A traditional fudge with a Biscoff bite! Lightly spiced and topped with Speculoos biscuits (of which Biscoff is the most famous brand), these are a quick and easy treat that will please crowd. Or one particularly greedy fudge connoisseur!
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Fabulous Fudge
FUN.
FABULOUS.
FUDGE!
FUN.FABULOUS.FUDGE!
If you’re looking for a homemade gift for your friends, family or wedding/party guests, then why not try flinging together some fudge? It’s so easy in make in bulk and is tricky to get wrong, so you should have a big batch of deliciousness in no time!
Fudge squares are also a fun thing to decorate your cakes with; you can make them in any colour or flavour you like to complement the perfect birthday cake!
Fudge squares are also a fun thing to decorate your cakes with; you can make them in any colour or flavour you like to complement the perfect birthday cake!
In this guide, we will run through two different methods of creating fudge. The first method produces the type of fudge you will likely be most familiar with; caramelly in flavour and brown in colour. This style of fudge is perfect if you are looking for something traditional, perhaps adding some dried fruits, rum or vanilla.
On the other hand, if you are looking to make a chocolate fudge, or one with less “dark” flavours, such as mint or strawberry, then you can follow an alternative method! This method doesn’t use brown sugar at all, so it is an ideal way to create fudge in flavours that the brown sugar wouldn’t complement. We’ll get started on the traditional method now, but if you’d like to jump to the chocolate method, use the menu below!
On the other hand, if you are looking to make a chocolate fudge, or one with less “dark” flavours, such as mint or strawberry, then you can follow an alternative method! This method doesn’t use brown sugar at all, so it is an ideal way to create fudge in flavours that the brown sugar wouldn’t complement. We’ll get started on the traditional method now, but if you’d like to jump to the chocolate method, use the menu below!
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Traditional Fudge Method
Top Tip!
Before I run through the process for producing fudge, I'd like to suggest something that could come in handy! Throughout this method, I'll be providing info on the temperatures that you need to bring your mixture to for optimal results, alongside an idea for roughly how long it'll take to reach said temperatures.
You can just you use the rough times and the images provided as your guide for each step, but I think it would be worth investing in a food thermometer, especially if it's your first foray into fudge and are a little unsure as to what to look for at each stage.
I like to use a probe thermometer, like the one pictured below, as a jam thermometer could get in your way as you continuously stir the contents of the pan. They aren't too expensive and are very versatile in their uses; I use mine pretty regularly while cooking confectionery, jams, meats and bread!
Step 1: Down (in) the pan!
One of the best things about making fudge is how simple the preparation is! You simply need to weigh your standard fudge ingredients into a large saucepan and you're ready to get cooking!
Also, at this stage, you'll want to add any ingredients that require cooking to extract their flavour, typically spices. Other ingredients, such as extracts or fruit, can be reserved for use later.
If you are experimenting with your own fudge flavours, the following recipe makes a great basic fudge that you can adjust and add your own flair to as you see fit!
Condensed Milk: 397g (1 tin)
Brown Sugar: 450g
Unsalted Butter: 125g
Whole Milk: 125g
Step 2: Things are hotting up!
Place your large saucepan over a low heat and stir occasionally, allowing the butter and sugar to melt down. Your mixture should then appear as a glorious pool of liquid calories, as below!
Step 3: Hubble bubble!
Now your mixture has been melted, increase the heat just enough to bring the mix to the boil. We are looking to bring the mixture up to a temperature of approximately 113 Celsius, or 235 Fahrenheit, otherwise known as the "soft-ball stage" in the art of sugarwork. In my experience, this stage should be reached in around 9-10 minutes of cooking.
You will need to stir the mixture constantly, to prevent any of the fudge burning. If you start to notice any little brown flecks appearing (that can't be explained by any additional ingredients you've put in at this stage), then that may be a sign of the fudge catching on the bottom of the pan. If that occurs, beat the fudge vigorously to get the contents of the pan moving and to incorporate some of the flecks back into the mixture.
Once the fudge has reached the correct temperature, you should notice that it is noticeably thicker then before. This is due to the water in the ingredients having evaporated off, reducing the fudge down and giving it its distinctive texture.
Step 4: Foot off the gas!
Once your mix has reached soft ball stage, take the pan off of the heat and allow it to cool for 5 minutes, or until it reaches a temperature of 110 Celsius / 230 Fahrenheit. Don't stir the mixture during this time; we don't want to manipulate the sugar within, as this may cause it to gather and crystallize, leaving us with hard or grainy fudge.
Step 5: Time for a workout!
Now that the fudge has cooled to the correct temperature, we can add our extra flavours and fillings! If you're thinking of creating your own recipe, for this type of fudge, I'd recommend trying out extracts such as vanilla or almond, alcohols (perhaps rum or whiskey), dried fruits or nuts!
From there, we want to beat it to the correct consistency! Using a wooden spoon, beat the fudge vigorously until it starts to lose its shine and becomes more matte in texture. It will be pretty thick at this point, so I hope you're feeling strong! You'll also find that the fudge tends to come away from the sides of the pan as you beat it, forming a "ball" around your wooden spoon.
I have seen recipes specify that the fudge should have reached 60 Celsius / 140 Fahrenheit by then, but to be honest, I find the change in the consistency of the fudge is so notable that there's no real need to check the temperature is correct at that point!
As soon as the fudge loses its shine though, stop beating! Overbeating the fudge can cause it to cool too far and/or crystallize before we have a chance to add it to our tin, ruining the perfect texture we've been aiming for!
Pour the fudge straight into the tin and place it in the fridge to set, which, depending on the quantity you are making, could take between 1h 30mins - 2 hours.
Traditional Fudge Method: Troubleshooting
My fudge is hard / grainy!
If the fudge has set too firm, or if you've noticed that it's started to crystallize and appears dry as you add it to the tin, then don't panic! You can typically rescue it by returning it to a large saucepan, adding around 250ml of water, then following the heating process exactly as you did before, gently melting down the fudge until liquid again, before bringing it to the boil and heating to soft-ball stage.
The end result may appear a darker colour than it did previously, but it does give you a second chance at the process, so hopefully the
fudge should turn out much smoother this time around!
Chocolate Fudge Method
If you’re after something a little different to the standard fudge we know and love, then this could be the option for you!
When looking at this recipe, you may notice that it’s actually very similar to a chocolate ganache recipe, but using condensed milk in place of cream. This simplistic recipe and ingredients list makes this method perfect if you want to create fudge in flavours that wouldn’t necessarily work with the brown sugar in the traditional recipe, such as chocolate (obviously), but also more unusual choices, such as mint, strawberry, coffee or perhaps bubblegum!
This method is also ideal if you’d like to colour the fudge. While the fudge produced by the previous method is a distinctive brown, white chocolate fudge as made below is very pale in colour, so responds well to being coloured with a bit of gel food colouring.
When looking at this recipe, you may notice that it’s actually very similar to a chocolate ganache recipe, but using condensed milk in place of cream. This simplistic recipe and ingredients list makes this method perfect if you want to create fudge in flavours that wouldn’t necessarily work with the brown sugar in the traditional recipe, such as chocolate (obviously), but also more unusual choices, such as mint, strawberry, coffee or perhaps bubblegum!
This method is also ideal if you’d like to colour the fudge. While the fudge produced by the previous method is a distinctive brown, white chocolate fudge as made below is very pale in colour, so responds well to being coloured with a bit of gel food colouring.
Step 1: On the ratio!
Regardless of whether you are using dark, milk or white chocolate, you'll be pleased to know that the ratio of ingredients you need will stay exactly the same! You are aiming to have roughly a 8:9 ratio of condensed milk to chocolate, ie. for every 8 grams of condensed milk, you'll want to use 9 grams of chocolate.
To half-fill a square, 8-inch cake tin, you can use a whole tin of condensed milk, which is 397g in total. Rounding this up to 400g and a bit of maths later, you can deduce that a great starting point for your own fudge recipe would be as below:
Condensed Milk: 397g (1 tin)
White/Milk/Dark Chocolate: 450g
Step 2: Choose your weapon!
One of the other big advantages of this type of fudge is that you need don't need to bring it to the boil and, in fact, you can make it in the microwave in less than a minute! This makes it perfect to make with kids, as the fudge stays at a fairly low temperature throughout.
If you're using the microwave, weigh out the chocolate and condensed milk into a heatproof bowl. Otherwise, add them to a small saucepan, ready for melting down in a moment.
At this stage, you can also add any ingredients that you think would benefit from being heated up, or may need the liquid content of the melting chocolate to help dissolve. For example, adding spices at this point makes sense, as the heat will help bring out their flavours. You may also want to add any powders, such as fruit or milkshake powders, as it will be easiest to dissolve them into the mixture as it's being melted down. Any other ingredients not meeting these criteria can be added later.
Step 3: Melty and marvelous!
If using the microwave method, place the bowl into the microwave for 30-45 seconds, stirring at 15 second intervals until the chocolate has melted and the mixture has become smooth.
Similarly, if using the hob, place your small saucepan of mixture over a low heat, stirring occasionally until the chocolate melts and mixture becomes smooth.
Once melted, add in any remaining ingredients you may have. At this stage, you can add pretty much anything, from extracts to biscuit pieces, chocolate chunks to sprinkes!
Beat the mixture for a minute or so to thicken it up and distribute your added ingredients, before pouring it into your tin. Place it in the fridge to cool until set, which can take between 1h 30mins - 2 hours, depending on the thickness of the fudge!
Regardless of your choice of method, you should end up with your very own fudge to share with (or hide from!) your friends and family!
I hope these methods help you out! If you have any questions, let me know in the comments below!
If you’re social media savvy, feel free tag me on Instagram at @toofarfletched with your creations!
-Tom 
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Tom
Hi! Thanks for stopping by!
I set up this site to share with you everything I love about baking, so hopefully there’ll be something here you enjoy too!
If you’d like to get in touch, feel free to use the links below!
I set up this site to share with you everything I love about baking, so hopefully there’ll be something here you enjoy too!
If you’d like to get in touch, feel free to use the links below!
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