Creamsicles!

***UPDATED 12/26/06***
Hey all.. checkin out my favorite blogs and when I got to Anna's Cookie Madness I was surprised to see she had posted about this same fudge. After reading her post, I found out that she is the AnnaCG who put the recipe on recipezaar! What a coinkydink. ;) Anyhoo.. she's changed the recipe to mellow out some of that sweetness, so I've put her new changes into the recipe below.***

If there is one treat that I still crave from my childhood it's creamsicles. You know.. the orange popsicle that has vanilla ice cream inside? As Rachael would say, "Yum-o!"

So when I was figuring out what home made treat I could send my BBM partner, I happened upon a recipe for peanut butter fudge. I figured peanut butter is a pretty safe flavor and I also thought that fudge would travel well, so I printed it out. I made it, and it was quite easy to make (I've never made fudge before) and I thought it turned out pretty darned tasty! Well, unfortunatley, things kept getting in the way of my sending her package out by the deadline, so I found myself with another weekend to make a few more things for her. The guilt! Ohhh the guilt!! But the guilt turned out to be in her favor.. although her package went out a week late, it also gained two more items! hehe

On the same peanutty road, I decided to make peanut brittle and packaged that up for her - and then I went back to the fudge recipes and low and behold there was a recipe for Orange Creamsicle fudge! I had never heard of such a thing and knew there was no way I wasn't going to make it. I just figured if it didn't turn out well, then I'd make her a different flavor. Although extremely sweet (ya'll know about my sweet tooth.. suffice to say this stuff is so sweet that a tiny piece did me just fine) it tastes exactly like an orange creamsicle. I was quite happy with it =)

Well I figure I'm not the only orange creamsicle lover in the world so I thought I'd share the recipe with yous. If you try it, I'd like your opinion!

Orange Creamsicle Fudge
Courtesy of AnnaCG and Recipezaar.com

1 (7 oz.) jar marshmallow creme
12 oz. white chocolate chips (1 bag)
1 c. granulated sugar
2/3 c. heavy cream
12 TBS. salted butter
3 tsp. orange extract
orange food coloring I probably used about 5 drops of red and 4 drops of yellow

Line a 9 inch square pan with "Release" foil or line with regular foil and spray with cooking spray.

Place marshmallow crème and white chips in a large mixing bowl.

Combine sugar, cream and butter in saucepan. Turn heat to medium and cook, stirring once or twice, until mixture reaches 235 degrees F. *See Note*

Remove from heat immediately and pour hot cream mixture into mixing bowl with chips and marshmallow crème. Stir well with a wooden spoon -- mixture might look slightly stretchy and unappetizing, but don't worry, it will smooth out.

Remove 1 cup of mixture and set aside. To remaining mixture, add orange extract and orange food coloring.

Pour orange mixture into prepared pan. Pour, or spoon, white mixture on top and swirl.

Let cool to room temperature (about 40 minutes) then chill for one hour or until set. Lift fudge from pan using foil handles and using a large knife, score into squares.

My Notes: I don't have a candy thermometer, therefore I used the ball technique (is that what it's even called?) where you test the fudge temperature by taking a lil of it on a spoon and drizzle it into a glass of cold water. If the mixture turns into small smooshy-like balls then it's at the correct temperature for fudge. You can learn more about this technique here. Also as you can see, I didn't use the foil that Anna suggests, I just buttered my glass 9 x 9 pan and it worked well. But, by all means, use the foil if that's easier for you - I can see how it'd be much easier on the clean up as well! =)