Old Fashioned Fudge Recipe - our secret family recipe revealed! (2024)

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Secret fudge recipe

My family has handed down quite a few recipes through the generations. And this is another of our old family secret recipes – an old fashioned fudge recipe made with condensed milk.

This homemade fudge recipe has been kept a family secret for years and is now available to everyone!

All my siblings learned how to make this from my late Dad, just as I have taught my own kids. Because it is made with condensed milk, we loved making it as kids.

We would fight to clean out the condensed milk tin with our fingers (and we still do)!

And when it was finished, we licked the wooden spoon until it was clean.

Old Fashioned Fudge Recipe - our secret family recipe revealed! (1)

You lucky people get free access to this secret recipe right HERE !!

Types of fudge

There are many different types of fudge. The vanilla fudge you buy in the shops in the UK commonly has a sort of smooth, gooey consistency. And fudge has evolved over the ages.

Today, you can find an endless array of fudge varieties, including peanut butter, caramel, mint, and even combinations like sea salt and dark chocolate.

Fudge has also become a canvas for creative culinary minds, who have infused it with flavours ranging from exotic fruits to spicy chilli peppers.

But the fudge in this recipe has no flavouring, apart from flavours from the three ingredients: sweet condensed milk, sugar and butter. It has a sort of crystallized, grainy, crumbly texture. Unless of course you ‘fudge’ the recipe and make toffee instead!

Hybrid Recipe

This is, in fact, a hybrid recipe. You can make the most delicious moreish fudge you can imagine. (Beware, as this will rot your teeth in time if you do not clean them properly)!

Or you can make the hardest and tastiest brittle TOFFEE (that will break your teeth in real time)!

BE WARNED!! Make it (and eat it) at your own risk!

The only difference in the recipe is the moment you take it off the heat.

Healthy ? – Probably not very……. ☺️

Needless to say, this sweetened condensed milk fudge recipe has plenty of sugar in it. So it may not be the healthiest of treats, but hey, show me any healthy fudge recipe!

It has plenty of calories and it is SOOO tasty! Hide the box!

The photo below shows what happens in our house if you do not remove the fudge from the tin fairly quickly and hide it away somewhere: 👇👇👇👇

Old Fashioned Fudge Recipe - our secret family recipe revealed! (3)

Although this looks like an easy fudge recipe, as there are only 3 ingredients, it is actually not as easy as you may imagine, to get it right.

There is a very fine line between making a batch of fudge or a batch of toffee. Leave it too long in the pan and you will have toffee instead (and a much bigger job of cleaning the pan and licking the wooden spoons clean)!

In this link, you can read a bit about different types of fudges and the chemistry of cooking fudge.

Old Fashioned Fudge Recipe - our secret family recipe revealed! (4)

This all comes down to experience, and when you have made it once you will see what I mean. So if it turns out as toffee, then it needs to come out of the pan earlier!

In any case, make sure you clean your teeth well after you have tried this, as the sugar content is very high!

If you make this, please let me know how you get on in the comments section below!

How to make fudge

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Old Fashioned Fudge Recipe - our secret family recipe revealed! (5)
Old Fashioned Fudge Recipe - our secret family recipe revealed! (6)

Old fashioned fudge recipe

Prep Time: 1 minute

Cook Time: 9 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

This handed down fudge or toffee recipe will become a family favourite. Great around Christmas or Thanksgiving as an after-dinner treat.

Ingredients

  • 1 can condensed milk
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 140g salted butter

Instructions

  1. Butter a flat baking tray.
  2. Melt the butter in a saucepan and slowly add the sugar. When you can see the sugar just beginning to burn (little brown bits in it), then add the condensed milk.
  3. Now keep stirring with a wooden spoon (non-stop) – if you stop stirring, it will burn and you will have toffee stuck to the pan. It will change colour to light brown and then a darker brown. Keep stirring. Then at some point the mix will start to change texture.
  4. You will see what I mean – the mixture will start to change its consistency. At this point, and NO LATER, you pour it onto the baking tray. If you get it right, it should be fudge, and edible without breaking your teeth ☺️.
  5. If you get it wrong, the bottom of the pan will have dark brown burnt sugar residues, and you will have made toffee instead (also good !) The taste is the same, but it can break your teeth. The advantage is that the batch lasts longer, as the other consumers are away at the dentist 😂.
  6. Before it has completely cooled mark into squares with a knife.

Notes

After you have poured out the mixture, use a wooden spoon to wipe clean the pan and remove all the remaining fudge/toffee.

Let this cool and give to the kids to keep them quiet for a bit!

Break the fudge into squares and keep in an airtight box in the safe (or it will all go! 😂 )

To clean the pan you will need to soak it for a while in water.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 60Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 45Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 5mgSodium: 16mgCarbohydrates: 7gFiber: 0gSugar: 7gProtein: 0g

This nutrition information was automatically calculated by Nutritionix, but may not be 100% accurate.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Pinterest

Here you can find some other recipes you may enjoy:

READMoist Lemon Pound Cake
READEnglish Ginger Biscuits - Cornish Fairings
READFruity Flapjacks (cereal bars)
READAlmond Macaroon Cookies
READChewy Coconut Macaroons
READChewy Chocolate Cookies
READRound Madeira Cake
READHalloween Rice Krispie Treats
Old Fashioned Fudge Recipe - our secret family recipe revealed! (2024)

FAQs

Is it better to use condensed milk or evaporated milk for fudge? ›

You must use full-fat sweetened condensed milk. Do NOT use evaporated milk, as it's much thinner and the fudge won't set properly if you use it.

What is the secret to great fudge? ›

You have to control two temperatures to make successful fudge: the cooking temperature AND the temperature at which the mixture cools before stirring to make it crystallize. Confectionery experiments have shown that the ideal cooking temperature for fudge is around 114 to 115 °C (237 to 239 °F).

Why is my 3 ingredient fudge not setting? ›

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.

Do you stir fudge when it's boiling? ›

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.

Why is condensed milk not advisable? ›

Evaporated milk has added sugar and carbohydrates which are very high, making sweetened condensed milk not healthy for nutritional intake for babies and children, Ali explained.

Why do you use evaporated milk in fudge? ›

Evaporated milk is milk that has been cooked to reduce its water content. It is more stable than regular milk and it can be cooked at high temperatures without curdling, a real benefit to fudge. Unfortunately, there is no substitute for it in a fudge recipe.

What not to do when making fudge? ›

7 Common Mistakes to Avoid for Candy Shop-Worthy Fudge and Caramels
  1. Using the Wrong Pan. All candy and confections start by melting sugar. ...
  2. Stirring the Sugar. ...
  3. Not Using a Candy Thermometer. ...
  4. Leaving Out the Parchment Paper Lining. ...
  5. Skipping the Cooking Spray. ...
  6. Scraping the Pot. ...
  7. Using a Cold Knife to Slice.
Dec 16, 2015

What is the secret to smooth fudge that is not gritty? ›

Once a seed crystal forms, it grows bigger and bigger as the fudge cools. A lot of big crystals in fudge makes it grainy. By letting the fudge cool without stirring, you avoid creating seed crystals.

What does cream of tartar do in fudge? ›

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!

Why is my old fashioned fudge not hardening? ›

Fudge Didn't Set

If your fudge turned out super sticky, or it didn't set as it cooled, it probably never got hot enough. This mistake is super easy to avoid if you use a candy thermometer and cook the fudge to the temperature specified in the recipe (usually between 234 and 239°F).

Why do you add vanilla to fudge? ›

Vanilla is often added to chocolate candies or other chocolate recipes because it complements and accents the flavor of chocolate.

How to rescue fudge that won't set? ›

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. Stir the fudge as it heats, but only until the sugar in the chocolate is completely melted again.

What is the softball test when making fudge? ›

According to most recipes, the ingredients of fudge are cooked to what is termed in kitchen parlance the soft ball stage, that point between 234 and 240 °F (112 and 115 °C) at which a small ball of the candy dropped in ice water neither disintegrates nor flattens when picked up with the fingers.

What happens if you stir fudge too early? ›

Don't stir!

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.

Why did my fudge come out like taffy? ›

Apart from the incorrect temperature, chewy fudge could result from inadequate beating. When it has cooled to 110 to 113 degrees F (43-45 degrees C), beat until it is creamy and smooth. The process could take between 20 and 30 minutes. The mixture should begin to lose it's gloss and become more matte.

What happens when you use evaporated milk instead of condensed? ›

For the most part, if you find yourself without condensed milk on hand, you can substitute an equal amount of evaporated milk. The consistency will be the same, but since evaporated milk is unsweetened, you'll need to add sweetener to match the recipe's intended flavor profile or to suit your personal preference.

Should I use condensed milk instead of evaporated milk? ›

While we don't recommend substituting condensed milk for evaporated milk or vice versa, you can make your own condensed milk when you're in a pinch. Simply heat together 1½ cups of sugar and one can of evaporated milk until the sugar has fully dissolved.

Why won't my condensed milk fudge set? ›

The most common culprit behind unset fudge is inaccurate temperature control. If the sugar mixture hasn't reached the correct temperature, your fudge won't set. Ensure you use a reliable candy thermometer and follow temperature guidelines meticulously to achieve the desired consistency.

Why is my condensed milk chocolate fudge not setting? ›

You didn't cook it long enough. Fudge needs to be heated to the "soft ball" stage. It is salvageable, but you'd have to be very careful of sugar crystallization. If you make a mistake you'll wind up with a grainy mess.

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