Magic Disappearing Chocolate Fudge

I've received a number of requests for recipes using xylitol as a sweetener. This chocolate fudge made with xylitol got rave reviews from my Sunday afternoon writer's group taste testers. I call it "Magic Disappearing Chocolate Fudge" because I set it out on the table and it magically disappeared within minutes.

If you are not familiar with xylitol, it is a naturally-occurring sugar alcohol, not a sugar. Xylitol is found in many foods, including fruits, berries, mushrooms and lettuce. It is not a strange or artificial substance to our bodies, but is a normal part of everyday metabolism. Xylitol is metabolized independently of insulin and is absorbed slowly, making it a low-glycemic sweetener. Its safety has been proven in long-term clinical studies.

The white crystalline powder is made from plants such as birch and other hard wood trees and fibrous vegetation such as corn cobs. It has the same sweetness and bulk as cane sugar, with one-third fewer calories. It can replace sugar cup-for-cup.

It is approved as a sweetener in more than 35 countries and has been used since the 1960s in foods such as chewing gum, gumdrops and hard candy, and in pharmaceuticals and oral health products. It was not marketed as a sweetener because the price was twenty times that of sugar. Lower prices have made it possible to make xylitrol available to the home cook, but it is still relatively expensive.

I'll post more about xylitol on my website in the coming weeks, and there are more recipes to come. To get started, here is a simple recipe any chocolate-lover will enjoy.

1 stick (1/2 cup) tablespoons butter
2/3 cup xylitol
1 8-ounce carton of whipped cream cheese
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup (or more) walnut pieces
1/4 cup (or more) grain-sweetened chocolate chips

Melt the butter in a large saucepan, then remove from heat.
Stir in the xylitol with a wooden spoon. Let stand about a half an hour to cool to room temperature.
Add the cream cheese and beat with an electric hand mixer until the mixture is free from lumps. Start the mixer on low to keep melted butter from spattering.
Add the cocoa powder and beat until well incorporated.
Fold in the walnut pieces and chocolate chips.
Line a loaf pan with a piece of parchment paper large enough to go up the sides. This will make it easier to remove the fudge from the pan.
Smooth the mixture into the loaf pan and refrigerate several hours, or until firm.
Remove the fudge from the pan by pulling up the edges of the parchment paper.