Chocolate Fudge??...or Gelato??

My daughter came home for the Thanksgiving holidays and as we worked to make our holiday dinner menu and list for the grocery store, I told her that I was really missing some good old-fashioned marshmallow cream fudge.  I have wanted to try and see if I could make some with Splenda, but up until now I have been hesitant.  Being part of the tech generation that she is, by this time she was already on the internet checking out the forums to see what someone might have to say about that.  Her report back was that you can't just replace the sugar because it is more than a sweetener in fudge...it is a structural component.  She looked a little and found 2 or 3 recipes that were posted there to make fudge without the large amount of sugar.

We chose one and decided to see if it would work:

• 1 can of evaporated milk
• 1 T. liquid sugar substitute (I had some agave nectar in my pantry)
• 1/2 c. sugar-free chocolate chips
• 2 T. cornstarch
• 3 oz. cream cheese (I chose reduced fat)
• 1 1/2 t. vanilla

 Start by adding the first four ingredients to a small saucepan and heat until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is starting to thicken.
In the meanwhile, put the cream cheese in a mixing bowl and whip until light and fluffy.  (It doesn't take that long for the chocolate mixture to melt and thicken, so you might want to whip up the cream cheese beforehand.)

 Pour the melted chocolate and milk into the mixing bowl and mix to combine.  Add the vanilla and mix once more.

Butter a piece of parchment paper and line an 8 x 8 pan.  Pour mixture into pan and put in the fridge to set up.
I found this recipe to be very easy to do.  As I tasted..you know that I was going to taste it, right?...it wasn't really as sweet as I thought it should be and so I added about 3 teaspoons of Splenda and combined well, tasting after each teaspoon.  Once I had a sweet enough taste, I poured it into the pan.
A few hours later I checked on it and it wasn't really set up, so I decided to leave it over night.  The next day, it still wasn't set up and I noticed that there were some small clumps in the surface.  Finally after about 24 hours, I used a spoon and I tasted it.  The taste was good, but the small clumps took away from that taste, and it had the consistency of a thick pudding.
So we put our heads together to brainstorm just exactly what this mixture could become, since it was clear to us that it wasn't going to be fudge.
My daughter came up with the idea of putting it into the ice cream maker.  First she emptied it into the food processor and turned it on for a short time to try and remove those clumps.  Then, she added a small amount of cream to get the consistency of an ice cream mixture.  Once she added it into the ice cream machine it only took a small amount of time (maybe 5-7 minutes) for the mixture to freeze.  It only made a small amount, but it was rich, and smooth, and creamy and tasted like Chocolate Gelato.
I definitely think I will make this again and will make the following changes:  Beat the cream cheese ahead of time and be ready to add the chocolate mixture just as soon as it is melted and starts to get thick; Once the mixture has been combined with the cream cheese, pour it through a strainer, to remove any clumps; Add cream and put in fridge to chill; Once cold go ahead and add it to the ice cream machine.
The moral of this story is to never be afraid to try something new.  Even if it doesn't turn out to be what you thought it would, you might find out that it is something amazing!