It seems pretty simple to make fudge. You put the ingredients in a pan, cook them on a low heat, pour the mixture into a different pan and put it in the fridge. But in those three steps, there are about two dozen different things that can go wrong. Learn the art of making perfect fudge to avoid all those messy mistakes.
Heating
Making fudge isn’t quite as simple as dumping all the ingredients in a pan. You want to start with a sauce pan on low heat. Start on the lowest possible heat, and turn up the heat only when absolutely necessary. Cooking fudge too hot and too fast will result in a burned taste.
Begin with all your liquid ingredients. Usually, this means milk, butter and extract. Get these ingredients in the pan before you add your chocolate. The chocolate is essential in making fudge , but you can use any kind you like (dark, milk, or white). Keep stirring your fudge. It’s ready when it’s smooth and shiny . If your fudge isn’t shiny, check the recipe again because something is wrong.
Fudge Tricks
Consistency is key to making great fudge. Make sure yours is perfect before you remove the fudge from the heat and prepare it for chilling.
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Soft fudge: If your fudge is too soft, add semisweet chocolate. This type of chocolate hardens up beautifully. Throw a couple blocks in the brew and see how it affects the recipe.
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Hard fudge: I f your fudge is too hard, add a tablespoon of peanut butter or cream cheese, or both. The creaminess will soften the texture of the fudge and won’t take away at all from the taste.
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Taste: Taste your fudge while you’re making it. If the mixture tastes bad before it hardens, the flavor won’t improve in the refrigerator. If fudge is too sour, add more sugar. If it’s too sugary, try adding cream cheese or milk to cut the sweetness.
Chilling
Fudge isn’t fudge until it chills. Once your mixture is ready, pour it into a pan. You want to pour the fudge evenly so it will set up evenly in pan. Place it inside the refrigerator. Fudge usually needs to chill overnight, but if you’re in a hurry you can place your pan in the freezer to speed up the process. Once the fudge has set on one side, flip it over as a unit and allow it to chill on the other side. This will make it easier to cut fudge into separate pieces.
Practice making fudge with the same recipe and get a feel for the texture before you begin experimenting with new mixtures. Once you master the art of making fudge, you can play with lots of different flavors and recipes.
