how hard these little berries are to come by, and I usually use them sparingly, but my youngest son (who shall now be known as my favorite son) just gave me eight pounds of them, and I’m feeling a little reckless.
If you don’t have huckleberries (frozen are fine, by the way) you can substitute wild Maine blueberries, available in the freezer section of most grocery stores.
I added a pie crust bottom, just for fun, and lots of marshmallows. The texture of this candy is more marshmallow-like than that of chocolate fudge. If you prefer a more traditional texture, you can cut the amount of marshmallows in half.
Marshmallows, white chips, and lemon zest.
| "Huckleberry Pie" FUDGE | Print |
- CRUST:
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ½ cup cold shortening
- ¼ cup cold butter
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (save the zest for the fudge)
- 2 tablespoons milk
- FUDGE
- 2 cups fresh or frozen huckleberries (wild Maine blueberries are good, too)
- 1¾ cups sugar
- 1 small can (5 oz.) evaporated milk
- ½ cup butter
- 1½ cups white chocolate morsels
- 4 cups miniature marshmallows
- zest from one large lemon
- ½ cup chopped walnuts (optional) or more to taste
- Heat oven to 375 F. Line an 8x8-inch baking pan with a piece of parchment, extending over two sides. This will serve as a "handle" to lift your fudge out when it's firm.
- In a small bowl, combine flour, salt, and sugar. Cut in the shortening and butter with a pastry blender or your fingers until you have no lumps of butter bigger than a pea.
- Add lemon juice and milk. Toss with a fork until combined.
- Press firmly into the prepared baking pan and poke holes into the dough with a fork, covering entire pastry evenly. Press all the way to the bottom of the pan. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the crust begins to turn brown around the edges. Move to a cooling rack. While pan is still warm, brush a little butter on the two sides of the pan without parchment, to keep the fudge from sticking.
- FUDGE:
- In a large saucepan over medium-low heat, combine huckleberries, sugar, evaporated milk, and butter. Stirring constantly, bring to a boil. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally with a heat-proof silicone spatula, until the mixture thickens and reaches a temperature between 235-240 F. (If you are high-altitude, don't forget to adjust for this by subtracting 1 degree for each 500 feet above sea level.)
- Remove from heat and stir gently a few times, allowing bubbles to settle down. Add the white chocolate, marshmallows, and lemon zest. Stir until incorporated and pour over baked crust.
- Allow fudge to cool, then refrigerate several hours. Slide a thin knife along the two buttered sides, then lift the fudge onto a cutting board and cut into squares.
Lemon juice goes in the crust, lemon zest is saved for the fudge.
Press the dough firmly into the pan. Stab repeatedly with a fork. (Bwa haha)
Combine hot berry mixture with marshmallows, white chips, and lemon zest.
Pour hot mixture over cooked crust.
Cool and chill, then lift fudge onto cutting board and cut into squares.
I have so many uses for these berries (margaritas) that I never seem to have enough. But this year, I think I’m covered (margaritas). I may be pulling out the huckleberry recipes at Christmas! Hot buttered margaritas?
Lorinda