How to Make Fudge
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Equipment needed:
- Wooden spoon (important)
- Candy thermometer (important)
There are two main methods you'll use when learning how to make fudge: the incredibly quick and easy and the ‘real’ way, I will show you the real way as the easy way needs very little. The real way to make fudge will provide you with the highest quality final product. However, it’s a much more precise and a fair bit more complicated method.
The quick and easy method requires nothing more than your peanut butter or chocolate, butter, vanilla and sugar, plus any other ingredients such as chopped nuts. If using chocolate for your easy fudge, you might want to use, at minimum, half milk chocolate as using only semi-sweet can be a little overpowering.
The second method is the ‘real’ way to make fudge, this is the method that calls for a candy thermometer and requires you to bring the sugar mixture to a soft ball stage (see below). The second key part of this method is mixing prior to chilling; the recipe calls for you to “…mix vigorously until it loses its gloss”. This is a very important stage and under mixing can be quite detrimental to your fudge. Be sure to use a wooden spoon at this point.
The soft-ball stage refers to when you cook a sugar mixture, usually about 85% sugar, on the stovetop until the point when, if you take a bit of the mixture and drop it in cold water, you can easily form it into a soft ball with your fingers. While still in the water you should be able to flatten the ball into a pancake or if you take it out, the ball will flatten in your hands all by itself. There are other ‘stages’ for candy-making but fudge uses the soft ball stage.
To get to the soft ball stage you first heat your sugar mixture in a heavy-bottom pot on medium until it’s fully melted, then raise the heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and let boil for 3 minutes. Remove the cover, attach your candy thermometer and let cook until the temperature reaches 234°F. You can now test the mixture with the method described in the previous paragraph to make sure the soft ball stage as been reached.
There is one other method that requires a stovetop but isn’t overly complicated, there should be nothing you haven’t seen and the recipe (white chocolate Oreo fudge) is quite clear.
Storing fudge: You can store fudge in an airtight container for up to one week.
The steps for making fudge:
Ingredients
- 4 oz. unsweetened chocolate
- 2 3/4 c. sugar
- 1 c. half-and-half
- 3 Tbsp. butter
- 1 Tbsp. corn syrup
- 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
- 1 c. chopped, roasted nuts, optional
Directions
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Line an 8”x8” pan with tin foil and grease lightly with butter.
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In a heavy-bottomed pot, combine the chocolate, half-and-half, corn syrup and half the butter.
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Heat over medium heat until it’s completely melted and the sugar is dissolved.
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Turn the heat to high and bring to a boil.
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Cover, reduce heat to medium-low and boil for three minutes.
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Remove the cover, attach the candy thermometer and heat until the temperature reaches 234°F, stirring occasionally. Using the methon described above, test that the liquid is in the soft ball stage.
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Once the soft ball stage is reached, remove from heat and add the remaining butter; do not stir and allow it to cool to 130°F (app. 10 minutes).
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At this stage the mixture should be starting to thicken a bit; add the vanilla and nuts, if using, and mix vigorously with a wooden spoon until it loses its gloss.
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Pour into the prepared foil-lined pan, refrigerate until firm, at least one hour. Cut into squares.
There you go, now you know how to make fudge! Feel free to replace the vanilla with other extracts for a variety of flavors.
