How to make easy fudge tips and tricks! (2024)

Fudge is soft candy made from sugar, milk or cream, butter, and flavorings. The sugar and milk are heated to the "soft ball stage" of candy-making, or 240 degrees F (160 degrees C) on a candy thermometer, thus making a sugar syrup. Then the butter is stirred in and flavorings and mix-ins like nuts are added. If all is done properly this will make a smooth, creamy fudge.

Candy-making can be rather temperamental and tricky however because the chemistry requires precision, and it takes a good bit of experience and practice to craft perfect candy.

But fear not! We have plenty of shortcuts for quick and easy fudge recipes to save the day so you can skip the difficult steps!

"Quick fudge" recipes, or easy fudge recipes that you can make in minutes in the microwave or on the stovetop, skip the tedious candy-making process by using alternative ingredients as shortcuts. The easy Chocolate Fudge pictured above is made using chocolate and sweetened condensed milk.

For example, you can use sweetened condensed milk which is pretty much the sugar and dairy packaged in a handy dandy can that can be found in the supermarket.

Other ingredients, such as store-bought frosting, lemon curd, ice cream toppings, Dulce de Leche, or marshmallow fluff, also help make the fudge recipes you'll find here a cinch to make. So you do not need a candy thermometer.

We have you covered with delicious, easy fudge recipes in every flavor for every occasion that takes minutes to make. Quick fudge is stabler to prepare and easier to make for all skill levels, and it tastes delicious. It often takes minutes to prepare with just a few ingredients. Some recipes like our White Chocolate Fudge have as little as two ingredients!

Fudge can be prepared in the microwave or on the stovetop. Microwave fudge is the easiest, quickest fudge to make, but if you prefer stove-top, it's just as simple.

If you ever wonder why your fudge is too soft, why your fudge doesn't harden properly, or why your fudge doesn't set, you aren't alone. Too soft fudge is a common grievance when making fudge.

If you're making traditional fudge, too soft fudge (or too crumbly fudge, which is too hard or dry) happens with imprecise heating and stirring, and cooling.

But because we're avoiding the candy-making on this blog to only give you super easy, delicious fudge recipes, too soft fudge tends to be caused by too little chocolate.

The recipes here call for chocolate chips, candy bars, or candy melts (confectionery coating) in dark, milk, or white chocolate. When these are melted and then chilled to re-harden, they create the structure needed to make a nice smooth and creamy yet firm fudge.

The ratio of chocolate to condensed milk, frosting, or sauce needs to be just right or the fudge can be too soft or even too firm. Be sure to follow our instructions and use the recipe quantities listed. If we use a product like Strawberry Ice Cream Topping to make Strawberry Fudge, be sure to use the product we recommend for the best results.

Something to keep in mind is that dark chocolate has a more solid structure than milk chocolate or white chocolate. So it's best to use our recipes as written for each of these types of fudge. If you choose to use milk or white chocolate in place of dark chocolate you'll need to add 25% more to the recipe.

Most of the easy fudge you will find on this site call for the fudge to be refrigerated for 3 to 4 hours. You can also allow the fudge to set at room temperature overnight.

Some fudges may be ready earlier. Some of our easy fudge recipes including Nutella Fudge and Biscoff Fudge may be ready to cut in 1-2 hours.

When making traditional fudge, you heat the sugar, cream, and butter to an exact temperature and let it cool a bit undisturbed. It should cool down to about 110° before stirring. Stirring too early can cause the sugar to make crystals that are too big, which gives the fudge a grainy texture.

You needn't worry about grainy fudge though when making our recipes. The recipes here avoid the traditional candy-making process so you will NOT have grainy fudge.

With traditional fudge, the butter can separate from the fudge if it's added too early while the candy is still too hot. With easy fudge, the cocoa butter can separate from the chocolate if it gets too hot.

If you follow our instructions for heating up your fudge then you should not have any issues. If you do overheat the fudge and it looks greasy pour it into a clean bowl and let it rest for 15 minutes. Then stir the fudge, working the cocoa butter back into the fudge. This is important so that the fudge is creamy. If you simply wipe up the cocoa butter, your fudge may become dry.

If the fudge still looks greasy, pour it out onto a cool surface like a marble cutting board, a granite countertop, or a non-stick cookie sheet. Let it sit for 5 minutes then use a rubber spatula to scrape it up and bring it all together.

Still greasy? Keep spreading it out and scraping it up until it no longer looks greasy. The fudge will be quite thick at this point so you'll have to push it into the pan.

We often get the question, will fudge stick to wax paper? Will fudge stick to aluminum foil? Or parchment paper? If your fudge is too soft, it's more likely to stick to your paper or baking pan.

If your fudge is the perfect consistency, it's less likely to stick, even if you simply grease the baking pan well without using any paper. For best results, I prefer to line a baking pan with parchment paper or non-stick aluminum foil (a specially treated foil found in your grocery store).

You can lightly spray the paper or regular tin foil with non-stick cooking spray, wiping away the excess with a paper towel to really ensure the fudge won't stick. The benefit of using parchment or foil to line your pan is that you can lift the finished fudge out of the pan for easy cutting.

Yes, but removing the fudge from the pan can be a bit more challenging. If you don't mind simply serving the fudge out of the pan then this method works great. If you use a non-stick pan then you'll have an easier time getting the fudge out than if using a glass pan.

I spread a batch of Fireball Fudge into a 9x13-inch glass pan. It was a little more challenging to get the fudge out of the pan.

Most of the fudge recipes here call for using an 8-inch or9-inch square pan and a few of our recipes call for using a 9x13-inch pan.

If you prefer thicker fudge, you can even use a 6-inch pan. If you want pretty slices of fudge instead of squares use a loaf pan.

Check out our Chocolate Fudge recipe to see how to use a loaf pan.

In our easy fudge recipes, the chocolate is the star of the show so use chocolate that you like to eat right out of the package. Old or bland-tasting chocolate isn't going to make a great fudge.

Types of chocolate to use in fudge-making:

pure dark chocolate (which has cocoa butter listed in the ingredients)
Semi-sweet dark chocolate (45%-60% cocoa content) makes a great-tasting sweet chocolate fudge.

bittersweet chocolate (70%-90% cocoa content) is wonderful if you enjoy a more robust flavored chocolate fudge.

unsweetened chocolate (100% cocoa content) is, in my opinion, too bitter for fudge, but you may enjoy it if you like a really intensely flavored, rather bitter-tasting fudge.

milk chocolate (which has cocoa butter and milk in the ingredients)
Milk chocolate is sweet and creamy and makes a lovely fudge it is softer in structure than dark chocolate so it cannot be swapped out in a dark chocolate fudge recipe unless you increase the amount of milk chocolate used by about 25%.

white chocolate (made with cocoa butter) is a creamy confection that contains cocoa butter but not any cocoa solids making a nice milky-tasting fudge. White chocolate is also softer in structure than dark and slightly softer than milk. If you swap it out in a recipe that calls for dark chocolate use at least 25% white chocolate.

compound chocolate (also known as, confectionery coating, Candy Melts, melting candy, almond bark, or fake chocolate) is made using palm kernel oil, or other vegetable oils instead of cocoa butter. The flavor is good but not quite as rich as pure chocolate, but if you enjoy eating it right out of the package you will like it in a homemade fudge recipe.

You can use any type of chocolate to make easy fudge but you'll need to follow these tips:

chocolate blocks or bars
If you are using bars or blocks, be sure to finely chop the chocolate
so that it melts more quickly. The smaller the pieces the faster and more evenly they will melt.

You can also grind the chocolate up in the food processoror use the cheese grater attachment to grate the chocolate.

chocolate chips
Melt chocolate chips whole. Chocolate chips are made to withstand very high temperatures so they will melt more slowly than finely chopped chocolate bars.

candy melts wafers or pure chocolate callets
You can melt whole wafers or chop them up to make melting go more quickly. They will melt more quickly than chocolate chips.

To make fudge with frosting, combine one container of store-bought frosting and chocolate chips (choose complementary flavors), melt on the stovetop of the microwave, pour into a greased container, and let it set in the refrigerator. That's it!

Check out our Strawberry Frosting Fudge, Chocolate Frosting Fudge, and White Chocolate Frosting Fudge recipes.

Sweetened condensed milk, which is essentially the sugar syrup part of fudge-making in a can, is a great ingredient for making quick and easy fudge! You simply need to heat the condensed milk with finely chopped chocolate bars or chocolate chips on the stovetop or microwave and add any flavoring or mix-ins you like.

Check out our Milk Chocolate Fudge, Mint Chocolate Chip Fudge, and Rocky Road Fudge recipes which are all made using sweetened condensed milk.

Sweetened condensed milk is milk that has been pasteurized and condensed (heated and cooked to remove most of the water) and is then sweetened with sugar.

The sugar not only adds sweetness to the condensed milk but also helps to thicken it and to prolong its shelf life, keeping microorganisms from growing in it.

You can, if you'd like, make your own homemade sweetened condensed milkbut I just buy cans of it from the grocery store. You'll find it in the baking aisle next to the evaporated milk. Be sure you grab the correct cans. See more details below.

Yes, but note that there are subtle differences in each brand of milk.
Some brands of sweetened condensed milk are very thick while others are runny and thin.

Some are off-white in color while others are almost tan in color.
I've used several different brands of sweetened condensed milk while developing all these fudge recipes and the fudges have all set up nicely and tasted great.

We do prefer to use the thicker, more caramel-colored Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk.

If you use a thinner store-brand sweetened condensed milk, it will take longer for the fudge to set up. It will also be softer. You can add more chocolate if you prefer a firmer fudge. Add an extra 1-2 ounces of dark chocolate, 2-3 ounces of milk chocolate, and 3-4 ounces of white chocolate.

NO!

Do NOT use evaporated milk (which does not have sugar added and has more water content) if a recipe calls for sweetened condensed milk (which is more of a thick sugar syrup).

Some fudge recipes do use evaporated milk because it can be cooked to higher temperatures without curdling than regular milk and is a shelf-stable product, but recipes that use evaporated milk in place of regular milk are more likely to have more traditional candy-making steps (boiling the sugar and milk).

The two different types of canned milk are almost always on the grocery store shelf right next to each other, so be sure to choose the correct cans.

With proper wrapping and care, your fudge can last for weeks, even months! Wrap the fudge in wax paper and store it in an air-tight container. A metal tin works best to keep the air out and keep fudge fresh.

Eggnog Fudge packaged in a pretty tin makes a wonderful Christmas gift.

Most of the fudge using our easy recipes will keep for at least two weeks and up to 1 monthif stored at room temperature in an air-tight container.

Boozy fudge will have the best shelf-life. It can stay fresh for up to 2 months if stored at room temperature.

Absolutely! Fudge freezes very well. To thaw, remove the wrapped fudge from the freezer and let it sit at room temperature for a couple of hours before unwrapping. You can keep fudge fresh in the freezer for up to 6 months.

To thaw frozen fudge, remove it from the freezer and set it on your counter but do not remove it from its packaging. Let it thaw at room temperature for several hours before removing it from its packaging. This will prevent condensation from forming on the fudge. Wet beads of condensation will make your fudge sticky.

Yes, the fudge will get moldy when it gets too old. If you see mold on your fudge, throw it away. It will no longer be safe to eat.

Yes! If exposed to temperatures over 110 degrees fudge will begin to melt.
Fudge will become soft at temperatures above 75 degrees F.

If you plan to make our Red, White, and Blue Fudge for an outdoor 4th of July party, be sure to keep it in a cooler or place a bowl of the fudge over ice to keep it from melting during your event.

If you are making an easy fudge, it can be remelted. I've remelted fudge successfully as I have been experimenting with the correct quantities to add to the fudge. If your fudge is too soft, you can remelt it and add more melted chocolate.

Just be careful to not overheat the chocolate. It may become greasy if overheated.