Homemade Fudge With Variations

Take this easy, melt-in-your-mouth, and creamy homemade fudge recipe and with one simple adjustment, you can create the fudge flavor of your dreams. That might be Cinnabon fudge, peanut butter fudge, or classic chocolate fudge.

For me, the ultimate Christmas treat (besides anything and everything my mother makes) is homemade fudge! Decadent, rich, and so good, you’d best not make it too many other times of the year. Today I’m going to take my standard fudge recipe and show you how to make several kinds of fudge from it. But this show has one grand star and that is… (drumroll please) Cinnabon fudge! 

I got this idea last night while in the grocery store and thought it might be good. Once it cooled and I had my first bite, I knew chocolate fudge had forever been dethroned. Cinnabon fudge tastes like all that is good and wonderful in a cinnamon roll and it has become an instant showstopper.

Besides cinnamon-spiced fudge, with one simple flavor swap, you can also use this homemade fudge recipe to make chocolate fudge, peanut butter fudge, and even butterscotch fudge. Let your imagination run wild! So, what ingredients do you need to make fudge? Butter, marshmallow creme for that deliciously fluffy and creamy texture, evaporated milk, vanilla extract, sugar, and your choice of chocolate chips. 

Follow my easy step-by-step guide and you’ll be enjoying a batch of melt-in-your-mouth rich fudge swiftly. 

Recipe Ingredients

• Unsalted butter
• Marshmallow creme
• Evaporated milk
• Vanilla extract
• Sugar
• Your choice of chips

FYI, these babies right here are cinnamon chips and these are the chips I use for peanut butter fudge.

Now let’s make our base and then we can add in whatever flavor we want.

How to Make Homemade Fudge

Place your butter, sugar, and evaporated milk in a pot.

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

The candy thermometer will have that written on it so you know.

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

Shortcut: Just spray a little nonstick cooking spray over your baking dish. Works just as well and it’s quicker and easier.

Who doesn’t need a little “quicker” and “easier” in their life?

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 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 after it begins to boil.

Once it gets to the soft-ball stage, remove the pan from the heat and pour in your chips of choice.

Add in marshmallow creme.

Then your vanilla.

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

Pour into your buttered or greased baking dish.

Allow to cool for at least 3 to 4 hours (or even overnight) and then your homemade fudge is ready to eat!

If you need to cut it into little pieces to put on a platter, it is easier if you stick it in the fridge until it gets cold. It will cut much better that way.

Which flavor of homemade fudge will you choose?

Storage

Fudge has an amazing shelf-life when stored in an airtight container in the fridge. It will last for up to 3 weeks. You can also freeze the fudge for up to 3 months.

Fudge Variations

Here are lots of fun additions to make the fudge of your choice:

• Use Reese’s peanut butter chips for peanut butter fudge.
• Cinnamon chips equal Cinnabon fudge.
• Use dark, white, or milk chocolate chips to make chocolate fudge.
• Opt for butterscotch chips for butterscotch fudge.
• Make half of the recipe with white chocolate chips and the other half with semi-sweet chocolate chips. Add them to the prepared pan and then use a butter knife to swirl the flavors together to make marbled fudge.
• Swap the vanilla extract for peppermint extract and use milk chocolate chips to make mint chocolate fudge.
• Use caramel bits for caramel fudge. Sprinkle the fudge with sea salt before setting it in the fridge for salted caramel fudge.
• Want chocolate nut fudge? Fold in 1/2 cup of your chopped nuts of choice, such as walnuts or pecans, once the chips have melted.
• Add chopped Oreos to make Oreo fudge (here’s another recipe).
• Fold in crushed candy cane pieces to make peppermint fudge.
• Add dried fruit.
• For Rocky Road fudge, add chopped peanuts and mini marshmallows to your chocolate fudge.

Recipe Notes

• You can use marshmallows in place of marshmallow cream, so if you can’t find the cream just get a bag of little marshmallows. We are using 7 ounces of marshmallow cream, so I just eyeball and use a little over half of a 12-ounce package of mini marshmallows in its place.
• You can’t use sweetened condensed milk in this recipe, only whole evaporated milk!

Check out these other delectable holiday treats:

Southern Plate’s Must Make Christmas Cookies

Homemade Christmas Candies

Christmas Tie-Dyed Cheesecake Brownies

Cream Cheese Mints

Oreo Cookie Balls (3 Ingredients Only)

 

It’s not what you gather,

But what you scatter tells what kind of life you have lived.

Submitted by Miss Millie Wallace, my grandmother’s best friend for as long as I can remember and someone who I cherish every bit as much as my grandmother. Submit your quote here.