I finally did it. I combined two of my favorite treats – ube and chocolate – into one dessert. Ube White Chocolate Fudge. And oh it’s so pretty.
In all my years of lapping up ube by the spoonfull, and eating so much chocolate that I named my food blog over it, I’ve never really encountered a dessert that combines both. But in hindsight, it makes a pretty good pairing.
PSA: If you’re new here or to Instagram, let me tell you about ube. Ube (pronounced OO-BEH) is purple yam. It’s vivid in color, mild in taste, almost nutty. It’s one of the most popular dessert ingredients in the Philippines, probably the most recognizable (and craveable) ice cream flavor, and I am obsessed with it.
Since ube is mild and nutty, and chocolate (particularly white chocolate) is sweet and creamy, combining both (along with condensed milk), results in a milky concoction with a subtle floral flavor. Except I’m not always great at subtle so I amped up the floral even more with actual dried rose petals.
I’ve made fudge plenty of times before, and while white chocolate fudge can sometimes be tricky, it feels rewarding when it does set up right. The trick is having slightly more chocolate than condensed milk, the sweet nectar of my childhood. Here’s a little confession: when I was little, I would combine Milo (malted chocolate powder) with condensed milk and then go to town. I guess I knew the makings of my easy microwave fudge before I even knew what fudge was… Also suffice to say, I developed/inherited my sweet tooth at a very early age.
Ube White Chocolate Fudge perfectly marries the creaminess of white chocolate with the distinct flavor of ube that I grew up with and love so much. It’s super easy to whip up, and looks fancy with the rose petals. But if you don’t have edible petals, don’t despair. You can just omit or even add sprinkles. I typically make one-inch fudge squares but I made these a little thinner and cut into bigger squares, almost like those thin Ghirardelli chocolate squares. These are perfect IMHO <3
Ube White Chocolate Fudge
Prep Time: 2 hours
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours 5 minutes
Ingredients
9 oz white chocolate
7 oz condensed milk (about half of the can)
1 tbsp salted butter, cut into 1/4 inch pieces (plus a little more for buttering the pan)
1 tbsp ube extract
2 teaspoons edible dried rose petals
Directions
- Combine the white chocolate, condensed milk, and butter in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Heat on full power for 1 minute, then remove and stir. Everything would have started to melt but you’ll still have some lumps. Heat again in 30-second intervals and stir until the mixture turns smooth. I heated everything for a total of 1 1/2 minutes.
- Scrape the mixture onto a buttered 8×8 baking pan and smooth out the top.
- Sprinkle dried rose petals on top. Press down gently with a spatula so the petals adhere better to the fudge.
- Freeze for at least two hours, then cut into squares. Serve chilled.
I recommend using white chocolate bars or baking chocolate instead of chips. Bars melt better, and you'll have a smoother fudge consistency.
All the photos from this post are from my collaboration series with my photographer friend Chris McIntosh. Our last session also included this Fettucine with Mushrooms and Pancetta and these Ube Cookies. Check out his site and Instagram!