Want to learn the best and easy recipes for fudge? Keep reading.

We all love fudge and have tried to make that ‘mom’s recipe’ we learned during our childhood days. Right? But sometimes, we might have messed up the recipes for fudge too. 

This is why today, we bring to you lovely and delicious recipes for fudge in detail. Various alternatives to ingredients are also given so that you don’t face any troubles. 

Here’s sharing with you 4 easy-to-make fudge recipes. Remember, there is no perfect fudge recipe. You can always change it according to your preferences.

Whether you like creamy fudge or fudge with a handful of chopped nuts in it or the one with milk chocolate chips or the one that consists of peppermint extract, you can make what you want.  

Origin of recipes for fudge

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Fudge is a candy made from crystallized sugar, butter, and milk. It is heated to the soft-ball stage at 240°F (115°C) and then the mixture is heated while it cools. After cooling, the mixture acquires a smooth, creamy consistency. 

Nowadays, a variety of fudge is available in the market. While searching for a fudge recipe, you must have noticed chocolate has become a basic ingredient in fudge. However, it was not included in the old-fashioned fudge recipe.

You can see fruits, nuts, chocolate, caramel, candies, sweets, and other interesting flavors. Nowadays, peanut butter chips, dark chocolate chips, cream cheese, and pumpkin seeds are also used. 

Also, the liquid comes in molasses, condensed milk, and sometimes alcoholic drinks like amaretto and bourbon.

The fudge you know today came into existence back in the late 19th century in the US. The recipe gained popularity among households as it was easy to make. To make fudge, you don’t even need fancy equipment, which makes the process very easy. 

Homemade fudge gained recognition among fancy expensive candies as it was economical to make. During the 19th century, the cost of fudge was somewhere 40 cents. Fudge-making became a course in Women’s colleges in the US.

Fudge is also considered an excellent choice for gift-giving and has made it one of the most exchanged treats during holidays. At a Christmas party, fudge is the perfect gift for sweet tooth people.

So, if you love gifting confectionery, then fudge is the perfect option for you. 

Photo by Nathana Reboucas from Unsplash

Fudge vs. Chocolate 

Do you get confused between fudge and chocolate? Because most people do. Here’s a sharp difference between chocolate and fudge.

Fudge is a dessert mainly made from crystallized sugar. The major ingredient in fudge is sugar. The very first recipe created did not even have chocolate in it. The recipes for fudge that you see mostly on the internet nowadays are basically ‘chocolate fudge.’

Meanwhile, the major ingredients in chocolate are cocoa, cocoa solids, and cocoa butter. Chocolate is a candy made from sweetened cocoa along with cocoa butter. 

Photo by Polina Tankilevitch from Pexels

How to serve the Creamy Flavorful recipes for fudge in 4 different ways

• With fresh fruits like raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, or pineapple. Especially you can never go wrong with strawberries.
• Serve it your favorite red wine, anyone of your choice. Italian Negroamaro by Palama goes well with dark chocolate fudge due to its spicy and dark cherry flavor. The combination is purely heavenly.
• Serve with humble bread, specifically croissants. Spread truffle cream onto a slice of croissant, top it with a slice of fudge and add another slice of bread.
• To tickle and comfort your taste buds simultaneously, you can serve fudge with aged balsamic vinegar.

1. The old-fashioned recipe for fudge

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You cannot ignore this fudge recipe. If you have just started cooking fudge and sweets, it is suggested to go through this procedure because it is a must-try recipe. I mean, it’s one of the classic recipes for fudge. 

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 35 minutes

Cuts into 30 squares

Ingredients

• Salted butter about 125g (take a few extra grams to brush the tin)
• 397g can condensed milk
• 460g light muscovado sugar
• 150ml whole milk
• 2 tsp vanilla bean paste

Method

1. Butter and line a 20cm square cake tin with baking parchment paper. Put the butter, condensed milk, sugar, and milk in a saucepan. 
2. Bring the mixture to boil for 10 minutes, stirring continuously. Use a candy thermometer to check the temperature. 
3. Remove from the stove and let the mixture cool at 110°C. Add the vanilla, then beat in a stand mixer to cool it to 60°C. Break all the big sugar crystals. Flavour is added before thoroughly beating until it continues to cool. The grainy texture of sugar needs to be removed.
4. A thick and matte-looking mixture is obtained. Spoon the fudge into the prepared tin and press down to make the surface smooth. Please leave it to set, and cut down the mixture into square pieces. 

Nutrition Per Serving

• Calories: 137 kcal
• Fat: 5g
• Saturates: 3g
• Carbs: 23g
• Sugars: 23g
• Fiber: 0g
• Protein: 1g
• Salt: 0g

2. 3-Ingredient Easy Chocolate Fudge Recipe

Photo from Unsplash by Frederic Dupont

Prep time: 3 mins

Total time: 3mins

Yes, this fudge recipe is for real! You need only 3 minutes to make this fudge. You need to try this one to check its authenticity. This one is categorized under an easy homemade fudge recipe.

Ingredients

• 2 cup Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips
• 396 g (14oz)
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Method to prepare 

1. Line a 20 cm pan with foil or wax paper and mist with cooking spray.
2. Next, in a bowl, add condensed milk and chocolate chips. Fold and mix them well.
3. Microwave for 1 minute and stir. Microwave for another 30 seconds if the chocolate is not smooth.
4. Fold in 1 teaspoon vanilla extract until combined.
5. Pour the smooth chocolate into the pan and refrigerate for an hour or so.
6. Cut into squares or any other shape of your choice and enjoy.

Other fudge recipes take around 1 hour or more. Regardless of that, this one recipe is a total game-changer.

3. Easy and Delicious Chocolate Marshmallow Fudge

Picture by 5671698 images from Pixabay

An easy fudge recipe is here for you. Homemade chocolate fudge mixed with chopped pecans tastes rich and delicious!

The ingredient list is easy, and you can find most of the ingredients in your kitchen cabinet or local grocery stores. 

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes

Additional time: 2 hours

Total time: 2 hours 20 minutes

Ingredients 

• 2 cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 4 oz sweetened condensed milk 
• ¼ cup chopped pecans (or almonds)
• 1 ½ cups mini marshmallows 

Method

1. Line a 20 cm baking pan with parchment paper. Grease it with butter.
2. Take a medium-sized or large saucepan. Add sweetened condensed milk, butter, and chocolate chips to it. Fold and mix. 
3. Next, on medium heat, simply cook the above mixture for about 2 minutes. Stir continuously so that all ingredients mix well.
4. Remove pan from burner. Add chopped pecans and mix well. Instead of pecans, you can add nuts of your choice.
5. Add marshmallows to the mixture and stir gently. Don’t stir marshmallows much; otherwise, their flavor will get disappeared in the chocolate.
6. Pour the mixture into a baking pan lined with parchment paper. 
7. Set the mixture in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours until fully chilled.
8. Peel back the parchment paper, cut the fudge into square pieces.

Enjoy this chocolate fudge recipe with your family and friends.

4. Marshmallow White Chocolate Fudge Recipe

Most of the recipes for fudge that you read are mostly based on dark chocolate. Here is a recipe that has white chocolate in it. For those who like to prepare the difficult version, this recipe is for you.

The awesome thing about white chocolate is that it goes well with most of the Tartary fruits, and the white chocolate marshmallow fudge can be served with a variety of fruits.

By: IrishMomLoves2Bake/Flickr @All Rights Reserved

Prep:15 minutes

Cook: 5 minutes

Total: 20 minutes

Servings: 64 servings

Ingredients 

• 1 ½ cups sugar
• 200g Marshmallow creme
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 4 tablespoon butter
• 2 to 3 cup evaporated milk
• 1 cup chopped nuts (almonds or pecans)
• 3 cups white chocolate chips 
• 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon almond extract

Method to prepare 

1. Take a medium saucepan, combine sugar, butter, sea salt, and evaporated milk.
2. Place the saucepan over medium heat and cook; keep stirring continuously until the mixture comes to a full boil. Continue this process for another 5 minutes. 
3. The next step is to add the chocolate chips. But before that, remove the pan from the heat. 
4. Place the pan over low heat and constantly stir until the chips melt. Now add marshmallow creme and mix. This time mix slowly so that the marshmallow stays in its half-melted form.
5. Add flavorings and chopped nuts and mix slowly.
6. Butter a 20cm × 20cm square baking dish and line with parchment paper. Pour the mixture into it and let it cool to room temperature. 
7. Remove the plastic wrap, and cut out your desired pieces of fudge. 

Alternatives to ingredients and answers to general queries

Various recipes for fudge don’t follow vegan or dairy-free ingredients. So we present a few awesome alternatives and tips 

• Marshmallow creme and marshmallow fluff are the same. The terms are often used interchangeably. Marshmallow creme is a sweet spread that tastes like traditional solid marshmallows.
• Online fudge recipes also mention adding condensed milk. It is cow’s milk that is thickened by heating constantly and adding extra sugar. Condensed milk can be added to the fudge. If you add 1 can of sweetened condensed milk, remove milk and sugar from the ingredients list. Carnation Condensed Milk is considered great for Fudge preparation, and you can get one in supermarkets or online stores.  Chef Phil Vickery once said:-

“Carnation condensed milk gives the perfect texture and traditional flavour to your fudge. Box them up and give them to your friends at Christmas and everyone will be asking you for the recipe.”

Tips and secrets of making perfect recipes for fudge

Hey, you just read all the recipes for fudge, so here are a few tips and secrets to get the perfect fudge from these recipes. 

• The most crucial step is to get the fudge to harden properly. Fudge should not be very soft and gooey, neither should it be too hard. Small sugar crystals yield a smooth texture. Cool the mixture fully before stirring to harden the mixture perfectly.

• The sugar mixture should pass the soft-ball test. A drop of the melted sugar dropped into cold water should form a soft-ball rather than dissolve.

• Stirring constantly is also a significant step. Note that once the sugar has dissolved and the mixture has come to a boil, do not stir it anymore.

• As you know, temperature plays an essential role in fudge making, so invest in a good candy thermometer. If you already have one, place it in boiling water to ensure it registers 100°C (212 F).

• Did you make the fudge too soft? No worries, add evaporated milk and reheat the mixture. Add 1/8 milk of your recipe’s amount and slowly bring your fudge back to a boiling point.

• Butter should only be added after the boiling is done. Now, most people debate whether to use salted or unsalted butter? That depends on your taste preferences. Salted butter will not affect the texture of the fudge. However, it will add a zest of saltiness. If you love a little bit of saltiness, then it doesn’t matter.
• Milk chocolate chips can be used instead of white chocolate chips, which are sweeter and have dairy.

Top reasons to make this fudge right away 

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Still, confused whether or not to try these recipes for fudge at home? 

Well, we are here with the best reasons as to why you should try these recipes for fudge. So, why did you stop? Keep reading. 

#1. It’s economical to make fudge. You can try any of these recipes for fudge, as most of them have fewer ingredients. Typically fudge is all about sugar, milk, butter, and a teaspoon of vanilla essence.

Rest everything is optional. You can add high-quality chocolate chips, or if you want, you can skip them. It’s completely up to you.

Peppermint extract, bourbon, almond extract, everything is up to you to choose ingredients wisely according to your budget. Basic ingredients are not going to burn a hole in your pocket.

#2. No fancy equipment is required. The only fancy requirement is a candy thermometer. Other than that, all equipment is already there in your kitchen. For melting butter and sugar mixture, use a wooden spoon; don’t use silicone. Next, you will need a square baking dish and a refrigerator to let it cool.

A bonus tip is that if you don’t have a candy thermometer, drop a ball of sugar syrup in cold water. If it forms a soft-ball, then you are following the right recipe. 

#3. You don’t need a microwave for preparing fudge. Fudge is made on a gas burner or induction. The process of melting, boiling, and stirring can be performed well only on a gas burner. Slow cooking allows for a deep mature caramelization of sugar.

Not-to-miss tips:

• For all the recipes for fudge instead of butter, peanut butter can be used. Peanut butter fudge has a similar recipe as the chocolate one. You will have a tasty treat of peanut butter fudge in no time.
• After making fudge and when it’s cool completely, there is no need to refrigerate fudge as it dries up; otherwise, freeze fudge is good, use plastic wrap to cover the fudge. You can store it in an airtight container.
• When you freeze the fudge, it thaws so you can increase its shelf life. To defrost the frozen fudge, leave it at room temperature for a few hours. 
• Here comes a golden tip of advice for those looking for a dairy-free alternative—select dairy-free chocolate, and instead of milk, use milk beverage. When picking milk beverages, richer is better. Select either soy milk or coconut milk. Both of these alternatives give the best results.

Sometimes in life, you need a treat. It doesn’t matter, even if it has sugar and a little bit of saturated fat.

So, which fudge recipe do you like the most, and which one will you try? Try any of these recipes for fudge today for you and your family. Fudge makes a great gift for everyone, so do try these homemade fudge recipes.

Also, if you want to try some fudge with creamy and flavorful ice cream, click here to know how to make a super creamy bowl of ice cream. 

Do let us know if you have any other secret and delicious recipes for fudge. We would love to hear from you. You can also share your fudge-making experiences with us. Simply connect with us in the comment section. 

If there are any queries in mind, do drop your questions. We will get back to you. 

I hope you had a good time reading this article and you got what you were looking for. 

Last Updated on September 10, 2023 by Steffy Michael