Easy Soft & Creamy Fudge Recipe
Are visions of sugar-plums dancing through your head? I have to admit, I’ve seen a few lately, and they have begged me to share this amazingly easy, smooth as silk, Creamy Fudge Recipe with you!
The Best Creamy Fudge Recipe
I know, fudge can be a little bit intimidating. Maybe you’ve even scorched a batch, yelled, “Oh, Fudge,” and vowed you’d never try making it again.
Well, here’s a step-by-step that I hope you will try. I can almost guarantee you are going to love it and find it very easy to make. Who knows, it might even become a new holiday tradition.
Growing up, my Aunt Margaret made our family a 5-pound box of fudge for Christmas every year. It was a gift we all looked forward to and enjoyed throughout the holidays.
What I really like about this recipe is that you can vary it according to your taste. When it comes to candy making, however, it’s essential to use real ingredients. Only real butter, vanilla, cream, and chocolate will do.
That said, you can use milk chocolate, white or dark chocolate (whatever you like best). Just total up the ounces and make sure you use the right amount. Before you know it, you’ll be cutting and sampling a batch of fudge. It will be so yummy, you will start making a list and checking it twice of nice folks you’re going to share it with!
How to Make Your Own Creamy Fudge
It’s a little bit of hard work paying attention to the exact steps in order and the varying times needed for the recipe, but it’s worth it for this amazing homemade fudge! It’s so versatile and delicious.
The Initial Preparation
It helps if you prepare before you even turn on the stove. First, if you are adding nuts, chop then toast them according to package directions and let them cool. Second, in a large heat-proof bowl, break up your chocolate bars. Third, cut your sticks of butter up and set out the vanilla with a measuring spoon beside it. When making candy, it’s good to work quickly. Next:
- Line a 9×13-inch pan with parchment paper.
- Butter a heavy, lidded, pot (my cast-iron enameled pan is absolutely ideal for this task, just be careful not to use metal utensils in an enamel pot or you might scrape the enamel).
- Add cream and sugar to the pot and stir together.
- Over medium heat, stirring constantly, bring mixture to a rolling boil (takes about 10 minutes).
- Once it starts to boil, cover the pot with the lid for 1 minute. This creates steam that will remove any sugar on the sides of the pan.
- Remove the lid and place a candy thermometer in or on the side of your pot. DO NOT STIR. Just let it boil away.
- When it reaches the softball stage, around 230˚degrees (takes about 15-20 minutes), remove your pot from the heat.
Soft ball stage: This is the stage when the mixture is the perfect consistency for soft, creamy fudge. If you heat it past this stage, it’s irreversible, so pay attention to your candy thermometer!
Tip: I definitely recommend getting a stand auto mixer! You’re going to have to do more stirring later on in this post so it’s a worthy investment.
Combining and Mixing Everything
Add the butter and vanilla and let it sit for 1 minute, don’t stir it together. Now, this is really important, WITHOUT SCRAPING THE POT, pour the hot candy mixture over your broken-up chocolate.
Next, using a mixer, beat your candy mixture until very smooth and no longer glossy. It will look a bit dull and this is a good thing.
Adding Some Fun Flavor
Now add nuts, candies, or peanut butter…stir-in whatever your heart desires!
I toasted store-bought pecan chips for about 6 minutes in the oven @350 degrees to bring out their flavor & aroma. Be careful not to over toast though as I burned my first batch of pecans. I did not add oil or anything to them, just spread them dry on a parchment paper covered cookie sheet. My kitchen smelled heavenly after.
Setting Your Fudge
Pour into your parchment paper-lined pan (I used an 11×7 pan) and cover. Refrigerate till well set (about 5 hours), preferably overnight.
Cutting Your Fudge
To cut the fudge, using the parchment paper, lift the slab of fudge onto a cutting board. Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut into even squares.
Keeping Your Fudge Fresh
Once cut, put Creamy Fudge squares into a container with a sealed lid and keep refrigerated.
Enjoy Your Delicious & Creamy Fudge!
Here’s hoping you enjoy your Creamy Fudge, friends. I’d love to hear what you stir-in to your masterpiece and how you make it your own. Thanks for stopping by!
More Christmas Recipes:
- Nutella Hot Chocolate Recipe
- Glazed Donut Muffins Recipe
- Easy Chocolate Coconut Drops Recipe
- Grandma’s Date Bars Recipe
- Mini Cheesecake Tarts Recipe
Find all our Christmas recipes here!
Easy Soft & Creamy Fudge Recipe
Equipment
- 9x13-inch pan
Ingredients
- 3 6.8-ounce Symphony Bars or 20.8-ounces of milk chocolate candy bars, (I like Dove, Symphony or Toblerone Bars)
- 4 cups sugar
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 2 sticks of butter
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla
- 1 cup nuts chopped and toasted, if desired
Instructions
- Begin by lining a 9x13-inch pan with parchment paper. Next break up chocolate bars into a large heat-proof mixing bowl. Set up electric mixer.
- Butter the sides of a large, lidded, heavy, pot. Pour cream and sugar into pot and stir together. Place over medium heat and stir constantly, just until it comes to a rolling boil. When it reaches this point, cover pot with lid for 1 minute and then remove the lid. Continue cooking to a soft ball stage, 230˚degrees on a candy thermometer.
- Remove pot from heat, add butter and vanilla. Let it sit in the hot candy mixture for 1 minute without stirring. Pour candy over broken chocolate bars in mixing bowl. Do not scrape the pan. Beat fudge until very smooth with beaters. Add stir-ins, nuts, peanut butter, or candies at this point. Pour into prepared pan, cover and refrigerate till set, preferably overnight.
- To cut, using the parchment paper, lift the slab of fudge to a cutting board. Cut with a sharp knife or pizza cutter into even squares. Keep refrigerated in a sealed container.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
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Sounds delish, I’m just curious as to why you use candy bars? And can you use dark chocolate?
Hi Jennifer, you can use any kind of good quality chocolate. Just make sure you total the ounces and use the right amount. Dark chocolate would be wonderful, candy bars just make it easy!
I LOVE this perfect recipe. I had given up .making fudge because in this high altitude I live in it came out grainy. I almost passed this one on by but for some reason I came back to it. I’m so happy I did!!! I have used a bag of chocolate chips instead of candy bars and it was still perfect!
Thanks for sharing, Lisa! Glad you enjoyed it!
I used to make fudge a lot for the holidays but then started having issues with it becoming too grainy and I’ve been hesitant to try making it again. I came upon this recipe and SO happy that I did. The fudge was smooth and creamy deliciousness. I used high quality milk chocolate chips but I think next time I might do half milk, half dark chocolate for some depth of flavor. Great recipe, but really the detailed instructions is what’s most helpful!
Congratulations Kate, I’m so glad your fudge was a success. I think you’re right, milk and dark chocolate would be just right. I have recently discovered really good dark chocolate and I am in love. Thank goodness I’m reading a little of it is even good for us!!! Merry Christmas and thanks for sharing your good fudge news here.
hoow much chips did oyu use
How long do you beat it approximately?
I used KA Mixer on LOW setting for about 3 minutes.
If you beat on a higher speed, the fudge will get air bubbles.
Nice hack Karen, thanks!
Are the calculations in the Nutrition Guide based on an entire batch? If not, what portion of the entire batch are they?
Hi Shirley! Good catch! Yes, that’s the entire batch… we will get it fixed with the correct yield and serving size.
Did you use salted or unsalted butter?
Hi, I made this recipe last year and it was flawless. I also made peanut butter fudge using Reese’s chips. This year however, my peanut butter fudge isn’t coming out. I used 20.8 oz of chips and it comes out crumbly and dry. What am I doing wrong? Do you think I should reduce the amount of peanut butter chips? I’m so disappointed and have tried twice to make my requested peanut butter fudge. I’m going to make the chocolate fudge now. Hoping it comes out ok.
Thanks for your help.
Sherri
I can’t understand what happened, but my fudge is swimming in butter…I used 2 stick when I let it sit in the pan…..I beat the fudge and afterwards, I have nothing but butter. I did use sugar free Lilly’s chips – could that be it?
Me as well as Zan on above review. Mine was swimming in butter!? What did we do wrong?
Suzanne, did you use Lily’s chocolate chips too?
This is the best fudge recipe! I used a mixture of semisweet and bittersweet chocolate chips. It is creamy and luscious. Thank you so much!!
So glad to hear it worked well for you Deb! 🙂 Thanks for taking the time to leave a review!
How much chips did oyu use
Very easy recipe to read, but I literally think I boiled it for a few seconds too long because it’s really grainy and like others said my chocolate is swimming in butter I don’t understand, because I used the right amount of butter and the chocolate chips were Nestle.
I worked with a chef for a year to find that look on there face is everything. Soft ball is just that, soft. Grainy fudge means too long or too much heat. Our burner must be on medium with even heat or just below. My reason is when your making soft ball it is better to creep upto 230 degrees slowly because a chemical reaction starts at 230 and too much is grain in our fudge.
It tastes good, but it’s too soft. It says cook until softball, 230 degrees. I did this, even though I know that soft ball is at least 234, or even 236 degrees. I took a chance. It’s more like a soft frosting than fudge. I should have known.
This fudge is excellent! I have made the chocolate chip/sweetened condensed milk cheater-fudge recipe for at least a decade… never again. This recipe is a 100% winner. Thank you! I plan to make another batch tomorrow using white chocolate and mix in some broken Oreos.
Thank you so much, Jen!
Hello, can you omit the chocolate and just make a vanilla fudge instead? Thank you
Hi Tre, yes, you can use this recipe as a base for vanilla fudge. Add an extra 2-3 teaspoons of vanilla to enhance the flavor, and proceed with the recipe without the Symphony Bars. The chocolate bars add creaminess to the fudge, so you can also try using white chocolate instead, as it has a milder flavor and pairs nicely with vanilla. But any chocolate is optional. Let us know how it goes!