Fudge Recipe

Fudge Recipe

Make Fudge Recipe now: rich, creamy chocolate squares with toasted nuts, ready in about 35 minutes.

Ingredients

Instructions

Step 1: Prepare the pan and toast the nuts

Line an 8-inch (20 cm) square baking pan with a parchment sling, leaving a generous 2-inch overhang on two sides and lightly grease the parchment and any exposed pan sides with a smear of neutral oil or softened butter. If using nuts, toast them in a dry skillet until fragrant and lightly browned, then cool and coarsely chop—this adds a warm, toasty crunch that will punctuate the final creamy squares.

Step 2: Combine sugar, butter, and evaporated milk

In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan combine the granulated sugar, room-temperature cubed butter, and well-shaken evaporated milk. Stir with a heat-resistant spatula or wooden spoon just until the sugar is evenly moistened and the butter is distributed; the mixture will look grainy but uniformly damp and pale. Keep your tools close and steady—the texture at this stage is loose and wet, a precursor to the glossy caramelization to come.


Step 3: Heat to a full rolling boil and cook to soft‑ball stage

Place the saucepan over heat (stove omitted from imagery) and stir constantly, scraping the bottom and sides, until the mixture comes up to a vigorous, full rolling boil. Attach a candy thermometer (tip not touching the bottom) and continue stirring until the mixture thickens, becomes noticeably glossy and syrupy, and reaches the soft‑ball stage; the surface will be covered with lively, churning bubbles and the syrup will cling more heavily to the spoon—this is the decisive Maillard and sugar-concentration transformation.


Step 4: Remove from heat and melt in the chocolate

As soon as the sugar syrup reaches the target stage, remove the pan from the heat and set it on a heat-safe trivet. Immediately scatter the semi‑sweet chocolate chips into the hot syrup and let them sit for 20–30 seconds to start melting, then stir vigorously with your greased spatula until the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture appears smooth, glossy, and unified—thick, satin-like, and losing some initial sheen as it cools.


Step 5: Fold in marshmallow creme, vanilla, salt, nuts and transfer to the pan

Stir in the marshmallow creme, vanilla extract, and fine salt, folding energetically until the marshmallow is fully incorporated and the fudge takes on a dense, slightly tacky texture that resists the spoon. Quickly fold in the toasted chopped nuts if using, then immediately scrape and spread the warm, pliable fudge into the prepared parchment‑lined 8-inch square pan with the greased spatula, pressing gently to smooth the surface. If desired, finish with a light scattering of flaky sea salt across the warm top for a glossy, crunchy contrast.


Step 6: Cool, cut, and present the squares

Allow the fudge to cool and set at room temperature until firm, then use the parchment sling to lift the slab from the pan and place it on a cutting surface. Using a long sharp knife wiped with a warm damp cloth between cuts, slice into clean 1-inch squares. Arrange the neat, dense squares back in the square pan or on the parchment for serving—the cut edges should be satin‑smooth, the interior creamy, and the nut pieces visible as textural islands on the surface.


Notes