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.
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To prepare pan: Butter 9-by-13-inch pan. Set aside.
To make fudge: In large saucepan, mix sugar and evaporated milk. Bring to a boil. Cook stirring, for 6 minutes. Remove from heat. Add butter. Stir until melted. Add chocolate chips and vanilla. Use mixer to beat until thick.
The main reason is that your Fudge has not reached the optimum temperature. If your mixture only reaches 110 or 112 degrees Celsius it will always be soft. That's why we recommend investing in a sugar thermometer. Another reason your Fudge is not setting is that the ratio of liquid to sugar is too high.
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!
If you end up with soft fudge that turns into a puddle in your hands or hard fudge that is a bit reminiscent of a crunchy candy, improper temperature is likely to blame. If you don't heat your fudge to a high enough temperature, you'll end up with a soft product.
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. This can take 1 to 1/2 hours.
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.
You can bring it back to a boil with a bit of water, cooking it to the proper temp this time, and go from there. You can melt it with a bit of additional cream and make hot fudge sauce.
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.
Coarse grainy fudge results when large crystals are allowed to form. Butter is added in the final stages to add flavor and smoothness and inhibit large crystal formation. Use unsalted butter so you can add a small amount of salt (¼ teaspoon per stick of butter) to the sugar/liquid mixture.
Brush the sides of the pan with a wet brush at the beginning of cooking to dissolve sugar crystals stuck to the sides. Never stir the mixture during cooking or sugar could crystallize again. The mixture may seize and become grainy. Use a candy thermometer or conduct a cold water test to check if the fudge is done.
At this temperature, the sugar is too concentrated and there is not enough water left to form syrup around sugar crystals. The result is hard and brittle fudge. To save the fudge, put it in a saucepan with 45 to 60 ml (3 or 4 tbsp.)
Once the fudge reaches soft-ball stage on the candy thermometer, remove from the heat and let the temperature drop to 110°F. Keep that spoon or spatula out of the pot until this happens. If you stir too early in the process, you'll make the sugar crystals too big and end up with grainy fudge.
A lot of big crystals in fudge makes it grainy. By letting the fudge cool without stirring, you avoid creating seed crystals. Stirring would help sucrose molecules "find" one another and start forming crystals.
The amount of time you cook fudge directly affects its firmness. Too little time and the water won't evaporate, causing the fudge to be soft. Conversely, cook it too long and fudge won't contain enough water, making it hard with a dry, crumbly texture.
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.
The key to successful, nongrainy fudge is in the cooling, not the cooking. The recipe calls for heating the ingredients to the soft-ball stage, or 234° F, then allowing it to cool undisturbed to approximately 110° F.
One or two degrees can make all the difference. The syrup can cool down slowly, by staying in the saucepan at room temperature, or you can speed up the process by putting the saucepan in a sink filled with cold water.
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 Rev. Leonie Wyman, I am a colorful, tasty, splendid, fair, witty, gorgeous, splendid person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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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!