The BEST Fudge Recipe | foodiecrush.com (original) (raw)

This homemade fudge recipe is easy to make with evaporated milk, marshmallows, butter, and chocolate chips making it the best chocolate fudge I’ve ever sunk my teeth into.

I have lots of treats I love to make during the holidays. Recipes like my Christmas wreath cookies, chocolate dipped almond cookies, and my homemade Baileys Irish Cream are fun traditions that spread holiday cheer. But my all-time favorite is my mom’s homemade fudge recipe. It’s rich, fudgy, and delivers a solid bite your teeth will easily sink into. This old-fashioned fudge recipe is a family legend originally from my grandma. But to me, it’s all my mom’s. Instead of condensed milk, this chocolate fudge is made with evaporated milk, melted marshmallows, and sugar mixed into softened butter, chocolate chips, and nuts. Our secret to making great fudge is to vigorously mix the ingredients with a wooden spoon until it’s glossy and put it into a baking dish. Come Christmas, it’s my annual neighbor gift, and just like my mom, I love it most with my morning coffee. Hey, it’s the holidays, so why not?!

Why You’ll Love It
What is Traditional Fudge Made of
How to Make This Fudge Recipe
Easy Fudge Recipe Mix-Ins and Variations
Storage Tips
Recipe FAQ’s and Storage Tips
Tips for Making the Best Homemade Fudge
Tools Needed to Make This Fudge Recipe
More Sweet Holiday Treats You’ll Want to Make Too
THE BEST Easy Fudge Recipe

Why You’ll Love It

This homemade fudge recipe is SO easy to make with pantry ingredients.
It’s rich and addictive, with the best creamy texture that keeps in the refrigerator for a week or more.
This fudge recipe is the perfect holiday treat, or gift to friends, family, or neighbors.

What is Traditional Fudge Made of

My mom has some definite rules when it comes to the ingredients that make the best fudge recipe, and they are:

Marshmallows: Make sure your marshmallows are fresh when making this fudge recipe. My mom’s recipe calls for 12-15 jet-puffed marshmallows, not the extra large, just the regular size. She says the more marshmallows you use, the more the fudge will taste of marshmallows. We both usually use 15.
Evaporated milk: Use the full-fat evaporated milk. This isn’t the time to worry about calorie skimping.
Sugar: There’s not much to say here than what was said above. Just enjoy it.
Chocolate chips: Semi-sweet is the way to go for the best chocolate flavor. My mom says Ghirardelli is her favorite so that’s what I use.
Butter: Your butter should be at room temperature so it melts quicker when the hot ingredients and the chocolate chips are added.
Vanilla: Use a high-quality vanilla extract, not the cheap stuff. The few dollars make a big difference.
Nuts: Nuts are optional, but we love the smooth and crunchy of the combo. We use pecans but you could try walnuts instead. Mom says don’t chop the nuts too fine or they’ll disappear in the fudge.

Find the complete recipe with measurements below.

How to Make This Fudge Recipe

Prep your fudge dish. Use an 8 X 8-inch glass baking dish or a 7 x 1 1-inch oblong dish. Save the butter wrapper to wipe and grease the baking dish. My mom leaves it at that, but I also line the pan with parchment paper so I can easily pull the chilled chocolate fudge out like a brick.
Cook the sugar, evaporated milk, and marshmallows. For greater temperature control, we use a non-stick electric fry pan to cook the fudge. Add the sugar and evaporated milk to the cold fry pan and stir until smooth. Add the marshmallows and set the fry pan to 250°F. Cook, stirring constantly, until the marshmallows have melted and turned a lovely golden brown color.
Add the hot marshmallow mixture to a large bowl filled with the chocolate chips, softened butter, and vanilla. Use a strong wooden spoon to stir the mixture until the butter melts. This is why you must be sure your butter is at room temperature so it melts easily.

Use your muscles to stir for a glossy finish. Add the nuts, then beat the chocolate mixture with the wooden spoon for 2 minutes or as long as you can, scraping down the sides as you go. Work quickly so the fudge doesn’t set.
Transfer the fudge mixture to the prepared baking dish. My mom suggests shaking the pan so the fudge evenly distributes. I use a cake spatula to make swirls and swoops, like frosting, or you could give it a smoother finish if you’d like.
Refrigerate the fudge for at least 3 hours up to overnight, then slice and serve. Store in the refrigerator where it will keep for at least one week.

Easy Fudge Recipe Mix-Ins and Variations

You probably could, although I’ve only ever made this fudge recipe as written. But I don’t see why you couldn’t add any of the following:

Mini marshmallows
Chopped Oreos
Crushed peppermint candy, candy canes, or mint extract
White chocolate chips
Peanut butter or Nutella
Other types of nuts, such as pistachios, walnuts, or macadamia nuts
Dried fruit, such as cranberries, blueberries, or tart cherries
Top with flaky sea salt

Storage Tips

This chocolate fudge will last for 7-10 days in the fridge. Keep it covered with plastic wrap to prevent fridge smells from soaking into it, or transfer it to an airtight container.
Homemade fudge can be frozen. Wrap it with several layers of plastic wrap or aluminum foil and then place it in an airtight container or freezer bag in the freezer. It should keep in the freezer for about 3-5 months.

Recipe FAQ’s and Storage Tips

What is the secret to good fudge? My mom’s traditional homemade fudge recipe, is all about using high-quality chocolate, room-temperature butter, and fresh marshmallows (and allowing proper time for your fudge to set).
Should homemade fudge be refrigerated? Yes, this fudge recipe does need to be refrigerated. It will last in the refrigerator for 7-10 days.
How long does fudge need to set? This homemade fudge recipe needs at least 3 hours in the refrigerator to set. It must be stored in the fridge to set up, otherwise, it’s too soft to slice properly and won’t last as long.
Can I use sweetened condensed milk? No, evaporated milk and sweetened condensed milk are two totally different milk products. You must use evaporated milk in this chocolate fudge recipe.

Tips for Making the Best Homemade Fudge

Use the best quality ingredients. This homemade fudge recipe is so simple, so you need to use the best quality ingredients you can get your hands on. Real vanilla, high-quality chocolate chips, and real butter are all key ingredients here.
Use an electric fry pan to cook the fudge. The sugar, evaporated milk, and marshmallows are cooked in non-stick electric fry pan. I’ve found it’s the easiest way to keep the temperature accurate and consistent. This is the frying pan I use. I’ve never made this fudge on the stovetop so I don’t know how it would turn out if you do.
How to make sure your fudge doesn’t crystallize. Mom says to mix the sugar and the evaporated milk, then add the marshmallows before turning on the heat. Keep your heat at 250°F and stir constantly until the marshmallows melt.
The key to avoiding crystallization is to continue to cook the marshmallow mixture until it turns a light, tawny brown, scraping down the sides of the frying pan as it cooks.

Tools Needed to Make This Fudge Recipe

More Sweet Holiday Treats You’ll Want to Make Too

If you mak e this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.

Mom's Homemade Easy Fudge Recipe | foodiecrush.com #chocolate #fudge #recipes #Christmas

This homemade fudge recipe is easy to make with evaporated milk, sugar, marshmallows, butter, and chocolate chips making it the best chocolate fudge I've ever sunk my teeth into.

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Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword fudge

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Refrigerate 3 hours

Total Time 3 hours 30 minutes

Servings 32

Calories 169kcal

8 tablespoons butter , at room temperature and sliced
12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips , (Mom recommends Ghirardelli)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups granulated sugar
⅔ cup evaporated milk
15 regular sized marshmallows , (make sure they're fresh)
¾ cup pecans , roughly chopped

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

In a large mixing bowl, add the room-temperature butter, chocolate chips, and vanilla. Save the butter wrapper to butter a 7 x 11-inch or 8 x 8-inch baking dish. Snugly fit the dish with a piece of parchment paper, allowing enough parchment to fall over the long sides of the pan, like a sling, and set aside.
In a non-stick electric frying pan, stir together the sugar and the evaporated milk until smooth. Add the marshmallows and set the frying pan to 250°F.
Cook and constantly stir the marshmallow mix with a rubber spatula, cleaning the sides of the pan as the marshmallows begin to melt. Avoid getting sugar on the sides of the fry pan or the fudge could turn crystally. Once the marshmallows have melted, continue cooking and stirring until the mixture turns a tawny tan color and smells toasty, about 5 minutes.
Turn off the heat and pour the hot mixture over the butter and chocolate chips in the bowl. Working quickly, use a wooden spoon to stir the butter and chocolate until they melt and combine. Add the nuts, then vigorously stir the mixture until glossy, about 2 minutes.
Transfer the chocolate mixture to the prepared baking dish and smooth the top with an angled offset spatula. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight.
To serve, let the fudge sit for 1-2 minutes after removing it from the fridge, and use the parchment paper to lift the fudge from the pan to a cutting board. Cut, and serve. The fudge can be stored in the refrigerator for 7-10 days (if it doesn't get eaten up before! :))

The fudge can be stored in the refrigerator for 7-10 days.

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