Common Fudge Mistakes and How to Fix Them (2024)

FAQs

Can you melt fudge and reset it? ›

Don't panic if your fudge is grainy, nothing is lost it just requires some more work. Pop the grainy fudge back into the pan along with some water and a little cream and melt the fudge back down to a liquid and re-boil it to temperature.

When your fudge isn't setting properly, the culprit is typically going to be that the temperature wasn't right. If your fudge is sticky or overly gummy, then it likely wasn't cooked to a high enough temperature. What is this? People often make this mistake when they are making fudge for the first time.

Stop stirring

It can be tempting to continue to stir your fudge mixture once it's reached temperature to prevent it from burning, but the best course of action is to remove the saucepan from heat immediately. All Recipes suggests removing your fudge from the heat once it's reached 236 – 238 degrees Fahrenheit.

Typically, you will need to boil the buttery mixture for 5 minutes (this is a rolling boil, 234 F). If you do not boil it long enough, it will not be hot enough the completely dissolve the chocolate and other ingredients and it will not set properly.

If you overcook the fudge, then too much water will evaporate. Your fudge will be hard, dry, and crumbly. If you start beating the fudge before it has cooled, it will seize up. You won't get the desired smooth, creamy texture.

Fudge is best stored at room temperature for 2 to 3 weeks wrapped up in its original wax paper. NEVER REFRIGERATE your fudge as this will draw out the moisture and leave you with dry, crumbly fudge.

In the oven - wrap the fudge in foil with a tiny bit of water, perhaps 2-3 teaspoons and bake at a low temperature (120-140C or 248-284F) for 10-20 minutes, or until the fudge no longer feels/looks dried out.

The main reason is that your Fudge has not reached the optimum temperature. If your mixture only reaches 110 or 112 degrees Celsius it will always be soft. That's why we recommend investing in a sugar thermometer. Another reason your Fudge is not setting is that the ratio of liquid to sugar is too high.

If you followed your recipe's instructions and your fudge still did not harden properly, add a little bit of evaporated milk (start with 1/8 of your recipe's amount) and very slowly bring your fudge back to a boiling point, carefully checking your candy thermometer to avoid burning.

You can harden fudge by cooking it to the correct temperatures stated in the recipe. After, the fudge has set you can harden fudge further by putting it into the refrigerator for a few hours. This will only harden fudge that has been boiled, cooled and beaten correctly.

What is the best temperature to cook fudge? ›

Cook until the correct temperature

Confectionery experiments have shown that the ideal cooking temperature for fudge is around 114 to 115 °C (237 to 239 °F). The cooking is intended to evaporate a part of the liquid and concentrate the sugar.

How Long Do You Let Fudge Cool Before Cutting? The fudge will need about two to three hours to set up. It's hard to resist the temptation to cut into the fudge, but try to wait until it sets up before cutting.

Combine sugar and milk in a small pot and cook over medium high heat. Stir continuously while the mixture boils for about 10 minutes. After 10 minutes of boiling, check to see if the 'soft ball stage' has occurred.

Unfortunately, you cannot use evaporated milk instead of condensed milk in fudge. You can substitute evaporated milk for regular milk in many instances, but it will not give the same rich, creamy taste that you get from the sweetened condensed milk.

Smaller crystals result in a smoother, creamier consistency in the finished fudge. Coarse grainy fudge results when large crystals are allowed to form. Butter is added in the final stages to add flavor and smoothness and inhibit large crystal formation.

Cream of tartar is used in caramel sauces and fudge to help prevent the sugar from crystallizing while cooking. It also prevents cooling sugars from forming brittle crystals, this is why it's the secret ingredient in snickerdoodles!

If your fudge is tough, hard, or grainy, then you may have made one of several mistakes: You may have overcooked it, beaten it too long, or neglected to cool it to the proper temperature. Don't throw out the whole pan, because you may be able to melt the fudge down and try again.

Condensed milk fudge will last about 2 weeks at room temperature in an air tight container and about a month if refrigerated. You may individually wrap each fudge piece, place it in an air tight container and freeze it for 3-4 months.

Fudge is best stored at ROOM TEMPERATURE in an airtight container (any food storage container - with a good lid! - will do). We strongly suggest immediately upon receiving your treats, transfer to an airtight container. This will preserve freshness the longest, as it will prevent it from drying out.

Why did my fudge turn out gritty? ›

Seed crystals are what cause the sugar to crystallize in your fudge, thus making it grainy. Leaving the fudge mixture alone while it cools prevents the seed crystals from forming until you are ready for them to do so.

Once it's at room temperature, stick the fudge into the fridge for 1-2 hours. Lastly, to set fudge completely, put it in the freezer.

To fix oily, hard or grainy fudge, scoop the fudge back into a pot with about a cup of water. Cook it over low heat until the fudge dissolves. Then bring the fudge back up to the temperature specified in the recipe and follow the remaining steps. The flavor may be slightly diluted, but the texture will be improved.

Dissolve a tablespoon of cornstarch in a tablespoon of water and add slowly, stirring thoroughly, until your fudge is noticeably thicker. What is this? Alternatively, try the soft ball method: once your fudge is boiling, drop a small amount into a cup of frigid water.

The key to successful, nongrainy fudge is in the cooling, not the cooking. The recipe calls for heating the ingredients to the soft-ball stage, or 234° F, then allowing it to cool undisturbed to approximately 110° F.

Fudge should set at room temperature in about 3 hours. For best results, you should leave it to get firm overnight. An important tip is not to try to cut the fudge into squares until it is properly set.

As it falls to the bottom of the glass, the syrup cools and forms into a ball. Remove the ball from the water and check its consistency with your fingers. For perfect fudge, the syrup should form a soft ball that can be picked up, but easily flattened.

To fix oily, hard or grainy fudge, scoop the fudge back into a pot with about a cup of water. Cook it over low heat until the fudge dissolves. Then bring the fudge back up to the temperature specified in the recipe and follow the remaining steps. The flavor may be slightly diluted, but the texture will be improved.

By cooling the fudge prior to agitation (like in the recipes included in this article), on the other hand, you'll get much smaller, finer sugar crystals and a finished fudge with a smooth, creamy texture. Cool the mixture until it reads 120° F on the thermometer—no stirring. This can take 1 to 1/2 hours.

These items are essentially the same with one big difference: no sugar is added to evaporated milk. Sweetened condensed milk also has 60% of the water removed, but contains 40% sugar. Due to the big flavor difference, they cannot be substituted for each other.

Is it better to use salted or unsalted butter for fudge? ›

Use unsalted butter so you can add a small amount of salt (¼ teaspoon per stick of butter) to the sugar/liquid mixture. Salt tends to stabilize the mixture and keep it from foaming as much. The secret to perfect fudge is…

Fudge is best stored at room temperature for 2 to 3 weeks wrapped up in its original wax paper. NEVER REFRIGERATE your fudge as this will draw out the moisture and leave you with dry, crumbly fudge.

How Long Do You Let Fudge Cool Before Cutting? The fudge will need about two to three hours to set up. It's hard to resist the temptation to cut into the fudge, but try to wait until it sets up before cutting.