[1] What a treat: artisan doughnuts from The Doughnut Project, with two fillings inspired by HI-CHEW flavors (photos #1, #2, #3 and #4 © Morinaga America).

[2] A side view of the glazed doughnuts.

[3] Enjoy the fruit chew, which dissolves in your mouth.

[4] Who knew: You can make cocktails with HI-CHEW candy. Check out these recipes.

[5] This creative cook added HI-CHEW candies to her smoothie bowl. Here’s the recipe (photo © Lindsey Eats LA).

June is National Candy Month, and there’s more than one way to enjoy your favorite candy.

Make s’mores with your favorite chocolate bar.

Top an ice cream sundae with M&Ms.

Chop peppermint patties and mix them into yogurt or ice cream.

And now: turn them into filling for doughnuts. That’s what HI-CHEW did.
 
 
THE DOUGHNUT PROJECT X HI-CHEW

The immensely fruity, intensely chewy candy brand teamed up with New York City’s The Doughnut Project to celebrate their pouch of Fruit Combos (photo #3).

The result: Strawberry Squeeze, a one-of-a-kind doughnut that highlights the latest HI-CHEW flavor, Strawberry Lemonade (photos #1 and #2).

The doughnut creation is available for a limited time:

Thursday, June 17th through Saturday, June 19th at The Doughnut Project’s West Village location (10 Morton Street, New York City).

The first 10 customers to purchase a Strawberry Squeeze doughnut each day will receive a free HI-CHEW Fruit Combos Standup Pouch.

Pouch notwithstanding, these doughnuts are a real treat, filled with two different pockets of creamy fruit flavors that comprise Strawberry Lemonade:

 
There’s a sweet lemon curl on top.

If you love a doughnut with one filling, imagine the thrill of two!

Covered with a red glaze, they are works of art!

And may we say…DEE-licious!

Where there is candy, there is happiness. Where there are doughnuts, there are equal happiness, too.

So even if you can’t get to The Doughnut Project to buy some, and don’t have the chops to make your own filled doughnuts (join the club!), think of ways to include HI-CHEW in your other foods.
 
 
MORE WAYS TO ENJOY HI-CHEW

 
 
> THE HISTORY OF DOUGHNUTS & THE DOUGHNUT-DONUT DIFFERENCE
 
 
ABOUT HI-CHEW

Earlier this year, HI-CHEW launched a new Fruit Combos Standup Pouch, featuring individually wrapped Tropical Smoothie, Piña Colada and new Strawberry Lemonade. As the winner of the 2020 HI-CHEW Fantasy Flavor Games, Strawberry Lemonade continues to grow in fanfare and excitement.

The history of Morinaga, the manufacturer of HI-CHEW, stretches back more than a century when company founder Taichiro Morinaga brought his candy making skills to Japan from Americas. HI-CHEW has long been the best-selling soft candy in Japan.

And then, the chewy candy came to the U.S. It’s currently offered in Açaí, Apple, Banana, Grape, Green Mango, Kiwi, Sweet & Sour Watermelon and Strawberry.

Other flavors are available in combo bags:

 
HI-CHEW is made with concentrated fruit juices and is 100% free of gluten, cholesterol and synthetic colors. The brand continues to expand, offering new fruity, chewy flavor annually.

Discover more at HI-CHEW.com.
 
 
ABOUT THE DOUGHNUT PROJECT

The Doughnut Project is a small-batch, handcrafted doughnut shop located in the West Village of Manhattan. The shop creates unique flavors inspired by the amazing foods and creative cocktails of New York City.

The doughnuts have glazes, fillings, and toppings that include out-of-the-box ingredients such as bacon, beets, olive oil, ricotta cheese, sesame seeds, black pepper and sea salt. The shop creates new intriguing flavor profiles on a regular basis and sells out daily.

Check out The Doughnut Project.

You don’t have to twist our arm to celebrate National Fudge Day, June 16th. We love the stuff—particularly if it’s an elegant recipe (photo #1) that isn’t so cloyingly sweet that we can’t taste the chocolate for the sugar. Or the peanut butter, the vanilla, nuts, etc., etc.

Fudge is a drier version of fondant*, an icing made of sugar, water, and cream of tartar. It’s cooked to the soft-ball stage and then kneaded to a smooth, soft paste.

The history of fudge is disputed, but an acknowledged American invention. Some food historians peg the date to February 14, 1886, but the exact origin and inventor are disputed.

Most stories claim that the first batch of fudge resulted from an accident with a bungled (“fudged”) batch of caramels, when the sugar was allowed to recrystallize; hence the name derived from the interjection, “Oh fudge!”

Here’s more of the history of fudge.

Now, you can head to the best candy emporium in town and buy yourself some fudge. Or you can take a gander at these recipes.

> The History Of Fudge

> The History Of Chocolate
 
 
RECIPE: THREE CHOCOLATE FUDGE

Why use only one type of chocolate when you can use three? Thanks to Taste Of Home for the recipe.

If you don’t like nuts, how about thin pretzel sticks, broken into pieces?
 
Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. LINE a 15x10x1-inch pan with foil. Leave enough foil overlap on the sides so you can lift the finished fudge out of the pain. Grease the foil with 1 tablespoon butter.

2. COMBINE the sugars, milk and cubed butter in a large, heavy saucepan. Bring to a rolling boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Cook and stir for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in the marshmallows and vanilla until blended.

3. GRADUALLY STIR in the chocolate chips and chopped chocolate until melted. Fold in the pecans. Immediately spread into prepared pan.

4. REFRIGERATE for 1 hour or until firm. Using the foil edges, lift the fudge out of the pan. Remove the foil and cut the fudge into 1-inch squares. Store between layers of waxed paper in an airtight container.
 

MORE YUMMY FUDGE RECIPES

[1] Yes, thank you, we want every flavor (photo © Nathana Reboucas | Unsplash).

[2] How can you make fudge richer? Cut it into “sandwich” slices with a caramel filling (photo © The Mill Fudge Factory).

[3] Make chocolate fudge with walnuts or pecans—or whatever nuts you prefer. The recipe is at left.(photo © Eagle Brand).

[4] The better the chocolate, the better the flavor in the fudge. We chop up our favorite chocolate bars (photo © Juliette G | Unsplash).

*Fondant can be colored or flavored and used as a center for chocolates, or as an icing for cakes. You may have run into it at a wedding: It’s especially popular as a covering for wedding cakes.

CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR HOME PAGE, THENIBBLE.COM.

[1] The Vesper Martini, created by the novelist Ian Fleming in his first James Bond novel (photo © LT Bar & Grill | Hackensack, New Jersey).

[2] Chill the cocktail shaker and the spirits in the freezer to get the coldest Martini (photo © Williams Sonoma).

[3] Gordon’s London Dry Gin was James Bond’s choice of gin. Although the proof was cut in the U.K., there is a 94.6 proof* export version (photo © Gordon’s Gin | Diageo).

[4] Bond specified Polish or Russian vodka, but no brand (photo © Ibrahim Unal | Pexels).

[5] A classic Dry Martini. Here’s the recipe (photo © Dante NYC).

[8] This Caviartini is garnished with a cucumber slice and a Petrossian Caviarcube® (photo © Petrossian).

[9] Not just any olives: These are stuffed with premium blue cheese (photo © Ruth’s Chris).

How about a special Martini for Father’s Day? This Martini has a legacy: It’s James Bond’s Vesper Martini recipe.

The drink was invented and named by Ian Fleming in his first James Bond novel, Casino Royale (1953).

Thanks to Fleming, the Vodka Martini entered the cocktail culture. By the second Bond novel, Live and Let Die, Bond is drinking vodka Martinis, starting the trend that pretty much replaced the classic gin Martini recipe for many fans.

In Casino Royale, Bond orders a Martini with vodka in addition to the classic gin; then replaces the vermouth with Kina Lillet, a different fortified white wine.

“A dry martini,” [Bond] said. “One. In a deep champagne goblet.”

“Just a moment. Three measures of Gordon’s, one of vodka, half a measure of Kina Lillet. Shake it very well until it’s ice-cold, then add a large thin slice of lemon peel. Got it?”

Later in the book, he names the drink Vesper, after his love interest, Vesper Lynd. It more properly is called simply a Vesper, since the ingredients have strayed from those of the Martini.

The catchphrase “shaken, not stirred,” entered our jargon in “Diamonds Are Forever” (1956).

Below:

> The Vesper Martini recipe.

> 50 more Martini recipes.

Elsewhere on The Nibble:

> The history of gin.

> The different types (expressions) of gin.

The year’s 14 gin holidays.
 
 
RECIPE: THE VESPER MARTINI

The cocktail first appeared in Ian Fleming’s Casino Royale, which was published in 1953. It was named for the fictional double agent—and Bond love-interest—Vesper Lynd.

Called a Vesper for short, the formulation of the drink has changed slightly.

 
But it’s easy enough to substitute and recapture the original flavor of the drink [source].
 
Ingredients For One Drink

 
Preparation

Our tip: To get Bond’s “extra-cold” temperature, chill the glass and the ingredients—gin, vodka, Lillet, and shaker—in the freezer in advance.

1. ADD the ingredients to a shaker and shake until the contents are ice-cold. Here’s how to shake a cocktail (video).

2. STRAIN into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish and twist a large, thin-cut lemon peel over the top.
 
 
50+ MORE MARTINI RECIPES

 
And for fun, but not a drink:

*Tanqueray, Bombay Sapphire, American Beefeater, and Broker’s gin provide the traditional flavor of the original Gordon’s 94 proof gin. In the U.K., Gordon’s has been cut to 75 proof; a 94.6 proof version is exported.
 
 

CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR HOME PAGE, THENIBBLE.COM.

Need a special gift? Want a special treat? We recommend the Gourmet S’mores Kit (photo #1) from L.A. Burdick, one of America’s finest chocolatiers.

It’s a limited edition: a summer special, available from June 1st to September 2nd.

We’ll be ordering several for our own summer festivities and for Father’s Day gifts.
 
 
WHAT DO YOU GET?

You get high-end classic s’mores components, handmade with all natural ingredients and no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives.

Instead of extracts, for example, the flavors come from real vanilla beans, fruits, coffee and honey.

Everything in the kit is handmade in-house:

 
The items are packaged in a lovely little corrugated tote that someone will make a bid for.
 
 
GET YOUR S’MORES

Head to BurdickChocolate.com.
 
 
MORE S’MORES RECIPES

The classic s’mores cookie sandwich is perfect as is: graham crackers sandwiching toasted marshmallows melty chocolate.

Because the classic is so beloved, amateur and professional cooks alike have put their own spins on the recipe.

Here are some s’mores recipes with twists that we’ve published. They’re just a smattering of the thousands of s’mores recipes out there.

 
 
PLUS

[1] Gourmet S’mores Kit from L.A. Burdick (photos #1 and #2 © L.A. Burdick).

[2] Burdick’s exceptional chocolate makes the s’mores extra-delicious.

[3] Do you like your marshmallows slightly toasted, or extra toasty (photo © Dandies).

[4] You can personalize the s’mores with your own ingredients, like toasted coconut or fresh raspberries (photo © Chocolat Moderne).

CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR HOME PAGE, THENIBBLE.COM.

[1] Ready for the air fryer: a wonderfully flavorful veggie burger made from chickpeas and shiitake mushrooms (photos #1, #2, #3, #4, #7 and #8, plus recipe, © Hannah Kaminsky | Bittersweet Blog).

[2] Grilled and adorned with arlicky aïoli, lettuce, tomato and pickles.

[3] Dried shiitake mushrooms are part of the magic.

[4] Shiitakes are also used in their powdered form.

[5] It’s easy to make aquafaba: Just soak chickpeas overnight (photo © Polina Tankilevitch | Pexels).

[6] Save the liquid when you drain chickpeas: It’s aquafaba† (photo © Delallo).

[7] Ready for dessert? Get the book: Super Vegan Scoops: Plant-Based Ice Cream for Everyone!

[8] It’s a great gift for an ice cream lover who wants less or no dairy.

Our colleague Hannah Kaminsky is a wonderful vegan cook and author. Her latest book, Super Vegan Scoops!: Plant-Based Ice Cream for Everyone, is a great gift for ice cream lovers who prefer plant-based options. Sweet Heat Chipotle Pecan ice cream? Cucumber Raita frozen yogurt? Yes, please!

Today, Hannah shares an air fryer or oven recipe for veggie burgers made with chickpeas and mushrooms join forces to create burgers that are crisp on the outside, tender on the inside. And bursting with an intense depth of savory flavor, thanks to her “secret ingredient”: shiitake mushroom powder.
 
 
UMAMI POWER!

Hannah loves the umami flavor from Sugimoto brand* dried shiitake mushrooms, in both whole and powdered formats.

It does great things to veggie burgers. “No one will guess your secret ingredient,” says Hannah, “but everyone will know in an instant that these aren’t your average, humdrum veggie burgers.”

Even if you don’t like mushrooms, she says, “shiitake powder will become your new best friend. Mushroom haters needn’t fear these spores; unlike dried porcini, shiitake can enhance the taste of your cooking without adding the funky, earthy mushroom flavor that turns many away.”

Hannah doesn’t use vegan cheese in this recipe, but takes a different approach.

“Melting sumptuously into those supple centers [is] a generous dollop of homemade garlicky aïoli, infused with even more shiitake goodness.

While the spread comes together in mere minutes, she recommends making it in advance and keeping it on hand—not just for the burgers, but “for all sorts of sandwiches, using as a dip for French fries, or drizzled over salads for a creamy dressing. In fact, you might want to double that recipe right off the bat. It’s irresistibly tempting to pour it on thick.”

Holy shiitake! Get cooking! You need to let the dried shiitakes soak overnight.
 
 
RECIPE: SHIITAKE MUSHROOM BURGERS
 
Ingredients

For The Shiitake Mushroom Patties

 
For The Umami Shiitake Vegan Aïoli

If you prefer the conventional mayonnaise aïoli, here’s a quick recipe using store-bought mayonnaise.

 
For Serving

 
Preparation

You may wish to prepare the aïoli (step 6) in advance. Then, soaking the mushrooms overnight, and…

1. MAKE the burgers. Begin by thoroughly draining the mushrooms, reserving the liquid for another recipe. It’s great for making soup or cooking rice, for starters. Remove the stems, roughly chop the mushroom caps, and set aside.

2. ADD 1 tablespoon of the oil to a medium sauté pan over medium heat. Once shimmering, add the shallot and garlic. Cook for 4-6 minutes, until aromatic and lightly golden brown.

3. TRANSFER the cooked vegetables to the bowl of a food processor, along with the mushrooms, scallions, chickpeas, flaxseeds, miso, soy sauce, vinegar, paprika, pepper and salt. Pulse until thoroughly combined and broken down into a thick paste, but not completely smooth. There should still be a good bit of texture remaining, sort of like falafel.

4. DIVIDE the mixture into 5-6 equal parts (depending on how large you want the burgers), using lightly moistened hands to shape them into balls. Place them on air fryer racks or baking sheets lined with aluminum foil, pressing them down gently to about 1/2-inch in thickness. Brush lightly with the remaining oil.

5. AIR FRY at 350°F for 14-16 minutes, flipping halfway through. For a conventional oven, bake at 375°F for 18-22 minutes, flipping halfway through. The burgers should be lightly brown around the edges when done. Meanwhile…

6. PREPARE the aïoli. Combine the shiitake mushroom powder with the hot water, stirring thoroughly. Let stand for 10 minutes to rehydrate and thicken.

7. TRANSFER the mushroom mixture to the blender along with the garlic, aquafaba, lemon juice and salt. Pulse to incorporate. Once combined, run the blender at medium speed while slowly drizzling in the oil, allowing it enough time to emulsify. The mixture should become light in color, velvety smooth, and thick enough to spread. Transfer to an airtight container or glass jar. Refrigerate if you won’t be using it immediately; it will keep in the fridge for 5-7 days.

8. ASSEMBLE the burgers. Cover the bottom of each bun with lettuce and place one patty on top. Add a generous dollop of shiitake aioli, followed by tomatoes, red onion and pickles as desired. Finish with the top bun and enjoy right away.

 
15 MORE SHIITAKE MUSHROOM RECIPES
 
Starters

 
Mains

 
 

> THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF MUSHROOMS

*Hannah advises that not all shiitake are created equal. “Imposters in the marketplace offer tempting deals, much to the detriment of quality (small, woody, bland and muddy mushrooms). Don’t gamble with your cooking; seek out high-quality shiitake from those who know them best. Sugimoto sells only premium, forest-grown shiitake mushrooms straight from Kyushu, Japan. Harvested from the natural sweet sap oak log, a collective of over 600 independent growers use 1,000-year-old Japanese techniques to cultivate sustainable harvests, producing the best tasting and textured shiitake possible” That’s a ringing endorsement!

†Aquafaba is the viscous water in which legumes like chickpeas have been cooked. Due to its ability to mimic functional properties of egg whites in cooking, aquafaba can be used as a direct replacement for them in many recipes, including meringues and marshmallows. The starchy liquid is a great binder, and it also it whips and creates a foam. You can reserve the aquafaba when you’ve opened a can of chickpeas, by freezing it until you need it. Here’s a recipe to make your own using dried chickpeas. Here’s more about aquafaba.