Free Range Fudge: Hot Fudge with a Chili Pepper Kick

I admit I was a little skeptical when I heard about spicy, hot fudge sauce. I’m not big on spice—I never understood the sriracha craze, and I order my Thai food mild (thank you very much). Chocolate and peppers aren’t a new combination—I’ve seen chili chocolate bars and even tried a spicy hot cocoa mix once, but they never excited me much. 

Then, a friend gave me some of Black Market Trading Company’s “Free Range Fudge,” a local, “chili pepper infused” hot fudge brand that comes in four flavors: original (dark chocolate), milk chocolate, peppermint and extra spicy. Their products completely changed my mind about spicy chocolate.

When I heated some of the original flavor up and tried it on vanilla ice cream, the first thing I noticed is that it’s a really good hot fudge sauce—rich, creamy and intensely chocolate-y. Sometimes, “novelty” foods rely on the novelty to make up for their lack of quality, but that wasn’t the case here.

After the first taste, the heat slowly builds in the back of your throat—not too much, not too little. It does so in a way that doesn’t compete with the chocolate and ice cream. This doesn’t taste like hot fudge with cayenne pepper stirred in—it’s a much more harmonious blend.

I tried to find out which peppers they use, but the specific blend is a closely guarded secret. So is the exact method they use to “infuse” the fudge sauce. But I did learn that the family who makes the fudge grows all the peppers in their back yard.

After the original blend, I tried the peppermint variety. Peppermint AND chilis? Yeah, it works. This one is probably my favorite to eat straight from the jar. The peppermint is clear and fresh while the chocolate is dark and the heat adds a good kick.

I haven’t been too creative with my supply—I’ve just tried it on ice cream, in hot chocolate and straight from the jar (all delicious). But Black Market Trading Company’s website has recipes for spicy marble cheesecake and even a “sweet and spicy mole” if you feel like getting adventurous in the kitchen.

If you want to try something a little different or give a holiday gift with a spicy kick, give Free Range Fudge a try. Get yours at blackmarkettradingcompany.com.

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