Recipe For Easy Chocolate Fudge

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Enjoy rich and creamy squares of decadent fudge thanks to this old-fashioned recipe for chocolate fudge. It takes just 6 ingredients to make this easy chocolate fudge.

Hand holding piece of chocolate fudge with bite removed.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is not just a recipe for chocolate fudge I am bringing you today. This is ammunition 😉. Yes, you heard me right! Put a good easy chocolate fudge recipe in the right hands and you can take over the world. You can get your car tuned up, your grass cut, your dog walked, and have the doors to any building opened for you with a red carpet rolled out in your honor. How do you do this, you ask? Just hold out a plate of fresh, homemade fudge.

This is a no-fail and super easy fudge recipe that anyone can make (I promise!). Mama and Grandmama have been making it this way for as long as I can remember. So, how do you make chocolate fudge? All you have to do is boil the butter sugar, and evaporated milk (yep, we don’t use condensed milk in this fudge recipe), and then add in the chocolate chips, marshmallow creme, vanilla, and nuts (these are optional). Then you have to patiently wait for the chocolate fudge to set before you can indulge.

This recipe for chocolate fudge makes the creamiest melt-in-your-mouth fudge imaginable. If you can stop at one piece… well, you have more control than me!

Ingredients for chocolate fudge.

Recipe Ingredients

  • Unsalted butter
  • Marshmallow creme
  • Evaporated milk
  • Vanilla extract
  • Semi-sweet chocolate chips (dark chocolate chips)
  • Sugar
  • Pecans or chopped nuts of your choice (optional)

How to Make Chocolate Fudge

Place butter in saucepot.

Place your butter…

Place sugar in saucepot.

Sugar…

Add evaporated milk to saucepot.

And evaporated milk in a saucepot.

I like to get a really big can of evaporated milk so I can use what is left in my coffee. It makes the BEST coffee creamer!

Candy thermometer in saucepot at the soft ball stage.

You’ll need a candy thermometer because we are going to cook this to the “soft ball” stage.

The candy thermometer has that written on it so you know.

Grease baking pan.

While that is heating up in your saucepan, take some butter and smear it all over the bottom and sides of a 9×13 pan.

Bring saucepot to a boil, stirring constantly.

Place your candy thermometer in the pot. Make sure just the tip is beneath the liquid but don’t let the tip touch the bottom.

It has a handy dandy clip that lets it hook onto the sides.

Bring that to a rolling boil, stirring constantly.

Keep a watch on your thermometer so you will know when it gets to the soft ball stage.

This is going to take about five minutes on medium-high heat.

Once at the soft ball stage, add chocolate chips.

Once it gets to the soft ball stage, remove the saucepot from the heat and pour in the chocolate chips.

Add marshmallow fluff to saucepot.

Add in the marshmallow creme and mix together.

Add vanilla to saucepot.

Add in your vanilla and nuts if using.

Mix together until chocolate chips melt and it becomes a chocolate fudge consistency.

Stir that all up until the chocolate chips melt. It is gonna take a few minutes but don’t worry, it’ll melt.

Pour into prepared pan and flatten with spatula.

Pour into your prepared pan.

Cutting the chocolate fudge into squares once cooled.

Allow the homemade chocolate fudge to cool completely before cutting into squares.

Plate of my chocolate fudge recipe.

This old-fashioned chocolate fudge recipe makes 3 pounds. Enjoy that delicious bite-sized chocolate flavor!

Storage

  • Store leftovers of this easy chocolate fudge in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week. You can store it at room temperature, but it will become quite soft.
  • You can also freeze them for up to three months. Thaw in the fridge before devouring!

Recipe Notes

  • Here are some fun variations to make this recipe for chocolate fudge your own:
    • Substitute the pecans for chopped walnuts, almonds, macadamia nuts, or pistachios.
    • Add 1/2 cup of mini marshmallows and 1/2 cup of chopped peanuts to make rocky road fudge.
    • Top the fudge with crushed peppermint candy canes at Christmas. You could also substitute vanilla for peppermint extract.
    • Another festive touch is to add 1/2 cup of red and green candied cherries along with (or instead of) the chopped nuts.
    • Top the fudge with sprinkles before cooling.
    • When you add the vanilla extract, stir in a tablespoon of bourbon or rum for an adults-only fudge.
    • Add 1/2 cup of dried fruit, like dried cranberries, raisins, or candied cherries.
    • Add 1/2 cup of peanut butter chips instead of the nuts.
    • Use white chocolate chips or milk chocolate chips instead.
  • If you have leftovers, you can add crumbled fudge to a cup of hot milk to make the best hot chocolate you’ll ever taste. You can else melt it to make a hot fudge sauce and pour it over ice cream or a cake.

Check out my other fantastic fudge recipes:

Fuss-Free Striped Fudge

Cinnabun, Chocolate, and Peanut Butter Fudge!

Fuss-Free Oreo Fudge

Chocolate Meltaways: A Fabulous Fudge Recipe

Fuss-Free Peppermint Fudge

Plate of my chocolate fudge recipe.

Easy Chocolate Fudge Recipe

Enjoy rich and creamy squares of decadent fudge thanks to this old-fashioned recipe for chocolate fudge.
Course: Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: American
Keyword: chocolate, fudge

Ingredients

  • 3 cups sugar
  • 2/3 cup evaporated milk
  • 3/4 cup butter or 1 1/2 sticks
  • 1 package semi-sweet chocolate chips 12 ounces
  • 1 1/2 cup marshmallow cream
  • 1/2 cup pecans chopped
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla

Instructions

  • Combine sugar, milk, and butter in a heavy saucepan and heat to boiling.
    3 cups sugar, 2/3 cup evaporated milk, 3/4 cup butter
  • Stir constantly for about 5 minutes over medium heat or until the mixture reaches the soft ball stage on your candy thermometer (238 degrees).
  • Remove the saucepan from the heat.
  • Add the remaining ingredients. Stir vigorously until well blended.
    1 package semi-sweet chocolate chips, 1 1/2 cup marshmallow cream, 1/2 cup pecans, 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • Pour into a greased 13x9-inch pan. Cool completely and then cut into squares. Makes 3 pounds.

Video

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123 Comments

  1. Christy –
    You can make the BEST fruit dip with one of your “sale” jars of Marshmallow cream. Just mix one jar marshmallow cream with one softened 8 oz. brick of cream cheese (I usually use the light but not the FF – just doesn’t taste right to me.) Mix all together, season with a bit of grated orange or lime zest if you like. That’s it – it’s a great dip to use with strawberries, fresh pineapple, apple slices. etc.
    Enjoy!
    Susie from Louisiana

    1. Now you know, Susie, oranges are a huge weakness of mine.

      Big old naval oranges…I could live on them. They aren’t so good for my blood sugar though so I quit buying them because I honestly can’t be trusted when oranges are in the house! I once went to an SCA event for a few days. Those are camping events where you live in a tent and play knights and damsels for a couple of days. I stopped off on the way and bought a case of water and four oranges for each day and ate every blessed one of them! I pretty much lived on nothing but oranges the entire time and BOY WERE THEY GOOD!

      Unfortunately, the days of being able to do that are behind me but I think I could manage the zest in this! (and look really innocent if anyone asks who ate the orange that provided the zest!).
      ~giggle~

  2. I’ve been making this fudge for 40 years!! You can substitute a cup of peanut butter for the chips..and have a creamy soft peanut butter fudge!! Yum!!

    1. Hey Susan! I am DEFINITELY Going to try that!

      My family LOVES and adores peanut butter and it is awfully convenient to know I can substitute it when I don’t have any chips!
      Thank you!
      Christy 🙂

  3. Christy – I discovered your blog a couple weeks ago (a friend forwarded me an e-mail about it) and I’m addicted. I honestly feel like we’re good friends already! Note that I’m that friend with a super busy full-time job that never cooks and hopes that her kids can thrive on McDonald’s chicken nuggets and apple slices. I think we’re a good balance!

    I love that a lot of your recipes are similar to those that my mom cooked when I was growing up. Since reading your blog, I’ve made taco soup (yours was just like my mom’s recipe!) and that pulled pork sandwich crock pot recipe from your PDF. Super easy!

    If you ever come visit Arkansas, come see me and I’ll make sure and have some sweet tea ready! (always make mine in the coffee pot, but I put my tea bags in where you would put the coffee grains – that way you never accidentally have coffee tea!). Thanks so much!

    1. Hey Magen,
      WOW, if you know about coffee tea then you really HAVE been reading SP! lol Hey, consider us good friends, I’d be honored!

      And just so you know, my four year old is a picky eater and I give in and get her McDonald’s about twice a week just so she will actually eat an entire meal! Guess what I get her? Chicken nuggets and apple slices! See? Great minds think alike! I promise you that at the end of the day, we’re all much better mothers than we give ourselves credit for!

      I’ll show up at your doorstep one of these days and take you up on that tea!!

      I’m so glad you’re here, Magen!

      Gratefully,
      Christy 🙂

  4. This recipe brings back special memories for me. My mother used to make it every year for Christmas. She’s been gone 20+ years now, and seeing this recipe has brought a smile to my face. I’ll be making a batch soon just for the trip down memory lane.

    Thanks Christy…

  5. I can not wait to try this fudge recipe. I am never successful with any fudge that I try to make. I am hoping this will be the recipe that works for me because it seems simple and looks yummy!!!!

    1. Hey Tonia!

      I do hope you’ll try it. I hate to hear that you’ve had issues in the past and want to assure you that it is not you!!! YOU are a fudge DIVA just waiting to happen!!!

      Holler if you have any questions and let me know when you emerge from your kitchen FUDGE TRIUMPHANT!!!

  6. Here is another way to use the marshmallow cream to make a fruit dip. Mix together 8 ounce cream cheese and the marshmallow cream; add lemon juice to your taste. This is not only good for fruit but it can be used as topping for other things like cake slices or chocolate pudding. Just use your imagination. Yum

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