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Circus Animal Fudge

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This Sweet Circus Animal Fudge is made with layers of swirled strawberry and white chocolate fudge and crushed Circus Animal Cookies.

A square of Circus Animal Fudge on top of a bowl of Circus Animal Cookies


 

Then this past Wednesday I took off for Colorado for a snowsports tradeshow in Denver for work. I arrive very late Wednesday night and spent all day Thursday at the show. My boyfriend arrived in Denver Thursday evening and I was so excited to see him!  Beginning Wednesday night, a major storm system had moved into the Colorado Mountains and by Friday morning, nearly 3 feet of snow had fallen. We got up in the wee hours of the morning on Friday to take of for Breckenridge with my brother.

A stack of Circus Animal Fudge next to a bowl of Circus Animal Cookies

Friday was pretty insane. It took us hours to get up the hill, but it was totally worth it. Waist deep powder lines left me exhausted and run down from no sleep. Day like that  (with 3 feet of fresh snow) just don’t come around often. Friday night, we slept for 14 hours!

We awoke Saturday morning and all the travel and exhaustion finally caught up with my boyfriend. He was bedridden all day with a nasty cold. I was so bummed to leave him in bed, but the sun was finally out and plenty of fresh snow was left for the taking.

I met with a friend from home and we took more powder laps at Keystone. It was an amazing day, we even took a snowcat ridge out to some open bowls and got some amazing runs in. I had never done anything like this before!  I think I will write more about that later but here are a few photos;  It was amazing!

Author in front of a snowcat machine
Author snowboarding down a snowy slope

I am not going to come out and say that Circus Animal Fudge is a Valentine’s Day recipe, because those dang cookies are good 365 days a year. However, the added addition of the strawberry pudding mix to this fudge not only gives it a light tint of pink color, but strawberries are totally Valentine’s appropriate. I swirled together a strawberry and white chocolate fudge to make this recipe! 

Now for me, this fudge was actually a little TOO sweet from the strawberry pudding mix, but it got rave reviews at my office. If you are unable to find the strawberry pudding mix, I would just omit it from the recipe and make it a white chocolate fudge!

If you are going to do this, you can cook all the ingredients together (white chocolate, butter and milk) and just add the marshmallow at the end.  I think the circus animal cookies are a perfect addition to this fudge. Make sure you crush plenty of them for the middle layer and then drop a few pieces on top for looks!

Whenever I make fudge, I always coat the pan with Crisco and then line it with parchment paper. This helps the fudge release from the pan once it has set. I also allow it to sit out for at least 30 minutes before cutting. Use a sharp or serrated knife to cut the fudge. Enjoy!

A stack of Circus Animal Fudge in a bowl of Circus Animal Cookies

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a bowl of circus animal cookies with a piece of fudge on top

Circus Animal Fudge

  • Author: Julianne Dell
  • Yield: 12-16 pieces

Description

A rich white chocolate and strawberry fudge with a layer of crunchy crushed Circus Animal Cookies.

Ingredients

  • 2 C Circus crackers

For the strawberry fudge

  • 1 pk (11oz) White chocolate chips
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 2/3 C Sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 C Marshmallow cream
  • 1 pk Instant Strawberries and Cream pudding mix

For the white chocolate fudge

  • 1 pk (11oz) White chocolate chips
  • 1/2 tbsp butter
  • 1/3 C Sweetened condensed milk
  • Sprinkles for garnish

Instructions

  1. Grease a 9×9 glass pan with Crisco and/or line with parchment paper (I do both- it makes it easier to remove the fudge once it is set). Set pan aside.
  2. Use a Ziploc bag and rolling pin or wooden spoon to crush circus animal crackers into smaller pieces. Set aside
  3. To prepare the strawberry fudge, combine white chocolate chips, butter and sweetened condensed milk in a pot. Heat on medium low heat and stir until completely mixed. White chocolate can burn easily, so watch carefully.
  4. Once fully melted, add marshmallow cream and instant strawberry fudge and whisk until smooth. Pour 2/3 of mix into bottom of glass pan. Set remaining 1/3 aside.
  5. Press 2/3 of the circus animal crackers into the strawberry fudge base.
  6. Prepare the white chocolate fudge by combining the white chocolate chips, butter and sweetened condensed milk in a pot. Heat on medium low heat and stir until completely mixed. White chocolate can burn easily, so watch carefully. Pour mixture over top of strawberry fudge. Poor remaining 1/3 of strawberry fudge on top and swirl with a knife.
  7. Press remaining circus animal crackers into the top of the fudge and add additional sprinkles.
  8. Allow fudge to set in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before cutting to allow chocolate to soften slightly. I suggest removing fudge from pan before cutting.

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62 Responses
  1. Toadie

    Are there any substitutes for the strawberries and creme pudding mix? I can’t find any in stores (and can’t find regular strawberry pudding mix either). The ones online are out of stock or ludicrously priced. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Can’t wait to try this, thank you!

    1. Annie

      I experimented with several fudge recipes last Christmas season. My personal fave was this! I couldn’t find strawberry pudding either. I used about 4 tbsp of Strawberry Quik drink mix mixed into alittle heavy cream- it was perfect.






  2. Sarah @ Miss Candiquik

    This fudge is so cute! Is that weird for a food to be cute, haha? I bet the cookies add the perfect crunch to this fudge. Thanks for sharing!

  3. Tammy

    What an awesome break…you must have felt like an Olympian up there! ๐Ÿ˜€ Haha I know I would have…I feel like an Olympian just doing yoga lol.

    I love this fudge. I love the name, the colors, the white chocolate and the strawberry. I have such a sweet tooth so I know I would have no problem with these.

    Found you through Best of the Weekend!

    Toodles,
    Tammy<3

  4. Patty

    Have you ever had that circus animal ice cream? It is my daughter’s favorite. I have to make this fudge for her for valentine’s day. She is sure to love it. I hope I can find the strawberry pudding. I haven’t seen it in the store before.

      1. Samantha Cordaro-Hargrove

        Found Sonic strawberry milkshake pudding here in North Carolina going to try it. So excited to make this for my kits for the holidays.

  5. Laurie

    Oh…my…yum! This recipe sounds great!

    You ROCK for linking up this week to Tip Me Tuesday. {high fives}

    Just a heads up, Tip Junkie can help you index your blog more effectively if you upload at least 2 images, 2 steps, and blog post URL into your Tip Junkie craft room!

    Simply login and click “add a project” on your profile page to get started. {yep I’ve got your back!}

    ~ Laurie {a.k.a. the Tip Junkie}
    Link ~ http://www.tipjunkie.com/how-to-add-a-craft-room-project-on-tip-junkie

  6. Britni

    This looks so pretty and I’m sure would taste great because I love this circus animals! Thanks for sharing on the weekend re-Treat Link Party!

    Britni @ Play. Party. Pin.

  7. Toodie

    I would love to say I’ll try this fudge and I will…but probably minus the animal cookies because they will be all gone before they make it into the recipe. ๐Ÿ™‚

  8. Deb@ Cooking on the Front Burner

    The fudge looks amazing! Thanks for sharing this with us at our Marvelous Monday Party! Pinning!

  9. Jen and Emily @ Layers of Happiness

    You are a genius. Pure genius I tell you. Frosted animal cookies were my favorite childhood snack when I was a kid… actually they are the only reason I grew as a child. And now fudge is my favorite treat (so much so I have gotten the process down to 5-minutes http://layersofhappiness.com/easy-husband-friendly-fudge/) Sooo… I cannot even begin to tell you how excited I am to try this awesome recipe. Pinned ๐Ÿ™‚

  10. Carrie Groneman

    Stopping by from Artsy Corner Link Party. This fudge looks amazing – who doesn’t love those cookies! I will definately have to give it a try. So in Utah, would you be coming to a blog conference?????? If so, I’d love to meet you.
    Carrie, A Mother’s Shadow

  11. Mary

    This looks amazing! Your pictures are great, and I will definitely be pinning this so that I can make it in the future. ๐Ÿ™‚

  12. Carrie This Home

    You’re right–those animal cookies are so good! I usually don’t buy them since I can eat a full bag in one sitting! This fudge looks amazing! Would you mind to link this up to the Frugal Crafty Home Blog Hop? Our readers really like to see creative recipes like this. Thanks!

    1. Julianne - Beyond Frosting
      Beyond Frosting

      Totally right? Circus animal cookies = addicting to all ages! Just linked up, thanks for the invite!

  13. Kelly

    Looks like such an awesome time in Colarado (minus the cold) and love the snowy pictures! This fudge is so pretty and cute Julianne, I love the pretty pink and the animal crackers – so fun!

    1. Julianne - Beyond Frosting
      Beyond Frosting

      Yea, it was a little cold but no polar vortex, that’s for sure! All crackers should be coated in frosting and sprinkles, everyone would be happier

  14. Alyssa @ My Sequined Life

    Oh man, do those look good! What a fun dessert – love the strawberry/white chocolate mix! ๐Ÿ™‚

  15. Tina

    I found your post through the Marvelous Monday Hop! Your fudge just caught me eye. =) Super cute colors and it looks amazing. p.s. I have those dip dishes from target in aqua… LOVE THEM! Happy Monday!

  16. Gloria // Simply Gloria

    Check you out, girlfriend! All up on top of the mountain and all… looks like you’ve had a fun week. And, next week is going to even more fun!
    I saw these on G+ earlier and literally couldn’t stop looking at it! Simply gorgeous.

  17. Jenn @ Deliciously Sprinkled

    OMG, these look so delicious and super FUN, Julianne! I love animal cookies, one of my favorite cookies growing up. I will defiantly be making this fudge for myself..hehehe! Thanks for sharing, pinned! ๐Ÿ™‚

  18. Beth @ bethcakes

    This fudge is so fun! I love the colors and those Circus Animal Crackers! I think these would definitely be awesome for Valentine’s, or just any day at all. ๐Ÿ™‚

  19. Renee@Two in the Kitchen

    These are darling Julianne! My kids (and I ) would love them!! Looks like you had a great time in Colorado!! Such beautiful scenery!! (sorry about your boyfriend’s cold though!)

    1. Julianne - Beyond Frosting
      Beyond Frosting

      Thanks Renee! I had a great trip! I was so bummed for him, and even more bummed that I had to tell him how much fun I had while he was holed up in the hotel room.

  20. Shannon @ Bake.Frost.Repeat

    I love everything about this fudge. It’s so pretty and looks wonderful. I think this would be so cute served at a baby shower or even a kid’s birthday. Pinning!!

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