The Kitchen Wife: The World's Best Chocolate Fudge Recipe (2024)

The Kitchen Wife: The World's Best Chocolate Fudge Recipe (1)

So here we are, the 13th of February, and it is the last post of my Choc-o-Palooza. It has been a rough week, but I have pressed through, for you, my precious, precious readers.

Oh who are we kidding! It has been a great week! An ENTIRE week of CHOCOLATE! No one in this house has been complaining I assure you! And I have saved the best for last!

The Kitchen Wife: The World's Best Chocolate Fudge Recipe (2)

This is my mom, Teresa.

She is also known as Teesie, Momma T, Mamaw, Mother, etc. Growing up there was one special treat that people went CRAZY over, and that was her fudge. During the holidays, as a child, I remember standing over our stove, stirring, stirring, stirring, ENDLESS batches of this fudge. People would PAY my mom to make it for them. It is one of those recipes that has been embedded into my psyche, but it is OH SO GOOD! Forget the box of candies this Valentine's Day. You need to get into the kitchen and whip up this amazing fudge and I am going to show you how!

Let's get started!

Momma T's Famous Fudge:
*Prep Time: -- *Cook Time: 10 min. *Inactive Time: 2-3 hours *Difficulty: Intermediate
*Servings: 1 9X9 Pan

Ingredients:

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  • 3 c. Sugar
  • 1 1/2 Sticks of Unsalted Butter
  • 2/3 c (5 oz. Can) Evaporated Milk
  • 1 12 oz. Package of Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
  • 1 7 oz. Jar of Marshmallow Creme
  • 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
  • 1 c. Chopped Walnuts (Optional)

The Kitchen Wife: The World's Best Chocolate Fudge Recipe (4)

Before we get started I have to share this story.

There are two things that my mom SWEARS helps her fudge to turn out perfect EVERY TIME! The first one is this pot.

I know that this pot has to be AT LEAST 30 years old. She has had it for as long as I can remember. It is the bottom of an old pressure cooker and it is ONLY used for fudge making (I told you she take this pretty seriously). She NEVER lets anyone borrow it, and you should consider yourself privileged if she even let's you touch it! Heck, I was lucky that she even texted me a picture of it! *LOL* This is one of her kitchen pride and joys and there must be something to it because it took me a while to find a pot that delivered like this one did.

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That pot would be my cast iron, enamel coated Dutch Oven.

Place it over medium low heat, and let it get hot.

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Then add the butter,

The Kitchen Wife: The World's Best Chocolate Fudge Recipe (7)

Sugar, and evaporated milk.

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Stir it all together, and continue stirring until it comes to a rolling boil, about 3-4 minutes.

This brings me to step two of what my mom swears leads to perfect fudge. She says that as your are stirring you will notice that the sugar, butter, and milk mixture will begin rolling down the side of the pot. That is when you know it is ready.

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She has an instinct for this trick. I have yet to master it, so I have a little trick of my own.
I use an inexpensive candy thermometer.

Once you get the mixture to a rolling boil, add a candy thermometer. You will want to make sure that it is not touching the bottom of the pan. It will not be an accurate reading if it does.

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You will want to make sure it reads about 234 degrees or registers at the "Soft Boil" stage.
When it reaches that point turn the heat off.

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Now you can add the marshmallow cream,

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Chocolate chips,
(You can also add chopped walnuts here if you like)

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And vanilla extract.
Stir it all together until the chocolate and marshmallow cream have all melted and are smooth.

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It will look like this.

Pour into a greases 9 x 9 baking dish and let cool COMPLETELY. This will take 1-2 hours, but if you plan ahead, I would let it set overnight.

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Now you can cut it into bit-sized pieces and DEVOUR!

OH MY GOODNESS! It has been years since I made this last, but it is just as I remembered it as a child. (I guess all those hours over the stove paid off huh. *LOL*) I think my Momma would be proud, but there is only one way to know if it turned out right for sure!

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I MUST take a bite!

Oh My Word! Amazing...AMAZING! This fudge is rich, creamy, chocolaty. It is soooo goood! No one will complain about getting this sweet treat for Valentine's Day, and homemade gifts from the heart are always best! So get in your kitchen tonight and give Momma T's Famous Fudge a Try! You will be SO glad you did!

And as always...

Happy Reading, Happy Eating, and Happy Living,
~The Kitchen Wife~

    The Kitchen Wife: The World's Best Chocolate Fudge Recipe (2024)

    FAQs

    What is the secret to smooth fudge that is not gritty? ›

    Once a seed crystal forms, it grows bigger and bigger as the fudge cools. A lot of big crystals in fudge makes it grainy. By letting the fudge cool without stirring, you avoid creating seed crystals.

    Why is my 3 ingredient fudge not setting? ›

    The main reason is that your Fudge has not reached the optimum temperature. If your mixture only reaches 110 or 112 degrees Celsius it will always be soft. That's why we recommend investing in a sugar thermometer.

    What makes high quality fudge? ›

    You have to control two temperatures to make successful fudge: the cooking temperature AND the temperature at which the mixture cools before stirring to make it crystallize. Confectionery experiments have shown that the ideal cooking temperature for fudge is around 114 to 115 °C (237 to 239 °F).

    What should you not do when making fudge? ›

    7 Common Mistakes to Avoid for Candy Shop-Worthy Fudge and Caramels
    1. Using the Wrong Pan. All candy and confections start by melting sugar. ...
    2. Stirring the Sugar. ...
    3. Not Using a Candy Thermometer. ...
    4. Leaving Out the Parchment Paper Lining. ...
    5. Skipping the Cooking Spray. ...
    6. Scraping the Pot. ...
    7. Using a Cold Knife to Slice.
    Dec 16, 2015

    Do you stir fudge while it is boiling? ›

    Brush the sides of the pan with a wet brush at the beginning of cooking to dissolve sugar crystals stuck to the sides. Never stir the mixture during cooking or sugar could crystallize again. The mixture may seize and become grainy. Use a candy thermometer or conduct a cold water test to check if the fudge is done.

    What happens if you cook fudge too long? ›

    Candy that isn't cooked long enough will end up too soft; overcooking makes fudge crumbly or hard. High-quality fudge has many small crystals. If the process of crystallization begins too early, fewer crystals form and they become much larger.

    Can you fix fudge that didn't set? ›

    OPTION 3) Sieve together some powdered sugar and cocoa powder, and gradually work this into your unset fudge until it reaches the consistency of dough, then roll out and cut into squares, or shape into balls and then roll in powdered sugar (roll the balls in icing sugar, not yourself).

    What causes fudge not to harden? ›

    However, homemade fudge doesn't always set up into a semi-firm, melt-in-your-mouth confection. If your fudge doesn't firm up after a few hours, you either have too high an amount of liquid to sugar, or your mixture hasn't reached the soft-ball stage. Using a candy thermometer can help home cooks avoid this problem.

    What happens if you forget the vanilla in fudge? ›

    There are lots of fudge recipes around which don't use vanilla at all (it's a treat which is very open to experimentation in general). So if you don't add vanilla, it won't taste like vanilla, but that doesn't necessarily mean it will taste bad, have the wrong consistency or behave differently when cooked and cooled.

    Why do you add vanilla to fudge? ›

    Vanilla is often added to chocolate candies or other chocolate recipes because it complements and accents the flavor of chocolate.

    Why did my fudge turn out like caramel? ›

    Fudge can turn into caramel due to overcooking or undercooking, incorrect temperatures, or wrong ingredients.

    What's the difference between fudge and chocolate fudge? ›

    Although fudge often contains chocolate, fudge is not the same as chocolate. Chocolate is a mix of cocoa solids, cocoa butter and sometimes sugar and other flavorings and is hard and brittle. Fudge is a mixture of sugar, dairy and flavorings that is cooked and cooled to form a smooth, semi-soft confection.

    Where is the world's best fudge? ›

    While fudge was not invented on Mackinac Island, it most certainly – and most deliciously – was perfected here.

    What is the most popular flavor of fudge? ›

    After years of testing recipes, we're pretty sure we have a handle on the most popular fudge flavors, but chocolate and cherry will always rank high on the list.

    What keeps fudge from getting hard? ›

    Too Soft or Too Hard Fudge

    The amount of time you cook fudge directly affects its firmness. Too little time and the water won't evaporate, causing the fudge to be soft. Conversely, cook it too long and fudge won't contain enough water, making it hard with a dry, crumbly texture.

    Why is my fudge crumbling when I cut it? ›

    The ingredients for fudge are combined and cooked to 234 degrees, cooled to 110 degrees without stirring, then beaten until creamy. Candy that isn't cooked long enough will end up too soft; overcooking makes fudge crumbly or hard.

    How long do you boil fudge to get to soft ball stage? ›

    How long does it take to make fudge:
    1. about 18 min to reach boiling.
    2. about 40 minutes to reach soft ball stage.
    3. 60 minutes to cool.
    4. 28 minutes to beat in a KitchenAid (your time for this may vary)
    5. 4 hours to set.

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