Recipes for the 'Fudge-Loving' Soul

When it comes to making fudge, there are many different variations to do this. Unless you choose to, you never really have to make a fudge recipe in the same way twice. The recipes included here calls for using nuts, but you can substitute this with all of your favorite foods to make your fudge even more special. And if you don't like nuts, then coconut, candied cherries or even marshmallows will do. Of course, these are just a few of the things that can be substituted for nuts or even adding with them when making your fudge recipe. If you don't want to use ordinary nuts in your recipe, then pecans, peanuts and walnuts are the best options, but generally any nuts will do.

To make your fudge recipe a little more special you might want to add a delicious topping to it like pieces of nut, peanut butter or even cherry slices. Don't shy away from experimenting with different ingredient combinations. So, if you are making peanut butter fudge, then all you have to do is substitute peanut butter in place of chocolate chips.

Basic Fudge Recipe

Ingredients

• 2½ cups sugar
• 1 cup margarine or butter
• 7 oz marshmallow crème
• 2 cups chocolate chips
• ¾ cup nuts, chopped
• 14 oz sweetened condensed milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Procedure

Line a pan with wax paper or aluminum foil and spread the margarine or butter on the paper or foil. Use a large saucepan and then mix the margarine, sugar, and condensed milk. Bring this mixture to a boil over a medium flame and keep stirring constantly for about 5 minutes. Remove the mixture from the flame and then add the chocolate and marshmallow. Stir the mixture until it becomes even and smooth. Next, stir in the vanilla extract and the nuts. Pour the fudge mixture into the prepared ban and then let it cool to room temperature. Once it has thoroughly cooled down, you will have to cut it into squares and then put into the refrigerator until it becomes hard.

Irish Cream Fudge

Ingredients

• 1 cup walnuts, finely chopped
• 1 cup evaporated milk
• 1/3 cup light corn syrup
• 6 tablespoons margarine or butter
• 2 tablespoons Honey
• ½ a tsp of salt
• ½ cup Irish Cream Liqueur
• 1½ cups semisweet melted chocolate chips

Procedure

Spread the nuts in an even manner at the bottom of a baking dish. Take a large stockpot and grease the sides. Combine the first six ingredients in this stockpot and cook them over a medium-low flame while stirring constantly so that the sugar dissolves. Take a pastry brush that has been dipped in hot water and then wash down all the sugar crystals on the sides of the pan. Attach a candy thermometer to the pan but make sure that it does not touch the bottom of the pan. Increase the flame to medium and then bring the mixture to a boil. Make sure you don't stir the mixture when the syrup is boiling. Cook the mixture until the syrup reaches that softball stage. Take about ½ a tsp of the syrup and pour it in water. It should easily form into a ball in ice-cold water but should flatten when held in the hand. Next, place the stockpot in about 2 inches of cold water. Add the liqueur to the syrup but make sure you don't stir the syrup until it cools down to about 110ºF.

Add the chocolate and then beat the fudge in an electric mixer at a medium speed until it thickens and is no longer glossy. Pour the nuts over the mixture and allow it to cool off completely. Cut into squares and then store in an airtight conditioner in the refrigerator.