Tuesday 18 May 2010

Fabulous Fudge - 5 minute fix !




I've been promising to post fudge recipes for a little while now. Problem is, in doing so - it means I have to make some to take photographs ! I've finally made some and am going to send it home for my parents and brother to enjoy.



Sitting in our house, it's too easy to munch.... and I want to cut back on sweet stuff rather than increase.

Anyway, we had a HUGE delivery of new silicone moulds yesterday - so I'm like a kid at Christmas. Of course, I've also got to make things in all these new mould designs in order to show them off.

Fudge is very very easy and relatively inexpensive to make. Unlike Scottish tablet, it only takes 5 minutes to cook instead of 20  > 25, and 2 minutes to beat instead of 15+ !

In a traditional bakeware cake / brownie tin - it's hell to get out. It doesnt matter how much you butter it. All my tins have loads of big dents in the bottom where I've been whacking them trying to get it to come out. When I've failed, I've often poured boiling water over the base and have burnt myself a fair few times. I've been waiting and WAITING for the right type of silicone mould for making fudge and this really revolutionises fudge making

Fudge is very versatile and it's so easy to make different flavours and textures. We'll start with the basis recipe....

You will need a large, heavy based saucepan and a WELL buttered 8" square tin - or an 8" square silicone mould (unbuttered). It's also VERY important that you prepare your ingredients in advance for this recipe so everything is to hand. When you need them - there is NO time to spare !

Ingredients

125g butter
3/4 cup of evaporated milk
2 cups of granulated sugar
12 marshmallows
200g white chocolate - chopped
1 cup of dry additions - ie fruit / nuts
2 tsp vanilla extract

Put the butter, evaporated milk, sugar and marshmallows into your saucepan. Melt together on a medium heat and bring to the boil - stirring constantly.

Set your timer - or check your watch. Keep at a boil for EXACTLY 5 minutes if you want a soft fudge leaves teeth marks as you bite in. This is how I prefer it.... However, if you prefer it crumbly as pictured above, boil for 7 minutes. Don't worry about darker coloured flecks rising up. These disappear totally later. Just don't forget that you need to constantly stir as soon the ingredients are all melted.

Take it off the heat and immediately add and beat in the chocolate and any dry additions. Quickly pour in to your square silicone tray mould or tin, scraping as much as you can fron the sides of the pan.

Leave to cool. I like to refrigerate overnight after cooling before cutting into squares.



Ok - so that's vanilla fudge recipe. With or without added fruit and nuts.

There are loads of other things you can do with it.....

Flavour ideas :

cranberry and macadamia
maple and walnut (reduce sugar a little and add some maple syrup)
blackforest fudge - sub bitter chocolate for the white chocolate and use dried cherries and a splash of liquer.
coffee, hazlenut and raisin (pictured) - reduce evap. milk and add a couple of tbsp of camp coffee
baileys irish liquer - with or without raisins. Again - just adjust evap milk and add liquer
strawberry shortcake double decker - milk chocolate and broken shortbread biscuits in bottom fudge layer. Strawberry flavoured fudge topped with mini marshmallows on top.
Minty duo - dark chocolate fudge base with mint flavouring, white chocolate mint flavour for the top, sprinkled with crystalised sugar

12 comments:

  1. Mmm fudge! This looks so lip-smacking yummy. I was just introduced to a curly wurly yesterday so I'm definitely on a chewy, sticky trip right now. To make my own would be cool then I can add artifical sweetner and not feel sugar guilt, the hard part would be finding sugar free white chocolate and marshmellows :D

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  2. Thanks for the simple recipe Sarah-Jane, especially for many other combination of fudge :)...and i would always want deliver some of my cakes to mum In "India" she is are so far that it's remaining as a dream!

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  3. you could easily sub in milk chocolate or even dark chocolate for white chocolate Eve.

    White chocolate gives a light coloured vanilla fudge. Bitter chocolate makes a really strong, evil fudge. VERY good - but really heavy going. Milk makes more of a chocolate base fudge - especially if you add in chocolate extract.

    :-)

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  4. Anandar - my parents live about 350miles away, so I don't see them very frequently. Still, postal service in the UK is still pretty good - so I do post them little surprises now and again.

    I do miss them. Must be hard for you with your mum so far away.

    For anyone who needs to know - fudge will keep refridgerated for about 3 weeks.

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  5. Hmmm, cool tip, that. You always give the best advice. :)

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  6. yum my daughter just made her 1st trial run and what a success. No trial run needed straight onto fudge flowers for her.

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  7. hey - well done :-) I've got several fudge recipes / flavours on the blog if you try the search function.

    It is really easy and makes a super home made gift (I get special requests at Christmas !).

    The fudge bouquet was great fun to make. Have fun !

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  8. I am pondering and really want to try these but your measurements are in cups... what cups are you using so I know the correct one to use, is it American cups? Thank you

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  9. My measuring cup is 250ml which is the same volume as my teacups

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  10. Excellant thank you so much!

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  11. What do you think of using small chocolate moulds for fudge, will it be easy to get ou of mold?

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  12. it won't be a problem to get out the moulds. Your problem would be pouring a whole batch of them before the fudge sets in the pan ! Fudge starts setting really fast when you take it off the heat.

    Have a look at my blog entry for the FUDGE BOUQUET and you'll see how I found a way round that...

    Hope this helps

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