Five Minute Fudge Wreath
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Five Minute Fudge Wreath is a super easy delicious fudge that has become a holiday tradition in our family. Quick, easy, and perfect for gifting it’s a festive treat that spreads joy and sweetness.
While we really love Grandma’s Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge and boozy Bailey’s Fudge recipe…..this five-minute fudge wreath is something friends and family ask for every year!
Table of Contents
Why Everyone Loves This Five-Minute Fudge Wreath
Spread joy this season with a Five-Minute Fudge Wreath – not only is it a delicious treat, but it’s also the perfect handmade gift! Crafted with love and simplicity, this festive creation adds a personal touch to your holiday gifting.
- Quick and Easy: Ready in just five minutes, this fudge wreath is a breeze to whip up, making it perfect for last-minute sweet cravings or unexpected guests.
- Festive and Fun: Shaped like a wreath, it adds a touch of holiday cheer to your table, making it an ideal treat for festive gatherings or as a delightful homemade gift.
- Versatile Ingredients: Simple pantry staples allow you to experiment with flavors and toppings, creating a fudge wreath that suits your taste buds and makes for a unique and delicious treat.
- Irresistibly Delicious: The combination of rich chocolate and smooth fudge texture makes every bite a decadent delight that will satisfy any sweet tooth.
- Perfect for Gifting: Share the joy of the season by gifting this delightful fudge wreath – a sweet and thoughtful present for friends, family, or colleagues.
I first saw this Five Minute Fudge Wreath on the Rachel Ray Show several years ago, and every year we make several to give away!
What You Need
Elevate your Five-Minute Fudge Wreath by infusing it with your favorite flavors! Swap out traditional chocolate chips for white chocolate, butterscotch, or mint chips, and experiment with toppings like crushed nuts, colorful sprinkles, or dried fruits. The possibilities are endless, allowing you to tailor this festive treat to your unique taste preferences.
For specific amounts, please refer to the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- chocolate morsels – any flavor or flavor combo you like! We usually use 1 whole bag of chocolate chips and 3/4 of a bag of peanut butter morsels.
- sweetened condensed milk
- vanilla extract
- Red and Green Candied Cherries – you can usually find these in the baking aisle during the holiday season.
How To Make A Fudge Wreath
Get ready for some tasty fun! Making our Five-Minute Fudge Wreath is super easy. Just grab a medium-sized heavy bottom pot, an 8 or 9-inch round cake pan, plastic wrap, cooking spray, and your ingredients, and let’s get started! It’s like magic—delicious magic!
(full printable directions at the end of this post)
STEP 1: Place chocolate and peanut butter morsels and milk in a heavy pot and stir until the morsels are melted and the milk is combined.
Be sure to save the empty condensed milk can!
STEP 2: Line a round cake pan with plastic wrap, and give it a light coat of cooking spray. Cover the empty milk can with plastic wrap and place it in the center of the cake pan.
STEP 3: Spoon fudge into the pan around the can, making sure to center the can if it drifts. The fudge will start to set, so quickly garnish with “holly” made from cut candies (have them cut ahead of time). You could also sprinkle red or green sugar over the fudge as well.
STEP 4: Chill covered in the refrigerator. (I just cover it with more plastic wrap)
After the fudge wreath is fully set, remove it from the pan, discard the empty can and plastic wrap, and place the Five-Minute Fudge Wreath on a pretty holiday plate or platter.
Storing Five-Minute Fudge
Store covered in an airtight container in a cool room for up to 2 weeks. I do not recommend storing it in the refrigerator, because it tends to dry it out.
However, you can freeze the five-minute fudge for up to 3 months in an airtight container.
Serve at room temperature.
Don’t be surprised if you make this fudge wreath and discover you have way more friends than you used to! Be sure to make a batch for yourself!
Fudge Wreath Flavor Variations
- Replace the candied cherries with another red and green candy, such as Dots or M&M’s (they are just an optional garnish). Or just garnish with red and green Christmas confetti or holiday sprinkles.
- Add nuts, raisins, or currants. NOTE: when I’m giving a five-minute fudge wreath as a gift, I leave these out, unless I know the recipient doesn’t have allergies to them.
- We’ve made other flavors, by replacing the peanut butter chips with mint or butterscotch chips.
- Want to booze it up? replace the vanilla extract with Jack Daniels Whiskey!
- The possibilities are really endless. You can use any flavor or flavor combination of chips you want!
Recipe Tips
- Quality Ingredients: For the best results, use high-quality chocolate and butterscotch chips.
- Repurpose the Milk Can: Keep the milk can handy to shape your fudge into a wreath for a festive touch.
- Caution With Butterscotch: If using butterscotch chips, be aware they don’t melt as easily as chocolate, so give them a gentle smash at the end for a smoother texture.
- Decorate Promptly: Add your garnish swiftly as the fudge begins to set shortly after being added to the pan.
- Storage Tips: Keep the fudge in a cooler room for up to two weeks; avoid refrigeration as it may dry out the fudge. You can, however, freeze the five-minute fuge for up to three months.
How To Gift Wrap A Fudge Wreath
This is a perfect Holiday Gift for your neighbors, friends and co-workers. I promise that whoever you give this to will love you forever!
If you want to give a fudge wreath as a gift, place the fudge on a holiday tray and cover it with holiday cellophane. Then tie it up with a pretty wired ribbon and ornament or pin.
One year I tied on the Poinsettia pins I made.
More Homemade Food Gift Ideas
If you’re looking for more homemade food gifts to make… I don’t know anyone who wouldn’t love a jar of this Toasted Cookie Dough or Snickerdoodle Cookie Butter. Chai Ice Cream Syrup and Russian Tea Mix are always impressive…..they’ll never know how easy they were! Cinnamon Honey Butter and Homemade Vanilla Extract are so simple and make a beautiful gift!
Like This Recipe?
I’d love to hear what you think! Leave a review below and let me know how you liked the recipe!
click to see more of my recipe videos
Originally posted in Dec 2011. UPDATED November 2023. We spiffed up this post with more information, no changes were made to the recipe.
Five Minute Fudge Wreath
A super easy delicious fudge that has become a holiday tradition!
Ingredients
- 1 (12 ounce) bag semisweet chocolate morsels
- 9 ounces peanut butter morsels (3/4 of a 12-ounce bag)
- 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk *SAVE the empty can!
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Candied red and green cherries or edible red and green confetti for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Place a heavy pot on the stove and pre-heat it over low heat. Add chocolate and peanut butter morsels and milk stir until morsels are melted and milk is combined. *Save the empty condensed milk can.
- Stir in the vanilla and remove the fudge from heat. If adding nuts stir in immediately.
- Line round cake pan with plastic wrap and lightly coat with cooking spray. Cover the empty condensed milk can with plastic wrap and place in center of cake pan.
- Spoon fudge into pan around can, making sure to center the can if it drifts.
- The fudge will set up almost immediately. Garnish can only be added in the first minute or two that the fudge is in the pan, so work quickly. Decorate your wreath with “holly” made from cut candied red and green cherries. Sometimes I sprinkle with red and/or green sprinkles as well.
- Chill covered in the refrigerator. Remove the can from the center, remove fudge from pan, discard plastic wrap and place on decorative plate, and cover.
Notes
Variations:
- Use mint or butterscotch morsels in place of peanut butter for other flavors.
- Mix in 8 ounces of chopped nuts of choice
Store covered in an airtight container in a cool room for up to 2 weeks. I do not recommend storing it in the refrigerator, because it tends to dry it out.
However, you can freeze the five-minute fudge for up to 3 months in an airtight container.
Serve at room temperature.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 268Total Fat: 22gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 157mgCarbohydrates: 13gFiber: 3gSugar: 6gProtein: 9g
Nutrition information is estimated based on the ingredients and cooking instructions as described in each recipe and is intended to be used for informational purposes only. Please note that nutrition details may vary based on methods of preparation, origin, and freshness of ingredients used.
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Such a fun and easy idea. Love it!!
This is sooooo cute! Won’t you be my neighbor?!
What a great idea! I have everything to make this:)
I love this idea! So festive and yummy!
Did you just make an entire WREATH made of fudge? I think I just went to my happy place. I would be on cloud nine if I got this for a gift!! WOW!!
What a great idea! I’m going to try to make smaller wreaths…off to hunt up smaller items to use for the mold. I know I’ll have to work quickly, though, since the fudge sets up so fast. It’s worth a try!
all that chocolate and in 5 minutes…oh you speak my language!
This is one of my favorite treats from R.R. Plus its pretty and everyone love it. I love making it. Jen
Thanks for sharing. I am putting this on my list to make. 🙂
Yum and so cute!! This week we definitely need easy!!
I have only looked at 4 of your Blog entries and I love you already!!
I live in Nepal, and I’d love to make this, but can’t get hold of the butterscotch, peanut butter, mint choc bites at all… but I can get the other things. What else can I substitute it with? White choc?
Love all your entries btw. Merry Christmas!
Sally X
YUMMY! And sooooooo pretty! LOVE this idea Cheryl! Merry Christmas!
What a great gift to give!
Whoa….chocolate-peanut butter fudge?!? Sign me up! I’ve never seen a fudge wreath, but pretty sure I could eat the entire thing by myself! Cute idea!!!
This is the first wreath I’ve seen made from fudge. I love it, love it, love it!
My mother has always made a similar recipe but I’ve never thought to shape it into a wreath!
Cute idea!
Soooo creative & FUN Cheryl 🙂
Wow! What a great tutorial! My husband loves peanut butter and chocolate. Will have to make one (or several) of these soon!
My favorite Christmas song is “White Christmas!”
xoxo
Joy
this is such a fun idea ! delish…..
I know what I’m taking to Friday afternoon’s party! Yum
WOW that is super simple and awesome. I ended up making Rugelach for this year!
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it!!!! What a wonderful presentation. No better gift 🙂
What a great idea!! And it look beautiful! If I made this, it might not end up being a gift at all. LOL
what a super idea!
I love this! So creative and so pretty, Cheryl!!
How fun is that?? Love this idea, what a fun and delicious gift!
Love this! Just featured it on our Fun Finds!
What a great gift idea!
I love this so much! Pinning!!
How far in advance can you make? How long does it keep?
So Making this.
Favorite Christmas Song “Mary did you know?”
Wow, this brings back memories! I made this in college in 1974. I don’t like candied cherries, so I used candy sour cherry balls. (this was before the sour candy explosion). I think I used green m&m’s fork “leaves”. It was VERY popular in the dorm! Note to KI, it kept well, but the we ate it pretty quickly.
This is SO CUTE!! Hope you can link up at my trendy tuesday party!!
So beautiful!
I found her recipe a few years ago and have made it several times and everyone always loves it! It really is inexpensive, easy and thoughtful gift! I haven’t gifted one yet, only made them for holiday parties and Christmas Day at my in-laws home but since they rave about it all the time I might have to make them some and put it in a pretty tin. 🙂
Great recipe and gift idea, Cheryl!
What a neat idea! Easy AND impressive.
do you think you could make in this pan without to much trouble for smaller wreaths http://www.ebay.com/itm/Nordic-Ware-cast-aluminum-multi-mini-Bundt-Christmas-Wreath-Pan-cake-mold-/181244821058
sure – that should work
Hello. Could this be made of ALL chocolate chips, do you think? I’m going to add the nuts, but just want the chocolate flavor to go with them. Thanks for the recipe!
yes, in the post I state you can use any flavor or combination you’d like
I love this ! Â I rinse out the milk can, place it with the open end up, and weight it with whatever is heavy, navy beans, a stone, a glass– it keeps the ” hole” in the wreath centered. I also use a smaller soup can and a smaller pan for gifts for neighbors. We like peanut M& M’s for the holly & berries ! ! Â Thanx so much for posting ! ! !Â
Great, thanks! I did see the option to change flavors, but I didn’t know if using all chocolate rather than the flavors would change things. Didn’t know if they all had the same fat content and whatnot as the chocolate.
Do you use the vanilla regardless of the flavor changes? I was thinking coconut and almonds or mint chips and crushed oreos…..Â
you can use any flavoring you’d like – I mentioned in the post that I have even used Jack Daniels instead of the vanilla. Â
Enjoy!!
OR white chocolate and candy canes! Such a great recipe, thanks for sharing!
This is perfect for my candy gifts this year! I wanted to know if it would be possible to make 2 smaller wreaths without doubling the recipe, and about how big would they be? If you’re not sure of the size they’d be, can you tell me how thick the wreath is when using the 9″ round pan? I need to make at least 3.
What are the measurements
it’s all listed in the ingredients part of the recipe
Do you think this would be ok to mail to a college student?Â
yep! as long as it’s not going any where hot, it should be fine 😉
How long do these keep for? Â Want to make them ahead of time for Christmas gifts. Â Can they be frozen? Â
I also need to make these fudge wreaths ahead.
Can they be frozen?
I have never tried freezing this fudge, but a quick google search says: Fudge properly stored in the freezer will last for 2 to 3 months. Some fudge can last up to a year in the freezer.
I have made this many times. It never really hardens. I like the fudge that is a little more brittle. This one is sticky and almost like eating peanut butter from a spoon. don’t get me wrong. It is easy to make and does taste good. It is just the texture. Wondering if I should be heating it longer?
yeah, I would try heating it longer – because ours are always “set”