Is evaporated milk or condensed milk better for fudge?

Evaporated milk doesn't have sugar added . The sweetened condended milk is needed as no extra sugar is added to the fudge. If evaporated milk were used then the fudge would not be sweet enough and also would still be too soft unless the fudge is frozen.

What is traditional fudge made of?

At its simplest, fudge is a dense, soft candy, often made with sugar and dairy products like butter and milk . Nowadays, fudge is usually flavored with chocolate, but you can utilize pretty much any flavor, such as peanut butter, pumpkin, even birthday cake.

What gives fudge the creamy texture and dull appearance?

The addition of egg whites and gelatin will coat the sugar crystals and keep them small. This results in creamy fudge. Shhh! It's a Fudgy Secret!

What happens if you use evaporated milk instead of sweetened condensed milk?

For the most part, if you find yourself without condensed milk on hand, you can substitute an equal amount of evaporated milk. The consistency will be the same, but since evaporated milk is unsweetened, you'll need to add sweetener to match the recipe's intended flavor profile or to suit your personal preference .

Why use evaporated milk in fudge?

Evaporated milk is milk that has been cooked to reduce its water content . It is more stable than regular milk and it can be cooked at high temperatures without curdling, a real benefit to fudge.

What makes high quality fudge?

You have to control two temperatures to make successful fudge: the cooking temperature AND the temperature at which the mixture cools before stirring to make it crystallize . Confectionery experiments have shown that the ideal cooking temperature for fudge is around 114 to 115 °C (237 to 239 °F).

What does cream of tartar do to fudge?

Cream of tartar is used in caramel sauces and fudge to help prevent the sugar from crystallizing while cooking . It also prevents cooling sugars from forming brittle crystals, this is why it's the secret ingredient in snickerdoodles!

What's the difference between fudge and chocolate fudge?

Although fudge often contains chocolate, fudge is not the same as chocolate . Chocolate is a mix of cocoa solids, cocoa butter and sometimes sugar and other flavorings and is hard and brittle. Fudge is a mixture of sugar, dairy and flavorings that is cooked and cooled to form a smooth, semi-soft confection.

Can you use sweetened condensed milk instead of evaporated milk in fudge?

These items are essentially the same with one big difference: no sugar is added to evaporated milk. Sweetened condensed milk also has 60% of the water removed, but contains 40% sugar. Due to the big flavor difference, they cannot be substituted for each other.

Should I use condensed milk instead of evaporated milk?

While we don't recommend substituting condensed milk for evaporated milk or vice versa, you can make your own condensed milk when you're in a pinch. Simply heat together 1½ cups of sugar and one can of evaporated milk until the sugar has fully dissolved.

Why won't my condensed milk fudge set?

If you didn't reach the correct temperature during the cooking process, it might not set properly . Use a candy thermometer to ensure that you reach the recommended temperature. Overcooking or Undercooking:Solution: Cooking the fudge for too long or too short a time can affect its texture.

Why is my evaporated milk fudge not setting?

The main reason is that your Fudge has not reached the optimum temperature . If your mixture only reaches 110 or 112 degrees Celsius it will always be soft. That's why we recommend investing in a sugar thermometer. Another reason your Fudge is not setting is that the ratio of liquid to sugar is too high.

Old Fashioned Chocolate Fudge Recipe - An Italian in my Kitchen (2024)

Jump to Recipe

Old Fashioned Chocolate Fudge, this is the best, creamiest chocolate fudge, made the old fashioned way! And only 6 ingredients. The perfect Homemade Chocolate Candy, one everyone will love.

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I have been a big Candy lover for a long time, especially anything Chocolate such as these Easy Homemade Filled Chocolates or these Italian Chocolate Kisses / Baci.

Old Fashioned Chocolate Fudge is everything a homemade fudge should be, so get your candy thermometer ready.

I have been searching and searching for the chocolate fudge that I had tasted when I was about 8 or 10 years old, if you can believe that! This fudge melted in your mouth and was just a little bit crumbly.

I can remember going to the Christmas Bazaar at the Church on Saturday afternoon with a couple of my school friends. I bought my dime bag of chocolate fudge and I still remember thinking “this is the best Fudge I have ever eaten”.

And when we went back to get another bag, the lady was sold out. A sad day for me!

I think in my quest for “the One” I tasted fudge from any and all chocolate stores. And unfortunately they were all the creamy types usually made with sweetened condensed milk, just like my Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge or this Easy Walnut Fudge I wanted that crumbly melt in your mouth fudge!

Fast forward to a few weeks ago and I decided I would google until I discovered my Chocolate Fudge. And discover I did, thanks to Hershey’s, apparently it is their Recipe that gives you that divine fudge.

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Table of Contents

Recipe Ingredients

Sugar – granulated
Cocoa powder – unsweetened dutch processed
Salt
Milk – whole/heavy milk
Butter – I use salted – room temperature

How to make Chocolate Fudge

Line a square pan with buttered parchment paper. In a medium heavy saucepan stir together the sugar, cocoa and salt, then add the milk and stir with a wooden spoon (not a whisk or metal spoon).

Cook over medium heat stirring continuously until mixture starts to boil, a strong boil. Turn heat to low medium and continue to cook without stirring until the correct temperature is reached.

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Remove the pot from the heat, add the butter and vanilla. Do not stir. Cool to room temperature. Then beat with a wooden spoon just until mixture begins to lose some of it’s gloss.Spread the fudge quickly in the prepared baking dish and let cool completely, even overnight (at room temperature). Cut it into squares.

Adjusting the Fudge Recipe for High Altitude

To adjust the temperature to your altitude, deduct two degrees from the temperature required for every one thousand feet of altitude above sea level. For example, in this Fudge recipe, if you live 5,000 feet above sea level, you would deduct 10 degrees from 234 degrees.

How to Store Homemade Chocolate Fudge

Wrap the cut pieces in parchment paper or aluminum foil and store in an airtight container or sealable plastic bag. Fudged stored at room temperature can last from 7 – 14 days.

Fudge can also be stored in the refrigerator wrapped and placed in an airtight container. In the fridge fudge will last 2 – 3 weeks.

How to freeze it

Freeze the fudge in a double bag, well wrapped. You can freeze it either in pieces or the whole slab. Fudge will keep for up to 3 months in the freezer.

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What to make with fudge

If by chance you have some leftover fudge or for some reason your fudge doesn’t turn out, don’t despair and certainly don’t throw it out! Cut up some fudge add it to some hot milk and stir until smooth and there you have some amazing hot chocolate, maybe the best you have ever had?

Or melt some of the fudge, either in the microwave or over a pot of boiling water and drizzle it over some ice cream or as a ganache on a cake. Hot fudge sauce never tasted so good.

Fudge makes a wonderful gift idea. Wrap it with some transparent wrapping and tie with a bow, or place on a decorative plate or how about place a stick in the middle and make fudge pops!

Can I add Nuts or Peanut Butter

Yes you can add nuts such as walnuts, hazelnuts, pecans, pistachios, peanut butter, mini marshmallows, dried cranberries or even broken candy canes. The best time to add these ingredients is when you add the butter and vanilla. I would also recommend roasting the nuts first to give the best flavor to your fudge.

If you prefer peppermint fudge then substitute the vanilla extract with peppermint extract or even almond or orange.

How to roast nuts

Placenuts in a single layer on an ungreased baking / cookiesheet.Bake in a pre-heated 350F/180C oven for5 to 8 minutes or until they are golden brown, remove immediately from the pan to a clean bowl to cool.

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How to keep your fudge from being gritty or grainy

Make sure the sugar has dissolved.
It could be the fudge wasn’t beaten long enough or hard enough.

Does the weather affect fudge?

Yes it does, on a humid day, once the candy has cooled it may start to absorb moisture from the air, so on a humid day the candy will end up being softer than it is supposed to be.

Therefore it is always better to make candy (fudge) on dry sunny days. Although if you have no choice and you must make it on a humid day, then cook it to the highest recommended temperature, which is 237-240F / 114 – 115C.

Cool weather also helps the candy cool faster that way it has a lesser chance of forming crystals.

Why is my fudge soft?

Most of the time the reason is because your fudge has not reached the right temperature, it is very important to use a good candy thermometer for this.

I hope you enjoy this Homemade Chocolate Fudge! And let me know how you like it. Enjoy!

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More Chocolate Candy Recipes

Homemade Chocolate Mint Filled Chocolates
Chocolate Torrone
Creamy Old Fashioned Caramel Candies
Homemade Italian Chocolate Kisses / Baci

Old Fashioned Chocolate Fudge

Rosemary Molloy

Old Fashioned Chocolate Fudge, creamy and slightly crumbly this melt in your mouth homemade fudge is the best.

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Ingredients

3 cups granulated sugar
2/3 cup cocoa (unsweetened dutch processed)
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1/4 cup butter* (I use salted) (room temperature)
1 teaspoon vanilla

*if you use unsalted butter then increase the salt to 1/4 teaspoon.

Instructions

Line an 8 inch square pan with buttered parchment paper.
In a medium heavy saucepan stir together sugar, cocoa and salt, then add the milk and stir with a wooden spoon (not a whisk or metal spoon).
Cook over medium heat stirring continuously until mixture starts to boil (a strong boil), approximately 15 minutes.
Turn heat to low medium and continue to cook without stirring until temperature reaches 234 °F (112C) Approximately 30 minutes.
Remove pot from heat, add the butter and vanilla. Do not stir. Cool to room temperature (110°F/43C), approximately 30 minutes. Then beat with a wooden spoon just until mixture begins to lose some of it's gloss (approximately 6-8 minutes).
Then spread quickly in prepared cake pan and let cool completely, even overnight (at room temperature). Cut into squares. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
You can also freeze the fudge in a double bag, well wrapped. Freeze either in pieces or the whole slab. Can be frozen up to 3 months. Keeps in an airtight container for approximately 2 weeks or in the fridge for 3-4 weeks. Enjoy!

Notes

To store the fudge, wrap the cut pieces in parchment paper and store in an airtight container or sealable plastic bag. Fudged stored at room temperature can last from 7 – 14 days.

Fudge can also be stored in the refrigerator wrapped and placed in an airtight container. In the fridge fudge will last 2 – 3 weeks.

To freeze it – freeze the fudge in a double bag, well wrapped. Freeze either in pieces or the whole slab. It can be frozen for up to 3 months.

For High Altitude –to adjust the temperature to your altitude, deduct two degrees from the temperature required for every one thousand feet of altitude above sea level. For example, in the recipe that follows, if you live 5,000 feet above sea level, you would deduct 10 degrees from 234 degrees. https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1988-01-28-8803260034-story.html

Helpful tips

“Rub the sides of the sauce pan you’ll be using with butter. Apparently if one grain of uncooked sugar gets in with the sugar mixture, it will turn the cooked sugar back into grandular sugar, and make it grainy again. The butter will melt as the pan gets hot, causing the sugar to slide into the pan. I’ve used butter to rub the sides of my pan for years. Also never scrape the sides of your pan while cooking. This really works. The fudge comes out as a very smooth texture”. Rhonda

“Absolutely loved making this. I doubled the batch and the temp took a little over an hour to get there. Adjusting the temp to almost a medium on our ultra heat burner. Then I placed my pot by a cracked window to allow the cold air to help cool it down to 110. When it’s only 9° out this helped! Added almond slices and coconut flakes”. – Krista

“I use to always use this Hershey recipe, but it’s has been years since I’ve made fudge. Tried a batch this weekend and it reminded me of how I used to fix the fails I’ve been reading about. If the fudge never sets or turns to concrete in a pan, do not despair. If too soft, heat it up again to temp (234 F for Hershey recipe – if too soft your thermometer was probably off). If it was too hard add a little milk as it melts, I cook just until melted. Remove from heat, add a pat of butter on top and let cool and beat as before. I used to call it my special twice cooked fudge recipe”. Gustavo

Nutrition

Did You Make This Recipe?Please leave a comment below or pin it to your Pinterest account!

Updated from November 18, 2017.