Strawberry White Chocolate Fudge - corn free

Strawberry marshmallows are wonderful in hot cocoa, but what else can you do with them besides eating them out of hand?  That question led me to this sweet confection.  Now I myself love maple fudge and penuche, but the hubby loves white chocolate.  Add a little real strawberry to the mix and you've got something pretty special.  It makes a modest amount but is so rich and sweet that a little goes a long way.  (Since I use evaporated cane sugar instead of white sugar, my candies tend to have a creamy to beige color to them.  If you use white sugar, the color will be more pastel pink and less food color will be needed.  I use the natural food colors offered by India Tree.)  As these have somewhat of a mellow creme texture to them, R of course has gone completely bonkers for them.  The hubby and S loved them in very small quantities as they are quite sweet.

 I like to avoid the flavorings with propylene glycol in them, but I think there might be some strawberry extracts floating around out there with just alcohol.  If you want to bump up the strawberry flavor, you could always try adding a tiny bit.  This is a little more subtle with just the strawberries from the marshmallows. 

Strawberry White Chocolate Fudge (corn free)

makes an 8x8" pan of candy

1 5oz. can evaporated milk

1 2/3 cup granulated sugar (I use evaporated cane sugar which imparts a beige color to the fudge and requires more color to cover.)

2 tbsp butter

3/8 tsp sea salt

2¼ cups Strawberry marshmallows

6 oz. good white chocolate, chopped into small pieces

1/8 tsp lemon extract or strawberry if available (optional)

red food coloring

In a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the sugar, sea salt, evaporated milk, and butter.  Stir until the sugar is melted.  Bring to a full boil and stir constantly for five minutes.  After five minutes, remove the mixture from the heat and stir in the chocolate pieces, marshmallows, and lemon extract.  Add a few drops of food color to reach a light shade of pink. Pour about three quarters of the mixture into an 8x8" pan that has been lined with aluminum foil and buttered or sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.  Add a few more drops of food color to the remaining mixture in the pan for a deeper pink and drizzle over the pan.  Swirl with a spatula and place in the refrigerator to set the fudge - about 30 minutes.  Slice into small squares and serve.