Anyone growing up in an even moderately conservative household might recognize the title of this blog post as a rather "offensive" curse word. I remember getting in all heaps of trouble using the word "fudge" in the wrong context.
In this case I'm using the word most appropriately because I'm about to share with you my undeniably delicious and easy fudge recipe. I know this may seem out of season since we're all full into "lose the holiday weight" mode. But when you think a bout it, there's never a bad time for fudge. Ever.
My Mom had several talents. One of those was being a fantastic baker. There may not have been any ceremony but I feel as though I've taken the proverbial torch from her and am now running. For the most part I've simply adopted her go to recipes and recipe books (I pilfered her Better Homes and Gardens book after my parents' divorce...the one in which she wrote in the margins...yeah I only just gave that back a year ago...) and this recipe in no exception. When I first moved here from NY I couldn't make this recipe because I was missing a key ingredient. Fluff. Fluff is the magic stuff. This is also a recipe direct of the container of fluff. So...there is that.
Here's the line up...
You can be cheap and get the discounted evaporated milk and butter but do not skimp on the chocolate and for the love of all that is good and holy...don't get the store brand marshmallow creme thinking the recipe still works...
Yeah I did that at first. But I was so awfully wrong. Years ago, I'd smuggle Fluff to the south from my northern visits. Now you can find it in many of your local groceries stores. I got this particular jar in Harris Teeter. Get the Fluff. That is all.
Before you begin I would suggest getting everything out that you'll need. If you've never made candy before then let me let you in on a secret, it goes from not ready to over done in 1.2 milliseconds. Be prepared. If you read the recipe (on the Fluff jar) it tells you to test via soft ball stage. Google that. Then set out a cold bowl of water. And if you have a candy thermometer, get that too. I use the biggest pot I can because one time I double this recipe and the fudge started boiling over. Talk about a mess!
There's the recipe, Never Fail Fudge. It doesn't lie. If you follow the instructions you will have beautifully smooth, delicious, calorie heavy fudge for all to enjoy.
Start by filling your pot with sugar. Lots and lots of sugar.
Follow the recipe and add your butter, milk and Fluff. I try to mix as much as I can while it warms up then I let it rest and do the dirty deed.
Oh yeah...greasing the pans. This was my favorite part as a kid. I loved getting my hands all goopy from the butter or shortening.
You shouldn't do this with rings on but I forgot they were there and by this point I'd gone too far. My grandma used to tell me to use a paper towel to spread the goop. But I, like my mother, enjoyed getting my hands dirty. Spread this stuff all over the inside of the pans in a nice thin layer. You don't need a lot and if you use too much it ends up melting and then solidifying on your fudge and that's just gross.
Once your pans are all greased, return to your candy. At this point it should just be coming together. Keep on mixing now, you want it to be consistent.
At this point you're all mixed together and you're no longer allowed to step away from your fudge because it's about to get hot. Start looking for signs of boiling. It's a lot harder to see when a candy is boiling if your'e not used to it. You see the little air bubbles in this pic? Those ARE NOT boiling bubbles. At best it's simmering now. Keep stirring.
At this point the candy is actively boiling and I'm mixing my little heart out. you have no idea how hard it was to take this picture without burning my candy. At this stage my candy tends to brown a little because I can't mix fast enough. It doesn't ruin the taste of the fudge so long as you don't burn it. As soon as you see this stage, start your timer. Also have your cold water and spoon ready for the soft ball stage test.
I couldn't take pictures of the next few steps but here's how they went. Once the timer went off I did a soft ball stage test and my candy was not quite there so I boiled another min or less and tested again at which point my candy made a soft ball and I removed it from the eye. Once it's removed from the heat, I added my chocolate chips and vanilla and stirred vigorously. The goal is to get all the chocolate melted and mixed in before the fudge starts to harden and you have maybe a minute and a half to complete this. Once the fudge was all mixed together I haphazardly poured it into my prepared pans. It's rather helpful to have an extra pair of hands for that step (someone to hold the pot while you scrape the fudge out).
TADA! (This is half of the final product) You can smooth out your fudge with a warm wet spatula but in my opinion is tastes just as good like this.
And that ladies and gentlemen is how you make the easiest, smoothest, best tasting fudge of your life. You can change the flavor of this fudge by switching up the chocolate chips with other flavors. I've tried the Reese's peanut butter chips and they make a very delicious lightly peanut butter flavored fudge.
Go forth and impress people with your candy making skills!
Liz
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