I am an admitted holiday slacker. You know how Sara spends 3 days decorating her house for every holiday and says things like her epic Valentine’s Day breakfast are no big deal? I would love to be awesome like that, but alas, I am not. I am a low-key holiday-er.
Now, granted, we just got back from vacation…
and during the last few days of our vacation, I caught a little virus and haven’t been feeling great. And even though I didn’t eat turkey on Thanksgiving this year, I’ve been busy baking my own little butterball, if you get what I’m saying. Do you get what I’m saying? We’ll get to meet the little turkey in June, which means I’m smack dab in the middle of lovely morning sickness and exhaustion. So yeah, it may be the week after Thanksgiving, but I still have a stray Halloween decoration up, nary a Christmas tree in sight.
Because I’m already behind and because I’m a holiday slacker, one of my favorite holiday treats is this fudge. It is so dang easy, not like that temperamental toffee that I can only get to work 1/3 of the time, or time-consuming like caramel-wrapping. You can make it in less than a half hour, let it chill in the fridge for up to a couple of days, then cut it into squares and deliver it. Or eat it all yourself. Although I’m pretty darn sure that 5 pounds of fudge translates into much, much more than 5 pounds of body fat.
I got the original version of this recipe years ago off the same mommy message board where Sara and I “met” (all over again) when my oldest was a baby. I’ve tweaked a few things to be consistent for the widest amount of readers, but Kathy Jacobs, wherever you are, this is the easiest, most delicious fudge I’ve ever made.
You’ll need a 12-oz. can of evaporated milk, 4 cups of sugar, and 2 1/4 cups of mini marshmallows.
I know some people think marshmallows in fudge are cheating. Are they? Maybe. But marshmallows also make consistently good fudge because the “candy” part is already done for you. And anything that makes the holidays easier (and yummy fudge into my snack plans) is good in my book, cheating or not.
Cook the marshmallows, sugar, and evaporated milk
over medium heat, stirring frequently (constantly at the end, preferably with long sleeves and a hot pad, not that I’m speaking from any kind of firsthand experience), until the mixture reaches 230 degrees. Remove from heat.
While the marshmallow mixture is cooking, line a 9×13″ pan with aluminum foil, allowing the edges to hang over the edge. Spray with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
While keeping an eye (and spoon) on the marshmallow mixture, combine 1 12-oz. bag of milk chocolate chips, 1/2 c. of semi-sweet chocolate chips, 2 sticks of butter, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla in a large glass or metal mixing bowl (or the bowl of your stand mixer).
When the marshmallow mixture has finished cooking, pour it over the chocolate chip mixture. Use a heavy-duty mixer, a handheld electric mixer, or a whisk to beat the mixture together on low speed until the chocolate is completely melted, all the ingredients are fully combined, and it’s just starting to lose its sheen.
Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Place the pan in the refrigerator and allow to cool completely.
Now…this is a great jumping-off point for adding other ingredients. If you want to add nuts, you could always add chopped walnuts or pecans to the mixture before pouring the it into the pan. You could use those fancy new-fangled peppermint marshmallows instead of regular marshmallows to make peppermint fudge and then sprinkle chopped Andes mints on top of the fudge before it cools. You could top it off with marshmallows and chopped nuts for rocky road fudge or even make half of the fudge mixture with peanut butter chips and then swirl the two mixtures together. The sky is the limit. Well, at least the candy-making sky–you can’t make the fudge into, say, 2 million dollars, awesome as that would be.
After the fudge has cooled completely, cut it into 1″ squares and deliver it to unsuspecting neighbors, friends, and teachers. And yourself. Never forget to deliver fudge to yourself.
This will make about 117 1″ pieces of fudge. That’s a lot of happy people with very little effort on your part.
Creamy Chocolate Fudge
Recipe adapted by Our Best Bites from Kathy Jacobs
1 12-oz. can evaporated milk
4 cups granulated sugar
2 1/4 cups mini marshmallows
1 12-oz. bag milk chocolate chips
1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 sticks butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
In a large heavy saucepan, combine the milk, sugar, and marshmallows and insert a candy thermometer into the mixture. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently (constantly at the end) until the temperature reaches 240 degrees.
While the marshmallow mixture is cooking, line a 9×13″ pan with foil and spray it with non-stick cooking spray and set it aside.
After you spray the pan, combine the butter, chocolate chips, and vanilla in a large glass or metal bowl (or the bowl of your stand mixer). When the marshmallow mixture is cooked, pour it over the chocolate chip mixture. Beat the mixture with a hand-held electric mixer, your stand mixer, or a hand-held whisk on low speed until the mixture is well-combined, smooth, and just starting to lose its sheen. Pour it into the prepared pan. Chill completely in the refrigerator before cutting into 1″ squares.
Optional Mix-Ins, Toppings, and Changes:
-Use peppermint marshmallows and top with chopped Andes mints for peppermint fudge
-Use 1/2 chocolate chips and 1/2 peanut butter chips (in 2 separate bowls) and then swirl the two mixtures together for peanut butter fudge.
-Add 1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts or pecans
-Top with chopped walnuts or pecans and marshmallows for rocky road fudge
Makes 117 1″ squares/5 pounds of fudge.
Make sure to check out the fun giveaway on The Scoop as well!
Questions & Reviews
Help, what did I do wrong! Mine came out too soft to cut!
See, this is why I hate posting candy recipes, because there are so many variables and I hate it when things go wrong. It sounds like your fudge could’ve used a little more time/heat, and it could be due to all sorts of factors like elevation, humidity, your candy thermometer being even a few degrees off (I would venture to say that most of them are). If you make it again, I would try cooking it to 240.
MMM…this looks good!
Do you think this would ship well??
p.s.-congrats!
I made this today, and was VERY excited to have found peppermint mallows at Wally World. I used those, and added a packet of Starbucks Via (those instant packets), Christmas Blend of course, to make….wait for it… Peppermint Mocha fudge!! Sprinkled some crushed peppermints on top before putting it in the fridge. I found heaven. 🙂
LOVE this blog ladies!!
Thanks for a lovely recipe – really want to try it out.
Just one question – is that 230 degrees Celsius or Fahrenheit? I’m assuming Fahrenheit?
So i followed the recipe, but my double batch of fudge came out to the consistencey of frosting. So delicious though. Did I not cook it to a high enough temp? Would it be possible to recook to get it to firm up more?
See, this is where things get tricky with candy-making. Because every elevation is different, and because every candy thermometer is probably off by at least a few degrees, and because the relative humidity plays a huge factor into how candy turns out, consistency can be hard to reach. Which is honestly why we don’t post a ton of candy recipes. 🙂
I wouldn’t re-cook it–things could get very ugly. But next time, maybe try cooking it to 240 and see how it comes out.
I’m glad it tasted good at least! 🙂
I cooked this last night and even though taste wise its great, mine was crumbly! It wasn’t creamy and smooth and most certainly didn’t “pour” into the pan. I live in SLC, Utah and I followed the printable recipe which states to cook to 240 degrees and yet in the step by step pictorial you state to cook it to 230 degrees. So did I over cook it??? Im sad….was supposed to be for neighbors.
Made this tonight for our family treat. YUMMM!!!! Every recipe we have made of yours is WONDERFUL! And SO congrats on the baby.
Oh my heck, this is the best fudge recipe I have ever tasted and I have been around a long time. I really made it to get a head start on neighbors gifts, but there might not be that much left. Keep them cooming gals, all recipes are so great.
Congrats on your new butterball!!! 🙂
Okay so I tried this tonight. The fudge is still cooling but I sampled the remains in my mixer bowl… and it is delicious! I do have one note though, maybe change the order. Get the chocolate chips and butter and vanilla ready in the mixing bowl first, and then start the marshmallow mixture on the stove. I was scrambling to get it all measured in time because the marshmallow mixture cooked a lot faster (and filled my pot a lot more) than I expected. Can’t wait to try the final product!!
Haha! What a cute way to “announce” your big news! Conrgats and best wishes to a smooth pregnancy.
Thanks for a good fudge recipe, and CONGRATULATIONS!!
Good news on your baby. Congratulations!!
I made the fudge recipe last night. It was really thin as I put it in the 13×9 pan, but I went ahead and chilled it. This morning I went to cut it and it is the consistency of taffy. (Tastes amazing! but I can’t cut it into pieces) I went back through the directions and I followed them. I am wondering if my candy thermometer isn’t right. Could that be why?
Can you make this ahead of time and freeze and it will still taste good unthawed? If so, how long will it store in the freezer?
Absolutely amazing!! Easiest and best fudge I’ve ever made
Just a few ?’s about the fudge…Is it creamy or a little grainy from the sugar? Does it hold up well at room temperature or does it turn soft? Just asking cause I was thinking about making fudge for our entire ward and wanted to hand it out on Christmas Sunday. Thanks! My husband is bishop and we always do something for everyone as our way of saying thanks and we love you…So, if there are any other economical treats out there that would be better let me know. The past 7 Christmases we have chocolate covered pretzels, carmel popcorn, chocolate covered popcorn, chocolate cover licorice, etc. So, just trying to think of something different. Thanks!
It’s definitely creamy (or supposed to be–check out comment #97 to see an answer to graininess concerns… 🙂 ). After it’s chilled, it holds up pretty well, but if you prefer a firmer fudge, try cooking it to 240 degrees. It will dry out more quickly and easily, but it will hold up better at room temp. 🙂
Okay, I made a batch of this to test out and take to our Ward Christmas party last Friday and they were SO creamy and delicious. Needless to say, they were gone in seconds–literally. I used Ghirardelli milk and semi sweet chocolate chips. I will try the Ghirardelli dark chocolate as well. I also added orange oil to half of the recipe and made 2 different kinds, regular milk with chopped pecans and orange flavored. SO good! I will make both of those again as well as batches with crushed candy canes on top and one with mini m&m’s. THANK YOU for sharing this recipe. I haven’t made fudge this easy and this tasty in a VERY long time because I usually get it too grainy or too soft. This was perfect!
I’ve melted white chocolate over pretzels, peanut m&ms, and broken up candy canes. Just add enough pretzels so the chocolate just coats everything. It’s super easy and looks really festive. A little goes a long way too.
Congratulations!!! And thanks for the yummy fudge recipe. Hope you feel better soon.
Kate, congratulations on your lovely news! Your sweet announcement brought tears to my eyes and I’m not a mom nor have any desire to be – but people who are wonderful parents and who want babies should HAVE babies! Best wishes to you and your family.
Thanks for the recipe! I have a little one with multiple food allergies, and since this was already GF, I decided to try to make it dairy free as well. I used dairy-free chocolate chips and dairy-free margarine and instead of the evaporated milk I used coconut milk. They turned out amazing! You couldn’t even taste the coconut and the texture was perfect. Thanks for the inspiration!
Congratulations! We just had our 6th butterball so I’m right there with you on having decorations for the wrong holiday and wanting to make things simple. The only difference is that my morning sickness is done.
You have mentioned your toffee difficulties before and I’m always surprised because I think toffee is so much easier than fudge. I probably just need to practice more. The only thing I’m really good at with fudge is turning grainy or otherwise ruined fudge into the most delicious hot chocolate. As long as you don’t burn the chocolate you can just stir a chunk of it into milk and heat it until it looks ready to drink.
Congratulations! The fudge looks yummy and kid proof!
I got online to try to find some inspiration for dinner tonight, soon to be distracted with talk of fudge and a baby! Congratulations!!
Kate, I LOVE your blog and the great ideas on it. It’s wonderful that you are expecting! Love, Lorraine R.
congrats on the new baby!!!
The thing that makes fudge grainy is the sugar crystalizing. When you stir it over the stove, don’t scrap the sides of the pan when the sugar tends to build up.
That should say…scrape the sides of the pan where the sugar builds up.
Congrats on the new baby!! I am pregnant with our second and due June 24th.
Kate, my fudge turned out horribly grainy! Where did I go wrong?! Oh, it’s awful! Not awful tasting, just awful looking. I’m so depressed. It might just be the nothing-ever-turns-out-right-when-you-make-it-for-someone-else curse.
Oh, I don’t know! That’s so sad! The thing I love about this recipe is that because you don’t cook the chocolate, it’s not supposed to come out grainy. What brand of chocolate did you use?
See the Comment #97 from the genius who I got the recipe from. 🙂
I used hershey’s chips. But it was grainy before I added it to the chocolate. I even cooked it to 235 thinking the sugar would eventually melt…but no luck. I don’t remember scraping the side of the pot too many times to make it a grainy as it was. I’ll try it one more time before I go back to the rachel ray 5-minute fudge. Wish me luck!
Congratulations! I’m 8 1/2 months pregnant with #2, so appreciate any simple holiday foods or ideas. We may have to try this fudge.
Use the foil that you left over the edges to lift the fudge from the pan. Then trim off the ugly, foil-touched edges. Make sure your fudge is cold and then use something like this:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000SSZ4Q4/ref=asc_df_B000SSZ4Q41802975?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=asn&creative=395093&creativeASIN=B000SSZ4Q4
Just cut straight down. For the caramels, try heating up the scraper and it will help with the caramels.
Hope that helps! 🙂
OK, so I’ve been making similar fusge for a few years but using marshmallow cream instead. My question has always been, what’s the easiest way to cut fudge (and apple cider caramels for that matter) without making pieces that look like my kids cut it. Any suggestions?
Delicious! I’m always afraid of making fudge, but this looks fantastic! I’m also due in June! I’ve only had mild morning sickness, but I have had the flu twice ( I threw up Thanksgiving and all my turkey) and then had food poisoning. Nothing like losing 10 pounds in the first trimester! Good luck!