How to Make Fudge

It seems that in every tourist town there’s a special store that sells delicious homemade fudge of all kinds, including vanilla and strawberry. I have to admit while some of those flavors of odd fudge sound tempting as an adult, as a kid, I wanted my fudge to smell and taste like chocolate.

I never liked fudge with nuts or coconut either. I wanted that smooth flavor to melt in my mouth while I twirled on the Tilt-a-Whirl or rode the Ferris Wheel with the winds blowing on my face.

Time, as they say, marches on, however, and now fudge comes in so many varieties it’s hard to choose a favorite. Once you learn to make fudge at home, you can enjoy experimenting with limitless flavor combinations.

Types of Fudge

There is marbled fudge and peanut butter fudge. Fudge with pecans and plain old-fashioned fudge. You can get some rocky road fudge or walnut fudge and if you don’t want chocolate (what?), there’s even vanilla peanut butter fudge.

So, how to make fudge? Some claim you simply throw unsweetened chocolate, butter, eggs, heavy cream, vanilla and powdered sugar (nuts or coconut were optional) into a double boiler, blend it and NEVER STIR IT once it begins to boil. It only takes an hour and the fudge goes from pot to glass baking dish, although waiting for the fudge to harden can seem like days.

How to Make the Perfect Fudge

Cook your fudge mixture on medium heat until the candy thermometer reaches 240ºF. The fudge will be soft at this point, but don't stir it (don't even look at it). Keep the thermometer in the double boiler and allow to cool to 110º F before you pour it into the glass pan.

Tips for Newcomers

Fudge recipes that offer up ingredients such as marshmallows and corn syrup work really well if you're not an expert. Recipes that include these ingredients give you soft and smooth fudge each and every time. Fudge recipes that call for heavy cream and evaporated milk also work well because these ingredients also ensure your fudge (no matter what flavor) will be smooth, silky and creamy.

Don’t Touch that Fudge!

Learning how to make fudge takes one pot and some ingredients with a mom that watches you like a hawk so you don’t stir, mix or even look at the fudge while it’s cooking or waiting to harden into the most favorite of candies anywhere.

Whether you have an old family recipe to make your own fudge or want to mix it up a little, fudge is a treat everyone loves. And never mind about looking up how many calories are in just one bite — it takes the fun out of making and eating fudge!