Most desserts seem to fall into one of three realms -- something frozen, something rich with chocolate or some sort of fruit pastry. But when these barriers start to dissolve, that's when the real magic happens -- like key lime fudge.

As one of those strange people who has always preferred fruity desserts to chocolate ones, I couldn't help but pick up key lime fudge on my recent trip to Key West. Unlike many chocolate-free fudges, this wasn't merely a thick, confectioner's sugar-filled treat, but something that balanced the creaminess of fudge with the tart key lime without relying on that all-too-familiar frosting flavor.

Experimenting at home, I've come up with the perfect recipe to replicate that fresh citrus flavor. It relies on white chocolate, which frees us from the throes of frosting flavor that the confectioner's sugar inevitably leaves, and it's quite easy to make.

Soft-serve gets a makeover at upscale ice cream joints. Think spiced cantaloupe topping, balsalmic cherries, a "creamsicle" of white nectarine granita and jasmine tea soft-serve.

The Slow Food movement plans a Labor Day Slow Food Nation festival, to be the "Woodstock" of food festivals. Hope they bring more porta-potties than the original.

The Rutgers Tomato Project brings back the Jersey tomato.

The Minimalist does a no-bake summer cheesecake with blueberries.

Some New Yorkers are apparently unable or unwilling to leave their own neighborhoods for dinner.

Wasabi fudge, lavender caramels, blue cheese truffles.

All it takes to enjoy caramel is a sweet tooth and, fortunately, I happen to have a large one. I say fortunately, because that sweet tooth is what prompted me to try Caramoo caramels at the SF Winter Fancy Foods Show this weekend. The all-natural caramels are loaded with European butter and full-cream milk, hand made in small batches and individually wrapped. They have the unusual property of being delicate and crumbly, so that with each bite the candies almost seem to dissolve on your tongue. It is a sharp contrast to the very commonly found chewy caramels, but a welcome one, as each buttery candy is incredibly satisfying. They come in original and honey flavors. The latter clearly tastes like honey, but I happened to have a slight preference for the classically flavored original.

The company also stocks Caramoo Creme Fudge in Chocolate, Vanilla and Mocha, each of which starts with the same caramel base as the original caramels and ends with a product that is light, creamy and delicious.

Most of the candies seem to be heading towards wholesalers at the moment, but you can easily place an individual order on the company's website.

Joe, at Culinary in the Desert Country, usually does a great job with plating and photographing the recipes that he blogs, in addition to choosing ones that sound promising in the first place. His Snickers Fudge takes the cake, though. Not only does it look perfectly made and far better than a "real" Snickers bar could hope to, but it sounds even more decadent than the popular candy bar. The one significant twist that his recipe offers is that it has peanut butter in several of the layers, adding a distinctive richness to the chocolate layers and the nougat. (Snickers - are you listening?) Normally, making the nougat would be a challenging endeavor for even experienced cooks, but this version is made in part with marshmallow creme - hence the designation of the recipe as fudge - and has a fluffy texture. Salted peanuts are folded into the layer before it is topped of with a thick layer of chewy caramel. Joe points out that the only thing difficult about making these is that you have to wait for each layer to set up before moving on. The actual work is very simple and primarily involves melting and spreading, so this might be a fun thing to make with your kids over the holidays

The one thing I hate about making candy is having to bend down to try to get a good reading from my candy thermometer. It's not the bending that bothers me, but the fact that I sometimes have to get my face rather close to an extremely hot, bubbling mass of sugar. It's hard enough to get a good reading on a traditional thermometer, trying to angle it in just such a way that you can approximate the temperature, and when you consider the fact that there is usually steam coming out of the pan and fogging the tube, it can be impossible. Unfortunately, more than one batch of fudge has been ruined by inaccurate temperature reading.

The Baker's Catalogue now stocks a digital candy thermometer that takes a precise reading in seconds. You don't have to get close to the sugar and you don't have to squint through fog, either. You can even program it to "beep" when the mixture reaches the desired temperature, or you can have the alarm sound at seven pre-programmed candy stages! It sounds perfect for anyone who wants to try their hand at making candy at home - especially beginners who aren't as confident about hitting their target temperature.

I don't know that I would go so far as to say that fudge is America's "favorite" candy, since I suspect that plain old chocolate takes the top spot, but fudge is right up there in terms of homemade candies, to be sure. In Oh Fudge!: A Celebration of America's Favorite Candy, you'll find a collection of 300 different recipes for fudge and some very useful information about the history and science behind it. The stories and wit of the author keep the book light and entertaining, while the recipes are appropriate even for people who have never laid eyes on a candy thermometer before. It gives you a great grounding in what you need to know about candy-making, including what to look for in the various stages of cooked sugar and the functions of various ingredients.

With so many recipes, it's hard to believe that there isn't at least one recipe in the book that you will enjoy and, even if you're not a fudge fan, it's a great treat to serve to friends and family at any time during the holidays.

Brownies are notoriously difficult to time. Unlike cakes and most cookies, you can't simply judge by looking at them, since the batter is far too dark to allow for the tell-tale browning. The tests that are usually applied to tell when cakes are done - namely, the toothpick test and gently pressing the top to see if it "springs back - don't work because brownies are often wet and fudgy when done; a brownie that is dry when it comes out of the oven is overcooked. But recipes and mixes give a range of times - which time is correct?

One strategy is to use Real Simple's tips and gently press the very edge of the brownies to check for firmness. They also suggest that the batch is done when the top looks set and dry. Try keeping a list of the times you try, so you know that when you use Brand X, 25 minutes is the best time. Another strategy is to pick a really reliable recipe and stick with it, that way you won't have to worry about the time and you're assured to try great results.

It has been a while since A Passion for Ice Cream was our cookbook of the day, but this post marks the second time that a recipe from it has been featured here, providing ample evidence that the recipes in the book come out looking as fantastic at home as they do in the book, not to mention that its continued popularity among other food bloggers seems to indicate that the recipes taste as good as they look. This is the Cho Cho Cho brownie sundae, as constructed by Anita of Dessert First. The recipe calls for a fudgy chocolate brownie to be topped with a scoop of white chocolate ice cream and drizzled with chocolate sauce. The presentation is simple and elegant, an easy one to recreate at home and a nice way to spruce up some brownies. If the triple chocolate combination sounds a bit too rich, you can do what Anita did and substitute vanilla ice cream for the white chocolate.

A trip down to the shore is one of the best things you can do in the summer. The air is cooler than it is inland and tangy with salt. The people all seem to have smiles on their faces, playing in the water or simply relaxing on a towel in the sand. But even more attractive than the sand and surf is a boardwalk, if you're lucky enough to find a beach that has one. Boardwalks range in size from a few shops to small carnivals, with rides and games. The best thing about them is always the food. They offer both sweet and savory - none of it healthy and all of it delicious. The Travel Channel has a list of the best boardwalks, but here are some of the summer favorites you should be able to find at almost any of them.

1. Salt water taffy - Legend has it that this treat got its name when a candy store in Atlantic City was flooded with ocean water, but it was probably just a gimmick to sell the chewy candy.
2. Fudge - Fudge goes right alongside taffy in boardwalk candy stores. It's a staple of tourist areas, inexpensive and indulgent, and it holds up better than a chocolate bar in the sun.

I snagged a bag of these Reese's Limited Edition Fudge Mini Peanut Butter Cups yesterday while I was shopping at Target. Looking at the bag, there is nothing to indicate what precisely makes them "fudge" flavored and the illustration of the candy looked identical to a regular mini cup. I hoped that they might be dark chocolate coated and bought the bag ($2, on sale).

Unfortunately, the candies are not dark chocolate coated. Instead, they appeared to be identical to regular minis, but with a smell that had a stronger chocolate scent. The taste was basically unchanged, as far as I could tell, but a few people I gave them two commented that they seemed "creamier." I attribute this to the outdoor temperatures of more than 90F, then again, I am not a peanut butter cup expert. Perhaps Cybele could find a bag of these and give them a taste, as she did with the rest of the Reese's line.

That's not an editorial comment by me (though I guess it depends on the type of chocolate and/or the type of sex). It's actually a recipe I found at About.com. You know, while searching for "chocolate" and "sex."

This one is called Better Than Sex Cake, and has so many toppings and chocolate/caramel/butterscotch goodness that it might just live up to its name:

1 German chocolate (or other chocolate) cake, 13 x 9 x 2
3/4 cup fudge topping
3/4 cup caramel or butterscotch topping
3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk
6 chocolate covered toffee bars
1 tub of whipped topping

It's the chocolate covered toffee bars that got my attention. I'm addicted to those.

I haven't watched much of the winter olympics yet, and to be quite honest, I don't feel all that bad, as I find them slightly...boring. I can't really get into the competitive spirit watching ice dancing the way I do watching, oh, I don't know, football, maybe?

But still, to support the US teams, I'll be switching to the Olympics a few times today with a plate of fudge truffle cookies topped with sugary snow in honor of the all those snow-based sports. They're dark, rich with chocolate, and not too sweet.

When we first decided on Spirited Cooking for Slashfood’s December theme day, I promptly went out and bought a bottle of Bailey’s to replace the bottle I’d be finishing off on the rocks, as well as another bottle of Kahlua because, really now, you can never have enough coffee flavored liqueur in your cabinet, right?

I like Kahlua in coffee, but I’ll tell you, it tastes pretty damn good in a brownie, too.

For an extra twist on fudge, possibly the easiest and most popular candy to make around the holidays, Sarah Lou of One Whole Clove, has posted a recipe for Maple and Walnut Fudge. These meltingly sweet squares contain a good dose of maple syrup for a very seasonal take on the dessert. The non-chocolate squares provide something as satisfying in texture as chocolate fudge, but much lighter in flavor. The walnuts break up the sweetness a bit. She reminds us to cut these treats into tiny squares, a mere 1-inch by 1-inch, which should be slowly be nibbled; nearly tooth-aching sweetness is not a bad thing for this time of year, but you still don't want to overdo it.