Recipe For Easy Chocolate Fudge
This old-fashioned chocolate fudge is made with evaporated milk, marshmallow creme, and semi-sweet chocolate chips, and it sets up into rich, creamy squares that melt in your mouth. One batch makes about 3 pounds, which is plenty for your own house and a few holiday tins besides.
A Quick Look At The Recipe
- Recipe Name: Easy Chocolate Fudge Recipe
- Main Ingredients: sugar, evaporated milk, butter, semi-sweet chocolate chips, marshmallow cream, pecans, vanilla
- Why You'll Love It: Enjoy rich and creamy squares of decadent fudge thanks to this old-fashioned recipe for chocolate fudge.
You only need six ingredients and a candy thermometer, and the stovetop part goes quickly. If you’re planning a whole holiday candy day, it’s a great place to start before moving on to eggnog fudge.
Old-Fashioned Fudge With Evaporated Milk
I like to say a good fudge recipe isn’t just a recipe, it’s ammunition. Hold out a plate of homemade fudge and you can get your car tuned up, your grass cut, and the doors to just about any building held open for you.
Mama has made her fudge this way for as long as I can remember. The butter, sugar, and evaporated milk boil together until they hit the soft ball stage, and then the chocolate chips, marshmallow creme, and vanilla get stirred in off the heat. The marshmallow creme is what makes this fudge so forgiving, because it keeps the texture smooth and creamy instead of grainy.
This recipe uses evaporated milk, not sweetened condensed milk, and the two aren’t interchangeable. If you’ve ever wondered about the difference, I explain it in my post on what evaporated milk is and how to make it.
Ingredients for Chocolate Fudge
- Evaporated milk: Use regular evaporated milk, not sweetened condensed. I buy the big can so I can use the leftovers in my coffee, where it makes the best creamer.
- Marshmallow creme: This is the secret to fudge that turns out creamy every time. It’s sometimes labeled marshmallow fluff.
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips: A 12-ounce bag melts right into the hot sugar mixture. Dark chocolate chips give you a richer, less sweet fudge.
- Butter and sugar: These cook with the evaporated milk to form the base of the fudge, so measure them carefully.
- Pecans: Totally optional, but they add a nice crunch. Try toasting them first, or use my candied pecans if you want them a little sweeter.
The full amounts are in the recipe card below.
Helpful Tips Before You Start
- Measure everything first. Once the sugar mixture reaches the soft ball stage, things move fast, so have the chocolate chips, marshmallow creme, vanilla, and pecans opened and ready to go.
- Use a heavy saucepan. A heavy-bottomed pot heats evenly and keeps the sugar from scorching on the bottom.
- Check your thermometer. Clip it on so the tip sits in the liquid without touching the bottom of the pot. You can test it ahead of time in boiling water, where it should read 212°F at sea level.
- Stir constantly. Keep the spoon moving the whole time the mixture boils so the milk doesn’t stick and burn.
- Butter the pan before you start. You won’t have time once the fudge is ready to pour, and a well-buttered 9×13 pan makes it easy to cut clean squares later. I do the same thing before making peanut butter fudge.
How to Make Chocolate Fudge
1. Combine the Butter, Sugar, and Evaporated Milk
Place the butter in a heavy saucepan.
Add the sugar.
Pour in the evaporated milk.
2. Clip On the Candy Thermometer
Clip the candy thermometer to the side of the pot so just the tip sits in the liquid. Most thermometers have the soft ball stage marked right on them, which makes it easy to watch for.
While the pot heats, smear butter all over the bottom and sides of a 9×13 pan.
3. Boil to the Soft Ball Stage
Bring the mixture to a rolling boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, and keep an eye on the thermometer. It takes about 5 minutes to reach the soft ball stage, which is 238°F.
4. Stir In the Chocolate and Marshmallow Creme
As soon as it reaches the soft ball stage, take the pot off the heat and pour in the chocolate chips.
Add the marshmallow creme and stir it in.
Add the vanilla and the pecans, if you’re using them.
Keep stirring until the chocolate chips are completely melted. It takes a few minutes, but they’ll get there.
5. Pour, Cool, and Cut
Pour the fudge into the buttered pan and spread it into an even layer.
Let the fudge cool completely before cutting it into squares, which usually takes a few hours at room temperature. Once it’s set, it’s ready for a holiday candy tray next to some peppermint bark.
Fudge Variations to Try
- Different nuts: Walnuts, almonds, macadamia nuts, or pistachios all work in place of pecans.
- Rocky road: Stir in 1/2 cup mini marshmallows and 1/2 cup chopped peanuts.
- Peppermint: Swap the vanilla for peppermint extract and top the fudge with crushed candy canes. If you love that flavor, my fuss-free peppermint fudge is another easy one.
- Christmas fudge: Add 1/2 cup red and green candied cherries along with the nuts or in place of them, or top the fudge with sprinkles before it sets.
- Peanut butter: Use 1/2 cup peanut butter chips instead of nuts. For even more peanut butter, try my chocolate peanut butter fudge.
- For the grown-ups: Stir in a tablespoon of bourbon or rum along with the vanilla.
- Other chocolate: Milk chocolate or white chocolate chips work in place of semi-sweet.
Storing, Freezing, and Gifting Fudge
- Fridge: Store fudge in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. It keeps at room temperature too, but it gets quite soft.
- Freezer: Wrap the fudge well and freeze it for up to 3 months. Thaw it in the fridge before serving.
- Gifting: Cut the fudge into squares and layer it between sheets of wax paper in a tin. It’s one of my favorite homemade Christmas food gifts, right alongside a batch of my must-make Christmas cookies.
- Leftovers: Crumble a piece of fudge into a mug of hot milk for the richest hot chocolate you’ve ever had, or melt it down and spoon it over ice cream like homemade hot fudge.
Chocolate Fudge FAQs
Why didn’t my fudge set?
It most likely didn’t get hot enough. The sugar mixture has to reach the soft ball stage, 238°F, or the fudge will stay soft and sticky.
Why is my fudge grainy?
Grainy fudge usually comes from sugar crystals forming, either from cooking it too long or from sugar on the sides of the pot getting stirred back in. The marshmallow creme in this recipe helps a lot with that, so stir constantly and don’t overcook it.
Can I make fudge without a candy thermometer?
You can use the cold water test. Drop a little of the hot mixture into a glass of very cold water, and when it forms a soft ball you can pick up and squish between your fingers, it’s ready. A thermometer is a lot more reliable, though.
Can I use sweetened condensed milk instead of evaporated milk?
Not in this recipe. Sweetened condensed milk has a lot of sugar already added, so swapping it in would throw off the whole recipe.
How far ahead can I make fudge for the holidays?
It keeps for about a week in the fridge or up to 3 months in the freezer, so you can make it well ahead of a holiday party or divinity and candy-making day.
Easy Chocolate Fudge Recipe
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 13×9-inch pan. Cool completely and then cut into squares. Makes 3 pounds.
My daughter and I made this today and it turned out perfect, I am so excited I’ve never had fudge set right until today so I’m happy happy! Thank you so much for the recipe!
🙂
Can you use butter instead of margarine? I prefer butter.
you are so funny christy, but i am the same way about a good half price sale., i will buy way more than i need just because i can’t stand to think of it sitting there, and knowing that one day i will need it.
I’m pretty sure this is the recipe my momma made when I was a kid. I turned 62 today so I guess it’s about time I learned to make it. I have a very easy peanut butter fudge recipe that I make for the holidays so now I’m all set with chocolate fudge too. Thank you Christy! I love your stories. It’s so funny how many of them are so much like the stories from our family when we were growing up.
Christy I make an Amish Peanut Butter spread using Marshmallow creme…you really need to try it on fresh bread!! I will send you the recipe if you want..:)
Tried your cinnabon fudge and everyone loved it! Turns out perfect every time.
I made this yesterday with pecans…Been nibbling on it all morning! I usually make it every Christmas, but failed to this year and I have a new boyfriend with a huge sweet tooth so made him a batch! Its foolproof!