Although no one knows for sure how or when fudge originated, it might have started sometime before 1886 with a botched, or "fudged," batch of caramels. The earliest fudge recipe was recorded by a student at Vassar and contained only four ingredients: white sugar, cream, unsweetened chocolate and butter. Today's recipes have evolved to include marshmallow cream or sweetened condensed milk, which help to keep the sugar from crystallizing and giving fudge an unpleasant, grainy texture.
Step 1
Line the baking pan with foil, letting it hang over the sides of the pan.
Step 2
Mix the sugar, marshmallow cream, evaporated milk and butter in the saucepan.
Step 3
Cook the mixture over medium heat until it comes to a full boil, stirring constantly to prevent it from sticking to the pan.
Step 4
Boil the fudge mixture for seven minutes, stirring constantly.
Step 5
Remove the pan from the heat.
Step 6
Add the chocolate chips and milk-chocolate candy to the mixture and stir until it's smooth.
Step 7
Stir in the vanilla.
Step 8
Add the almonds, if desired.
Step 9
Pour the fudge into the foil-lined pan and let it cool until it's firm.
Step 10
Grasp the foil and remove the fudge from the pan.
Step 11
Peel the foil away from the fudge.
Step 12
Cut the fudge into 1-inch squares.
Tips and Warnings
- Store your fudge in a container with a tight-fitting lid. This recipe makes about four pounds of fudge.
Things You'll Need
- Baking pan, 9 inches square or 13-by-9-by-2 inches
- Foil
- 4-quart saucepan
- 4 cups sugar
- 7 oz. marshmallow cream
- 1-1/2 cups evaporated milk (one 12-oz. can)
- 1 tbs. butter or margarine
- 2 cups (one 12-oz. package) semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 7 oz. milk chocolate candy, broken into pieces
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup toasted slivered almonds (optional)
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