Chocolate Fudge
- Total Time
- 1 hour 15 minutes, plus at least 3 hours’ resting
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:36 pieces
- 2cups/227 grams walnut or pecan halves or pieces
- Vegetable oil spray
- 4ounces/113 grams unsweetened chocolate (100 percent cacao), chopped
- 3tablespoons/42 grams unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 1½teaspoons kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
- 2teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2cups/400 grams granulated sugar
- ¼cup/21 grams unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1cup/240 grams whole milk
- ¼cup/85 grams light corn syrup
- 2tablespoons/42 grams honey
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (16 servings)
299 calories; 17 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 4 grams monounsaturated fat; 7 grams polyunsaturated fat; 37 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 32 grams sugars; 4 grams protein; 174 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
- Step 1
Toast the nuts: Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Scatter the walnuts or pecans on a rimmed baking sheet and toast, tossing once, until they’re golden brown and fragrant, 8 to 10 minutes. Let the nuts cool on the baking sheet. Coarsely chop, then set the nuts aside.
- Step 2
Prepare the pan: Lightly spray the inside of an 8-inch square pan with vegetable oil spray. Line the bottom and sides with parchment paper, smoothing to eliminate air bubbles, then lightly spray the parchment paper. Set the pan aside.
- Step 3
Melt the chocolate mixture: Fill a large, heavy saucepan with about an inch of water and bring to a simmer. In a large heatproof bowl (big enough to sit atop the saucepan and not touch the water), combine the chocolate, butter and salt, and set the bowl over the saucepan. Stir the mixture with a flexible spatula until completely melted and smooth, then carefully remove the bowl from the heat. Stir in the vanilla extract, then set the bowl aside.
- Step 4
Cook the sugar mixture: Empty and dry the saucepan, and have at the ready a clean pastry brush, a spoon, a small bowl filled with very cold water and a separate large bowl. Add the sugar and cocoa powder to the saucepan, and whisk to combine and eliminate any lumps, then add the milk, corn syrup and honey. Set the saucepan over medium heat and stir the sugar mixture gently with a heatproof spatula until the sugar is mostly dissolved and it starts to bubble at the sides.
- Step 5
Before the mixture comes to a rolling boil, dip the pastry brush in water and use the wet bristles to brush down the sides of the saucepan and dissolve any stuck-on sugar crystals. Let the mixture come to a boil, then clip a candy thermometer to the side of the saucepan. Boil the mixture without stirring, occasionally swirling the saucepan gently and brushing down the sides of the saucepan with the wet pastry brush if you see crystals forming as it reduces. (This is to prevent crystallization, which would produce a crumbly, grainy fudge.)
- Step 6
Test the mixture for “soft ball”: When the mixture reaches 235 degrees, reduce the heat to low and continue to cook. When it reaches 238 degrees, spoon about ½ teaspoon of the mixture into the bowl of cold water and let it cool for a few seconds, then fish it out and work it into a ball between your fingertips (the mixture can still be cooking meanwhile). If it forms a ball that holds its shape but flattens easily between your fingertips, the mixture is ready. If it is too soft to hold its shape, continue to cook over low until it reaches 240 degrees and repeat the soft ball test. Once you reach the soft ball stage, remove the saucepan from the heat and pour the mixture into the separate large bowl but do not scrape the bottom or sides.
- Step 7
Let the mixture cool and beat the fudge: Scrape the reserved chocolate mixture into the bowl with the sugar mixture but do not stir. Thoroughly rinse and dry the candy thermometer, then clip it to the side of the bowl. Let the mixture cool until it registers 115 degrees, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove the thermometer, then beat the mixture with a hand mixer on medium-low speed until it loses its shine and becomes creamy, 8 to 10 minutes. Stop the mixer, add the nuts and fold quickly with a flexible spatula until the nuts are distributed evenly. Working quickly, scrape the fudge into the prepared pan and smooth the surface, working it into an even layer all the way to the sides and corners. Let the fudge sit at room temperature until it’s firm, at least 3 hours.
- Step 8
Cut the fudge: Use the parchment paper to lift the slab of fudge out of the pan and transfer to a cutting board. Use a chef’s knife to cut the slab in half in both directions to make 4 equal squares, then cut each square into a 3-by-3 grid for a total of 36 squares.
Tip
- The fudge will keep, well wrapped and stored airtight at room temperature to prevent drying, for 1 week.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
ncphelps
If you are going to provide volumetric salt measurements for a hyper specific brand that is both expensive and hard to find, at least do subscribers a solid and provide a weight measurement for salt such that they can make recipes without having to do the mathematical heavy lifting for you.
lsh
@ncphelps: Are you concerned about the Diamond Crystal salt? Yes, volumetric measurements are problematic for something as variable as salt. But in the US, Diamond Crystal is one of the standard kosher salts. Cook’s Illustrated says, “Generally, 1 teaspoon of table salt equals 1½ teaspoons of Morton kosher salt, which is 2 teaspoons of Diamond Crystal kosher salt.”
Mia
Another great recipe from Claire. Used a stand mixer instead of hand mixer and made it even easier. Used paddle attachment and mixed for about the same time indicated by recipe. Will be a welcome addition to my holiday cookie boxes!
Kristine
Sugar forms crystals as it cooks and this is what determines texture. Graininess occurs when sugar crystals get too big. Avoided by: Washing down sides of the pan with cold water. Making sure mixture doesn't overcook by using accurate thermometer. Incorporating corn syrup into recipe. Beating mixture after cooling to 115 degrees. If too hot, stays soft; if too cold, will be too firm.
Helen Meadors
Most of the pecans in grocery stores are old,flat, and dark. I live in Georgia, which is the nation's largest pecan producer. Fresh pecans are light cold in color, and plump. Recipes tell you to roast them 8-10 minutes ( I have seen 30 miunutes!) That is nuts! Ovens differ of course, but I roast pecans for SIX minutes at 350. Pecans are rich in oil and burn easily. Pecans are good for you too! Look it up! Therefore it is worth the time and money to get pecans from Georgia, or from New Mexico
Rachel S
Ok so after 2 failed attempts I finally made this successfully! Here’s what I learned: DO THE SOFT BALL TEST! For my first two attempts I relied on my thermometer and took the sugar mixture off the heat when it reached 238 or whatever and both times my fudge never solidified. I beat the mixtures for probably 20 minutes before giving up. The third time, I actually did the old school test and didn’t get to soft ball stage until my thermometer read 242. So, save your shoulder/mixer and do the test!
Kate
Texture is heavenly. But use a big pot! My medium sauce pan boiled over. Both heating to soft ball stage and cooling took considerably longer than suggested in the recipe.
Sophia
This took me 3+ hours, including waiting for the mixture to cool. After about 80 minutes, I finally just put this in the fridge, which the instructions should have stated. (Not having made fudge before and not having been instructed to do this, I assumed it needed to cool more slowly at room temperature, which I did on a cool NYC March day.) It also damaged my expensive Breville hand mixer, which kept stopping due to overheating, adding on time. The results were good but not worth the trouble.
Melissa
Attempt #1 went great—soft ball test was perfect at 238, I let the whole mix cool to exactly 115—until the beating. It’s was gorgeous and creamy and shiny, and then it lost its shine and seized almost instantly. The taste is lovely, but the texture (obviously) is a mess. Definitely something I goofed up along the way. If anyone has thoughts, I’d love to hear them. Trying again…
Esperanza
Don't let the detailed recipe intimidate you -- this fudge comes together fairly quickly. Thank you to other commenters for the suggestions to (a) cut the amount of nuts in half, (b) roast the nuts lightly or not at all, and (c) test the fudge for soft ball stage rather than going off temperature alone. I only had 70% chocolate around and the fudge is on the sweet side but the flavor of buckwheat honey and walnuts balances it out.
Theresa
The fudge was best just after folding in the nuts. It was creamy and delicious. However, it dried out really fast cooling to room temperature. If I make it again, I'll probably avoid cutting it into pieces (more surface area to dry out) and I'll wrap it immediately in wax paper and plastic wrap. Once it dried out, it wasn't at all good.
Theresa
Recipe was fairly easy to follow provided steps were followed precisely. It did get a lot of stuff dirty in the kitchen, but then again this isn't something I'm going to make all the time. It smells heavenly though!
Kyra
This broke my hand mixer after about 4 minutes. I never got fudge - I tried to mix by hand but it stayed ropy and shiny. I have no idea what the issue was!
Debbie
Fannie Farmer recipe is outstanding. It does not involve a mixer, or , shudder, corn syrup-or nuts for that matter
niks
Would agave work as a sub for corn syrup?
Kim
This is a beautiful recipe. But it's also a bit complicated. I don't want to take anything away from it but very decent old fashioned fudge (not the marshmallow/evap. milk kind) can be made more simply I just made a very good batch using a recipe from James Beards "American Cookery", 1972. You dump everything except the vanilla in at once, boil to soft ball stage, a bit more if its humid out. remove from heat, let cool and then stir until losing gloss. Then add vanilla. Not grainy.
Rachel S
Ok so after 2 failed attempts I finally made this successfully! Here’s what I learned: DO THE SOFT BALL TEST! For my first two attempts I relied on my thermometer and took the sugar mixture off the heat when it reached 238 or whatever and both times my fudge never solidified. I beat the mixtures for probably 20 minutes before giving up. The third time, I actually did the old school test and didn’t get to soft ball stage until my thermometer read 242. So, save your shoulder/mixer and do the test!
Kathleen Stark
Finally! A real fudge recipe and not junk! I have an old recipe like this that I've made for years. Other fudges don't compare in flavor and texture.
Kristine
Sugar forms crystals as it cooks and this is what determines texture. Graininess occurs when sugar crystals get too big. Avoided by: Washing down sides of the pan with cold water. Making sure mixture doesn't overcook by using accurate thermometer. Incorporating corn syrup into recipe. Beating mixture after cooling to 115 degrees. If too hot, stays soft; if too cold, will be too firm.
R.D.
Attempted this recipe twice; the second time with the assistance of a professional pastry chef in the family. Both times the mixture failed to lose its shine and become creamy when beaten in step 7. The end result was a thin and sticky taffy rather than fudge.
NotMyRealName
Too many nuts for my taste. With the toasting, the flavor is overwhelmed, and the texture doesn’t get a chance to shine. YMMV. Other than that, good recipe and wonderful technique! I’ve never heard of melting the chocolate into a sort of ganache at the beginning, to jumpstart the cooling process later. Other recipes just withhold the butter until the end, and that’s not nearly as effective. If your mixer is weak or old, use a wooden spoon at the end. It works just as well. Thanks for this one!
Phil
There are so many issues with this recipe. It would have been helpful if you had said that the boiled mixture would expand as much as it did. I had to switch pots halfway through. Also, why didn't you suggest a stand mixer? The fudge shorted out my hand mixer. A stand mixer would have been so much better. And lastly, the fudge took way more than 30 to 40 minutes to cool down to 115. Disappointed.
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