To me, the perfect fudge should be smooth, never grainy, and each decadent piece should melt in your mouth! Luckily, this no-fail fantasy fudge recipe does just that.
No fail fantasy fudge contains sugar, butter, evaporated milk, marshmallow creme chocolate chips, and vanilla extract. The secret ingredient that ensures the fudge is no-fail, is the marshmallow creme which prevents recrystallization of the sugar during cooling.
How to Make No Fail Fantasy Fudge
Fudge usually requires the use of a thermometer. This recipe is my personal favorite because a thermometer isn’t necessary if you follow the simple directions. If, however, you’re the kind of person that needs specifics, or afraid to chance wasting ingredients, the magic number is 234°F.
In a heavy-duty medium-sized saucepan combine the butter, evaporated milk, and sugar. Turn the heat to medium, which is a 5 on my gas stove, yours may vary.
Stirring constantly, bring the mixture to a rolling boil, and boil it for exactly four minutes (or 234°F on your candy thermometer). If you’re not familiar with a rolling boil, it means that the boil doesn’t reduce or go away when you stir it.
Immediately remove the pan from the heat and add the entire jar of marshmallow creme (not Fluff) and the package of chocolate chips. Stir the mixture constantly until it’s smooth and you no longer see streaks of white from the marshmallow, then quickly add the vanilla and nuts. Do not use marshmallow fluff in the recipe, it will not set properly.
Transfer the mixture into a 9″x9″ foil pan that has been buttered, or into a buttered silicone candy pan like this one.
The fudge will take an hour or two to firmly set, it shouldn’t be moved during this time or it could cause the fudge to crack, or the sugar to recrystallize, which detracts from the appearance and texture, but not the flavor! This recipe yields three pounds of fudge.
Foolproof Fudge – The Nitty Gritty Details
Fudge recipes that lack corn syrup, marshmallows, or marshmallow creme can easily take on a gritty texture. The reason being, if a single grain of sugar is left in the pot during cooking (frequently a little clings to the side), the entire pot can and likely will, recrystallize.
Corn syrup, marshmallows, and marshmallow creme all contain a nonsucrose form of sugar known as glucose. The glucose hinders the crystals of sucrose (regular sugar) from forming. That’s why lollipops contain a high amount of corn syrup (usually 50% or more).
No Fail Fantasy Fudge Recipe
You’ll Need:
3 c. sugar
3/4 c. butter
2/3 c. evaporated milk
1 (7 oz) Marshmallow Creme
1 (12oz) pkg Chocolate chips
1 c. Walnuts– optional, chopped
1 tsp vanilla extract
Directions:
- In a medium saucepan combine margarine, evaporated milk, and sugar over medium heat. (On my gas stove I set the burner to 5, no higher). Bring it to a rolling boil and boil it for EXACTLY 4 minutes,(234F)stirring constantly.
- Immediately remove from the heat and add the chocolate chips, the entire jar of marshmallow creme, stirring constantly until smooth and fully incorporated, add the vanilla extract and nuts.
- Pour into a 9’x9″ buttered foil pan, makes 3 lbs
How to Store No Fail Fudge
Fudge can be stored at room temperature a week or so without any issues. However, if you’d like to store it longer, we recommend placing it in a Ziploc bag in the fridge for up to three weeks.
For long term storage, we’ve had great success with freezing fudge for up to a year with no loss of quality or flavor. Simply vacuum seal the bricks of fudge and place them in the freezer.
If you don’t have a vacuum sealer, you can use Ziploc freezer bags and follow this simple homemade vacuum seal (without a sealer) option. Keep in mind that the fudge should be consumed within three months of using this method as the bags are not equipped to handle long term storage without loss of quality.
More Easy & Delicious Tried and True Fudge Recipes
Things that can Affect the Outcome of Fudge
As we mentioned above, even a single sugar crystal can impact the outcome of a candy recipe. To help prevent sugar crystals from hanging around, rub the stick of butter along the inside of the pan, all the way around before adding the other fudge ingredients.
Humidity is not your friend when making candy, so avoid cooking candies or fudge when it’s raining outside. Candy tends to absorb the moisture, which results in a softer end product. The short of it is, the candy won’t set properly.
It’s imperative to leave the fudge alone while it sets up. When it’s hot, it’s a supersaturated solution of unstable sugar crystals. Moving it around and agitating it will cause crystallization to occur, resulting in grainy, coarse-textured candy.
Make sure your ingredients are all room temperature. We tend to store our baking chips in the freezer. If you add cold ingredients to the hot pan, it’ll cool the mixture too rapidly, which alters the texture of the finished candy.
Use quality, name brand chocolate, or baking chocolate. After all, chocolate chips are more difficult to work with because they are designed to hold their shape during baking. By design, they contain less cocoa butter than baking chocolate.
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This was the fudge my mother made when I was growing up in the seventies and eighties. It was my absolute favorite! We are from the NE too (MA). I made this once in 2012 and tonight. Came out perfect! No grit. I am trying pecans though, for a change of pace.
So yesterday I decided to make some homemade fudge for the first time, in a site-unseen attempt to make a no fail recipe. The result was delicious. Literally this morning it had been featured in Reddit’s front page and the comments were positive with people saying how good it looked.
Fantasy Fudge says to stir in the ingredients and stir until blended. Other fudge recipes say not to stir or beat. Mine is grainy every time! This is not “no fail fudge!”
Did you butter your pot before starting the sugar, evap milk & butter? I’ve shared that advice with several friends & we all swear by it. I’ve made this recipe at least 20 times & it is perfect every time. I do use a candy thermometer with DF cream (Country Crock plant based cream) & Earth Balance butter due to lactose issues. And I’ve made it for others with evaporated milk. It is very versatile; just remember to butter your cooking pot!!!! Good luck!!!
This fudge never fails me! I bring it to every bake sale, and someone always asks for the recipe. I use evaporated milk and marshmallow crème, no substitutions. Trust the recipe!