Fanny Farmer Fudge Recipe (Rich and Creamy Fudge) - From This Kitchen Table (2024)
Have you made this Fanny Farmer Fudge recipe before? If not, you have to give it a try because it’s hard to beat!
I know it really is impossible to go wrong with chocolate and butter. After all, all fudge is deliciously rich and decadent. Walking past the fudge shops in a mall, the aroma always gets to me!
Fudge is sold so many places: flower shops, local diners, amusem*nt parks, tourist shops, and I have even seen it at an outdoor sporting goods store.
I can’t bring myself to spend $7.99 for a 1/2 pound when it is so easy and much cheaper to use a homemade fudge recipe. Besides, too many times I’ve found myself let down by the very noticeable corn syrup taste and texture in purchased fudge.
This recipe for Fanny Farmer fudge is what my mom always used and it’s a winner!
So, if you are looking for a rich, soft, and creamy fudge recipe, this one is it!
Because this recipe doesn’t use sweetened condensed milk but instead evaporated milk, you have to boil the milk and the sugar on the stove. It’s worth the few extra minutes, though. Don’t skimp on the boiling!
Let’s talk cost for just a minute. Homemade fudge seems like a pretty expensive dessert to make, but when you look at what a serving size is the price really isn’t bad at all. Don’t forget that compared to what you’d pay for a small square of fudge at a shop, it really is a stellar price to make your own.
Also, I’m well aware fudge is in no way healthy for me. 😉 But it’s a fun, very occasional, indulgence and I can feel a tiny bit better about enjoying enjoy a homemade fudge recipe, right?!
You have to really let the fudge boil. Keep stirring and adjust the heat if needed so it doesn’t boil over.
INGREDIENTS:
Sugar
Evaporated milk
Chocolate chips
Salt
Butter
Vanilla extract
Nuts, optional
After the butter and sugar has boiled on the stuff, add most of the remaining ingredients and carefully transfer to your mixer.
PROCESS AND TIPS:
The first step will be the most time consuming. You have to boil the sugar and milk for 6 minutes, while stirring. Make sure you bring it to a FULL boil before starting the timer. You don’t want to shorten the boiling period at all.
After boiling, you’ll remove from the heat and add the remaining ingredientsexcept for the nuts (if you are using them).
Beat well until completely combined. This requires a lot of beating if mixing by hand so my favorite way to do this is pull out my trusty old KitchenAid with the beater attachment. I pour the mixture into there and let the stand mixer do all the work. I let this beat for around 5-10 minutes! So, don’t worry if when you add the butter it looks as though it won’t combine. Just keep on beating – it will come together!If you don’t have a stand mixer, pull out your hand mixer. If you don’t have either of those, you just get to get an arm workout in as you vigorously stir for a while!
After beating, you will fold in the nuts and spread into a 9×13 pan.
Wait until the fudge is completely cooled before cutting. (Stick it in the fridge if it’s summer time and your house is warm.)
I will store leftover fudge in the freezer, well wrapped and put into a zipped freezer bag or storage container.
I beat the fudge mixture for 5-10 minutes and see how beautifully it comes together?!
I hope you enjoy this Fanny Farmer Fudge recipe is much as my family does. Homemade fudge is great for a Christmas treat, gift, or just for fun!
This rich and creamy Fanny Farmer Fudge recipe is the best! It's rich, creamy, and decadent - all the things a fudge should be.
Ingredients
4½ cups sugar
1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk (or homemade)
18 ounces (3 cups) semisweet chocolate chips
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup butter
3 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup chopped nuts, optional
Instructions
Boil sugar and milk for 6 minutes while stirring constantly. (Start timing when it's at a rolling boil.)
Remove from heat.
Add remaining ingredients except nuts.
Beat well until thoroughly combined. This will be easiest with a hand mixer or KitchenAid stand mixer. Beat for around 5-10 minutes, longer if doing it by hand. If you stop too soon the butter might separate.
Fold in nuts.
Spread into a 9x13 pan.
After it's firmed up (bring to room temperature and cool in the fridge if your house is warm), cut into squares.
Leftover fudge can be stored in the freezer.
Notes
Use chocolate chips that you enjoy the flavor of on their own since they will be the star of the show!
Originally published December 13, 2013. Updated August 20, 2020.
This week continues all things Christmas at From this Kitchen Table. (Find all the postshere.) Be sure to come back next week week for a fabulous recipe for a gingerbread latte and more! You can follow us onFacebookorsubscribe by e-mailto be sure you don’t miss out!
Super Easy Fudge - 1 can Eagle brand condensed milk ( 14 oz ) 1 1/2 bags of chocolate chips ( 11.5 oz bags is what I use) any flavor you wish 1 cup chopped walnuts ( optional ) Microwave in bowl till creamy, pour into a 8x8 baking dish, cool for 2 hours cut and serve.
Tiny microcrystals in fudge are what give it its firm texture. The crystals are small enough, however, that they don't feel grainy on your tongue, but smooth. While you ultimately want crystals to form, it's important that they don't form too early.
If your fudge turned out super sticky, or it didn't set as it cooled, it probably never got hot enough. This mistake is super easy to avoid if you use a candy thermometer and cook the fudge to the temperature specified in the recipe (usually between 234 and 239°F).
In 1992, Fannie May, a similar Midwest company, bought Fanny Farmer and 200 retail stores at that time. Over the next decade, the two candy brands experienced a bankruptcy, a buyout and a merger. The last Fanny Farmer retail store closed in the early 2000s.
By cooling the fudge prior to agitation (like in the recipes included in this article), on the other hand, you'll get much smaller, finer sugar crystals and a finished fudge with a smooth, creamy texture. Cool the mixture until it reads 120° F on the thermometer—no stirring.
It's the size of sugar crystals that makes the knees of fudge lovers buckle…the smaller the crystals, the less they are perceived on the tongue and the more the fudge tastes smooth and creamy. Cooking, and beating after cooking, is the key to successful fudge.
If your fudge is soft or runny, it probably didn't come up to a high enough temperature while it was cooking. Put it back into the saucepan and add 1–2 US tbsp (15–30 ml) of 35% fat whipping cream. Stir the fudge as it heats, but only until the sugar in the chocolate is completely melted again.
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!
Those who have dealt with sugar cookery and candy making in the past will recognize 235°F (113°C) as the bottom of the “softball” stage. This means that a drop of syrup at this temperature when dropped into a glass of cold water will form a ball that can be smashed between the fingers.
Stir the ingredients to dissolve the sugar until the mixture comes to a boil. If your recipe uses milk, stirring will keep the mixture from curdling. But once it reaches about 236–238 degrees F/113–114 degrees C (the "soft-ball" stage), do not stir it or even shake the pan.
OPTION 3) Sieve together some powdered sugar and cocoa powder, and gradually work this into your unset fudge until it reaches the consistency of dough, then roll out and cut into squares, or shape into balls and then roll in powdered sugar (roll the balls in icing sugar, not yourself).
The ingredients for fudge are combined and cooked to 234 degrees, cooled to 110 degrees without stirring, then beaten until creamy. Candy that isn't cooked long enough will end up too soft; overcooking makes fudge crumbly or hard.
Once the sugar has dissolved and the mixture has come to a boil, do not stir it. If you do, the sugar can crystallize, giving your fudge a gritty texture. As you beat the fudge, pay attention to color and texture. Once the fudge loses its sheen and thickens, put down your spoon.
The team has the process down pat: One person weighs the ingredients—raw chocolate from Germany, sugar from Bay City, and cream and butter—into a copper kettle set over a propane gas burner. The maker constantly stirs with an oak paddle until the sugary mixture reaches a roaring boil, about 16 to 17 minutes.
How can you fix soft fudge? Put it in a microwave safe bowl that is large enough that it won't boil over.Reheat it to the boiling point and cook for about 3 more minutes. Then you can beat some powdered sugar into it if this doesn't make it set.
If you do not want your fudge to be overly sweet, you can combine 1 tbsp corn starch with 1 tbsp water and slowly mix into your fudge mixture. This should allow your fudge to thicken, because cornstarch is a thickeneing agent in desserts.
Introduction: My name is Kelle Weber, I am a magnificent, enchanting, fair, joyous, light, determined, joyous person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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