It must have been in the mid 1980’s when this famous fudge recipe was published in the local paper. I remember wanting a new fudge recipe and since this was from my favorite candy store, I was excited to try it for the holidays.
This candy store is in the Western United States…as far as Texas…I believe…a very familiar white and black box….to walk in any of their stores and take a deep breath is pure heaven. That’s how my kitchen smells when I make it, so it’s worth the effort.
It is very satisfying when this recipe works for another reason.
I LOVE the look on family and friend’s faces when they take that first bite. I suppose it’s close to voyeurism but….I’ve even come up with a new lexicon for it….
“Fudge Porn”… The look on someone’s face when biting into fudge I made for Christmas. “The look on her face as she inhaled the piece of fudge was *%!#^*&#. “ (This is a family show.)
This is a tricky recipe. I am sure that seasoned candy makers will read the following recipe and say, “That’s easy!” There’s nothing to it!” But one of the first years I made it, all did not go according to plan.
Money was tight and candy ingredients were expensive, at least it seemed that way to me. We had planned to give this famous fudge as Christmas gifts. I bought all the ingredients; I had purchased cute holiday pans. Everything was assembled; even my husband was willing to help.
I was at the stove stirring, and stirring. I followed the recipe to the letter. The mixture had come to a boil, maybe it had boiled too long before the temperature was lowered. Maybe it was because it was raining outside….but even after it went through the mixing cycle, it never got dull or thick. It went into the refrigerator to chill and harden, and it never did.
Seriously. It. NEVER. Hardened. Viagra & Cialis wouldn’t have helped.
There was no way that I was going to waste all that chocolate and butter.
What did I do, you ask? We incurred the additional expense of canning jars; we slapped fancy homemade labels on the jars and we presented gifts of Gourmet Hot Fudge Sauce to our friends and family. I don’t think they knew before this very moment that the recipe went haywire and that’s why I could never duplicate it again.
I am sure that someone out there would disagree, but my advice? Don’t make this fudge recipe when it’s raining.
Famous Fudge:
1/2 cup real butter
1 cup Nestle Semi – Sweet Morsels
1 teaspoon Watkins vanilla, or your favorite brand.
2 cups C & H pure cane sugar
5 and 3/4 ounces of a cup Carnation Evaporated Milk
10 large Jet Puffed Marshmallows (no more, no less)
Combine butter, chocolate, and vanilla in a mixing bowl. Set aside. Place sugar, milk and marshmallows in a HEAVY medium saucepan. Slowly bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. When mixture begins to boil, reduce heat to low and cook for 6 minutes stirring constantly. Pour the hot ingredients over the ingredients in the mixer bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until fudge is thick and dull. This should not take very long. Pour into a 8 inch baking pan. Refrigerate several hours or over night. Makes 36 squares.
Cooks Notes:
Now honestly, are you really going to take all this time and then just make an 8 inch pan of fudge? No, I thought not. You are going to double the recipe. You will be using a 13×9 pan, lightly sprayed with Baker’s Joy or similar product.
Proceed with the recipe, but double the ingredients. When you reach the evaporated milk, you are going to use the 12 oz standard size can. However, you will NOT be using a full can. Instead, measure out approximately 1/2 oz of the milk and discard, or pour in your coffee. You want to add 11 and 1/2 ounces.
As far as the marshmallows go….20 total….yes, I know I thought it would be fine to add more too…but those were the times when I had to go out and buy canning jars. By-the-way, that’s happened, twice.
While you are cooking the milk, sugar and marshmallows, you are going to notice that there will be/ might be a streak of “brown” in the milk/sugar/marshmallow mixture that will make you think that it is burning on the bottom. I lift the pan off the heat, lower the heat and return the pan to the stove all while still stirring. (I was multi-tasking before it was popular or even had a name.)
When the mixture comes to a boil, I watch for 8 – 10 bubbles of boiling, lift the pan from the heat, lower the temp and continue to stir for 6 minutes. Be sure that you set the timer.
Pour the hot mixture over the chocolate, vanilla and butter. As you begin the mixer, be careful as the sticks of butter are going to “shoot” through the moving beaters. Butter, that has been softened, NOT melted, is a good idea. As you scrape the batter bowl, you will start to notice that the chocolate mixture is no longer shiny. I generally blend in the mixer bowl for about 5 minutes.
Pour into the prepared pan and place in the lower part of your refrigerator. In about an hour, check the pan. If it doesn’t move when you tip it in either direction….Houston! We have fudge. If it doesn’t?
You too will be schlepping off to the store to buy canning jars.
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