Homemade Vanilla Fudge Recipe - Self Proclaimed Foodie (2024)

FAQs

What if I forgot the vanilla in my fudge? ›

There are lots of fudge recipes around which don't use vanilla at all (it's a treat which is very open to experimentation in general). So if you don't add vanilla, it won't taste like vanilla, but that doesn't necessarily mean it will taste bad, have the wrong consistency or behave differently when cooked and cooled.

Vanilla is often added to chocolate candies or other chocolate recipes because it complements and accents the flavor of chocolate.

Mix confectioners sugar, butter, milk, vanilla, and salt in a 3-quart saucepan over low heat until mixture is hot and creamy. Pour into the prepared pan; refrigerate until fudge has set, about 2 hours. Cut into squares and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Smooth Vanilla ice cream swirled with our signature homemade fudge.

If you don't have any on hand, you can almost always omit the vanilla without impacting the final texture of your baked goods; although the rich flavor extract—or any form of vanilla—brings will certainly be altered. Just remember one thing: flavor comes first.

It's the size of sugar crystals that makes the knees of fudge lovers buckle…the smaller the crystals, the less they are perceived on the tongue and the more the fudge tastes smooth and creamy. Cooking, and beating after cooking, is the key to successful fudge.

Sugar Crystals Formed

It's important to beat the fudge ingredients to develop the right texture, but you won't get smooth, creamy fudge if you beat it when it's too hot. Beating fudge when it's still over heat creates sugar crystals, aka the grittiness you feel in the fudge.

Honey. Honey adds a bright, floral sweetness to desserts. Like maple syrup, it can also enhance the texture of baked goods. Use 1 tablespoon of honey to replace 1 teaspoon (tsp) of vanilla extract.

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!

How do you keep fudge moist? ›

Wrap your fudge in an air-tight container. Several layers of saran wrap, vacuum seal, Tupperware should all keep the moisture locked in pretty good.

Opt for a pot that can contain approximately four times the total volume of your fudge ingredients. Secondly, the pot's material should allow for good heat distribution hence your top choice should be copper cookware or a pot with a copper core.

Penuche (/pəˈnutʃi/, from Italian: panucci) is a fudge-like candy made from brown sugar, butter, and milk, using no flavorings except for vanilla. Penuche often has a tannish color, and is lighter than regular fudge.

According to most recipes, the ingredients of fudge are cooked to what is termed in kitchen parlance the soft ball stage, that point between 234 and 240 °F (112 and 115 °C) at which a small ball of the candy dropped in ice water neither disintegrates nor flattens when picked up with the fingers.

The story goes, a baker was trying to make chocolate caramels. However, they didn't get the recipe quite right. When the candy came out as the creamy treat we know today, they said, “Oh, fudge!” and that's how the candy got its name. The first recorded mention of fudge came from 1888.

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.

When you add vanilla to cookie or cake batter doesn't impact flavor. For more intense vanilla flavor in custard-based desserts, add it after cooking.

If you are preparing a recipe that requires vanilla extract and you find that you've run out of vanilla in all its forms, some bakers use an equal measure of pure maple syrup in its place.