One of my favorite things about the holiday season is fudge. We make pumpkin fudge, chocolate fudge, caramel fudge, sea salt fudge. SO MUCH FUDGE. I have a couple gripes with fudge, though. First, it usually requires sweetened condensed milk, which isn't something I keep on-hand. Adjusting recipes to replace that and produce 2% milk fudge can prove challenging, but I know a lot of people who would be more inclined to make fudge if recipes made use of more common ingredients.
Second, fudge is known for being a little finicky. You don't see anyone ever claiming that something is “easy as fudge,” do you? No. Never. Pie is known to be easy. “Easy as cake” is even a thing. Fudge doesn't make that cut. It's finicky. It doesn't always like to set right. I see recipes promising perfect consistency with double boilers and thermometers and all sorts of fancy stuff but who has time for that???
I need my food easy. I need my food without special trips to the store.
I need to be able to get fudge going on a whim at 9pm when my oldest kid has a nightmare and won't go back to sleep and a cheerful kitchen distraction is just the ticket to take his mind off of stuff, ya know?
Busy parent chefs of the world, this recipe solves all those problems. It took a lot of trial-and-error to perfect but it's simple, it uses stuff you probably already have, and it produces a flakey-melty delectable consistency every single time. Finally, a 2% milk fudge that you can whip up without the hassle.
2% Milk Fudge that's Easy as Pie
Finally, a 2% milk fudge that you can whip up without the hassle.
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups 2% Clover organic milk
- 3 c sugar
- 1/2 c cocoa powder
- 1 stick butter
- 2 tsp vanilla
Instructions
- Pour the milk into a LARGE, heavy saucepan and bring slowly to boil.
- Add the sugar, cocoa and butter. Heat slowly, stirring constantly, until the sugar dissolves and the butter melts. Bring to boil, cover and boil for 2 minutes.
- Uncover and continue to boil steadily, stirring occasionally, for 10-15 minutes. It's ready when the bubbles are tight and small, when a bit of the mixture dropped into a cup of cold water forms a soft ball as you roll it between your finger and thumb.
- Remove from the heat, stir in vanilla and let cool for 5 minutes.
- Beat the fudge until it thickens and just barely loses its gloss.
- Transfer to a buttered 7 inch glass pan, let cool completely and cut.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
12Serving Size:
1 pieceAmount Per Serving: Calories: 94Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 22mgSodium: 71mgCarbohydrates: 3gFiber: 1gSugar: 0gProtein: 1g
The key to getting the perfect consistency with fudge is to drop a little bit of the mixture into a cold cup of water. Scoop it up and roll it around with your fingers and if it forms a soft ball, it's ready to go. You can see in the video below what I mean.
I always love recipes in video form. As a viewer, it's reassuring to me that I'm doing stuff right. And I can pause and start over and over again to get all the ingredients and whatnot ready step-by-step. No wonder all those food channels are such a hit.
This recipe results in an outwardly-flakey-but-inwardly-smooth consistency, dark and rich just like my mom used to make it.
Have you ever made 2% milk fudge? Pin this recipe to give it a try this holiday season!