We bought our house and moved to the town where we currently live a little over 2 years ago. Slowly, we’re discovering all of the fun local events, stores, restaurants, etc. One of our first discoveries was a local orchard/farm stand. The orchard holds numerous events each fall and we’ve attended at least one each year. If you ask Shane, he’d tell you that his favorite part about the trip to the orchard is the stop in the store to buy fudge. Though I bake plenty of treats around here, fudge is not one of them so this orchard fudge is a real treat!
A few weeks ago I saw a fudge recipe in the latest issue of Fine Cooking and I thought maybe I’d give it a shot so fudge didn’t have to be just a once a year treat for Shane. I’ve been talking about making it since then (just ask my buddies on Twitter – I’m sure they were sick of hearing about it). Finally, I got in the kitchen and made it this weekend and now I’m not sure why I waited so long – it really wasn’t very tricky. The instructions provided by Fine Cooking are explicit and clear so I don’t think you can go wrong. I’m not someone who enjoys fudge all that much, but I thought this fudge was tasty plus it had a very creamy and smooth texture! Of course, the only opinion that really mattered was Shane’s and he gave the fudge an enthusiastic thumbs up too! The fudge keeps for a week or more at room temperature so it’s a great make ahead treat for the holidays if you’re looking for ideas.
I did run into one issue with this recipe and I’m hoping more experienced fudge makers can help me out! After I poured my fudge into the baking pan to set, tons of air bubbles formed on the surface. Is that normal? If not, what can I do to avoid it? Thanks!
Creamy Chocolate Fudge
from Fine Cooking, December 2009/January 2010
3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
3 3/4 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 teaspoon table salt
In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan (I used a 3 qt this time & it was ok but a 4 qt would be even better), combine the sugar, cream, chocolate, corn syrup, and salt and stir with a wooden spoon or heatproof spatula until the ingredients are moistened. Stirring gently and constantly, bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, 7 to 12 minutes. Cover the saucepan and let the steam clean the sides of the pan for 2 minutes.
Spray a candy thermometer with cooking spray and then clip it to the pot, being careful not to let the tip of the thermometer touch the bottom of the pot, or you might get a false reading. Let the mixture boil without stirring until it reaches 236 F to 238 F, 2 to 5 minutes. Take the pan off the heat and add the butter, but do not stir it into the mixture. Set the pan on a rack in a cool part of the kitchen. Donβt disturb the pan in any way until the mixture has cooled to 110 F, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
Meanwhile, line the bottom and sides of an 8×8-inch baking pan with foil, leaving a 2-inch overhang on two opposite sides of the pan. Butter the foil. Set the pan aside.
Remove the thermometer from the fudge mixture. Using a hand mixer, beat the mixture on high speed until it is a few shades lighter in color and thickens enough that the beaters form trails that briefly expose the bottom of the pan as they pass through, 10 to 20 minutes. Pour the thickened fudge into the prepared pan, using a rubber spatula to help nudge it out of the pot. You can scrape the bottom of the pot but not the sides; any crystals that stick to the pot stay in the pot. Smooth the top of the fudge with the spatula. Set the pan on a rack and let the fudge cool completely, about 2 hours. The fudge will be slightly soft the day itβs made but will firm up overnight.
Turn the fudge out onto a clean cutting board and peel off the foil. Turn the slab of fudge right side up and cut it into 25 equal pieces.
The fudge will keep for a week to 10 days stored in an airtight container at room temperature.
I wish I could be helpful but I’ve never had much luck making fudge. (The last time it worked I was 10 years old and used Marshmallow Fluff. Of course it tasted good, I was ten.) It looks like yours is a success – creamy and delicious!
i’ve got no experience with fudge, so this is all in theory… but i’m assuming the bubbles are natural and i’d say lift your pan a few inches off the counter and let it fall down to bring the bubbles to the surface and pop them π
again, completely in theory! π
Love that you FINALLY made the fudge. ‘Bout time, Tracey.
Ditto on what jeannette said about bubbles.
Gonna try your recipe for Christmas hols.
Tracey, I’m so impressed that you made actual, real fudge! I have that magazine and the recipe scared me – I’m a candy-making crybaby. How wonderful that you were able to make one of Shane’s favorites.
Looks delicious, Tracey! If you rap the pan on the counter, the air bubbles should rise to the surface and you can smooth it all out with a palette knife.
I have never made fudge ever. It is one of those things that is so sweet to me, I can hardly take one bite. How fun that you made some at home though. I have no idea about the air bubbles.
This would be a good food gift!
I am looking for a fudge recipe that doesn’t include marshmallow fluff or anything marshmallowy for that matter – so I’ll give this a try and let you know how it works out. Especially about the bubbles.
Beautiful fudge! That’s one of my favorite holiday treats… I will have to give your recipe a try, it looks delish!
I used to make fudge every Christmas but haven’t in about five years. This looks so good! Yes, rap it on the counter, that will work π
I take a piece of plastic wrap and place it directly on top of my fudge. Then I run my fingers on top of the plastic wrap. This allows you to smooth out the top so there are no air bubbles. I then put the fudge into the refrigerator to cool. I leave the plastic wrap on until I’m ready to cup the fudge into squares.
I love fudge, any time of the year! This recipe looks authentic and delicious.
why oh why have i never made fudge? hmm, might be time to remedy that.
Not a fudge maker either. But I must say…that looks so creamy and decadent. Nice job! I’m sure Shane was happy.
Im not a big fudge maker but I love to eat it! I think your fudge looks creamy and dreamy!
I’m not a huge fudge fan either.. it’s so sweet! I always love watching the people who work at the fudge stores make it though. It looks like lots of fun!
Looks good. Read and know failsafe fudge requires marshmallow. Like your different ingredients.
author of the new book
The Healing Powers of Chocolate
These look positively sinful!
These look positively sinful!
These look positively sinful!
These look positively sinful!
These look positively sinful!
These look positively sinful!
These look positively sinful!
These look positively sinful!
I think that the fudge looks wonderful — bubbles or not. I love fudge, there’s a candy store about 6 blocks away from me that sells homemade fudge, but I’ve never tried it. I think about it a lot though!
I love that this recipe doesn’t use marshmallow fluff. I bet it tastes ah-mazing!!
Fudge is easier make than most people think. Yours looks delish!! Good easy recipe
Now that is my kind of fudge. A tradtional cooked fudge is so much better than one made with melted chocolate chips and marshmallows.
Great picture too.
Fantastic! I usually just try to tap the bottom of the pan against the counter to try and get the bubbles to the surface and also pop them. But it’s fine if they’re there — honestly, when there’s fudge, it won’t last long enough for anyone to notice anything else!
I think you’re getting all the bubbles because you’re basically whipping it with a mixer. I beat my similar recipe by hand (and not as long as 15 minutes) so I’ve never encountered the bubble problem. Maybe if you whipped it for less time then stirred it by hand the last few turns, it would probably stir out the bubbles.
So rich! I could go for a taste:)
Thanks for loving our chocolate fudge recipe, Tracey! I’m going to ask FC’s editors about those bubbles and get back to you. From the looks of it though, your fudge was no worse for the wear. Gorgeous!
– Robyn@FineCooking.com
Thanks for all the comments and suggestions everyone! I appreciate it π
Robyn – thanks for stopping by! I’d love to hear any feedback you received from FC’s editors.
This was extremely tasty, hopefully it won’t be quite so long before you can make it again!
I love fudge.
I was going to say rap it on the counter, but looks like others did, too. I like the other comment to cover it with plastic wrap and smooth it out.
Check with Anna at http://www.cookiemadness.net. She recently went through a huge fudge phase and tried lots of different recipes. And I don’t know why, but it seems like she even did this one. Can’t recall. I know it was from a magazine.
Anyway, it certainly looks fudgy and good.
That looks fabulous, Tracey! Now I really want some fudge. =) This particular recipe is definitely on my list of stuff to make for the holidays.
mmmm fudge! these look amazing they look so chewy and chocolatey
I love fudge and my hubby loves it even more! your fudge is cut into such perfect squares – so chocolately and delicious!
i am drooling! i haven’t made fudge much, but i do seem to remember bubbles! happy thanksgiving
I love love love fudge. Yours looks delicious!!
π amy
This may sound like a silly question to all you experienced bakers, but it’s something I’ve never really understood.
Why does the recipe call for unsalted butter and then later call for 1 tsp of salt? Couldn’t you just use salted butter and omit the salt?
Any insight on this would be appreciated!! I want to make sure I do everything right when I make this delicious-sounding fudge!!
@LilMissDixie: Most bakers prefer to use unsalted butter so they can control the amount of salt in a particular recipe. Salted butters don’t all contain the same amount of salt so it usually leads to more consistent results to use unsalted.
Just made your recipe – always wanted to make fudge as it’s my husbands fave, and it was wonderful, thankyou!!
I mixed it using a wooden spoon for 5mins and only had a couple of large air pockets which were easy to eradicate. The consistency was perfect so this might be a nice method!?
Cant wait to make another batch using this as the standard to add more fun ingredients π