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Easy Chocolate Fudge
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- Total Time
- 15 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
- 4tablespoons (½ stick) butter, plus extra for greasing the pan
- 1pound semisweet or bittersweet chocolate
- 1(14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
- ⅛teaspoon salt (optional)
- ½cup chopped nuts (optional)
Preparation
- Step 1
Butter an 8-inch-square baking pan. Line with parchment or wax paper, letting edges of paper hang over sides of pan.
- Step 2
In top of a double boiler or a metal bowl set over (not resting in) simmering water, combine all ingredients except nuts. Mix just until melted and well combined. (Alternatively, use a microwave on low power to melt ingredients, stopping every 10 to 20 seconds to mix well.) The mixture should be heated as little as possible. Mix in nuts, if using.
- Step 3
Scrape mixture into prepared pan. Refrigerate until set, about 4 hours or overnight. Lift fudge on paper out of pan and use a large knife to cut into squares.
Private Notes
Cooking Notes
People, this is the classic Eagle Brand Condensed Milk Magic Fudge recipe right off the can, although calling for semi sweet chocolate bits. I remember my mother making it when I was a grade schooler, and I'm 82, so you see it's a venerable recipe, and it's delicious. Frankly, I still regard it as defining fudge. A little respect, please, for an oldie but extremely goodie.
Have been making this for years, but with the addition of a teaspoon of vanilla. Sometimes I add some grated orange rind for something a little different.
for fans of fudge this bears as much resemblance as a chips ahoy cookie bears to home baked. If you're just looking for something appallingly sweet with a hint of chocolate this is for you.
Otherwise I'd steer clear because this is only fudge in the mind of someone who grew up in the last 30 years.
I have a recipe that is years old, i think from the early prat of the 20th century: cocoa powder, milk, sugar, vanilla and 2 tbsps. butter. I do use half and half. It's really fudge, and really yummy. I'm afraid I snub this kind of fudge.
Goodness gracious people, don't be so hard on the guy! Things evolve, we don't gnaw on raw bones in a cave anymore. (wink) I've been making a similar recipe, albeit with Belgian Baking chocolate, which I have handwritten in my old recipe book, passed down from my mother, who got it from someone right after WWII. For real! But I also add raisins soaked overnight in cognac or whatever liqueur you like and then well drained to the mix. Takes it into a new direction. Try it.
I too have made a version of this for years. You will get more of a "fudgy" taste if you use 1/3 lb. milk chocolate and 2/3 lb. semi sweet. Also add the vanilla as noted below. I've never used butter, the fudge comes out fine without it. Use waxed paper to line your dish and it will peel right off when set.
So funny to see this "upscale" version of an old standby that uses chocolate chips for the chocolate. And while either recipe is easy, neither has a really "fudgy" flavor. Sorry, but there is a distinctive fudge taste that these shortcut recipes just don't provide.
Laurel, try googling "penuche fudge" and you'll find lots of Southern ladies happy to share their recipes. The basic brown sugar version can be doctored up with all manner of flavors to make vanilla, maple, peanut butter, etc. variations.
I threw this together on a Saturday night with a couple of modifications - I combined half semi-sweet and half dark chocolate chips for a darker, richer taste. Then after putting in pan, I sprinkled with a touch of coarse sea salt. It was a huge hit!
This is almost identical to Cook's Illustrated "15 minute Chocolate Walnut Fudge." Only differences are to use 16oz of semisweet chocolate PLUS 2oz of unsweetened, and also adds 1/2tsp of baking soda (which supposedly makes the finished product firmer). The notes also say to use Ghirardelli bars for the best flavor and to not skip the nuts (they reco a full cup of coarsely chopped walnuts), vanilla or salt.
1/3 lb milk chocolate & 2/3 lb semi sweet. 1 tsp vanilla
Made a batch of this fudge with Ghiraardelli Semi-sweet chocolate and it turned out great.
Next time I will add some espresso coffee. Great recipe as is.
remove the chocolate from the double boiler BEFORE it's completely melted and stir off heat until it's smooth. as noted in the recipe, "the mixture should be heated as little as possible" because it will cause the product to be greasy and/or separate.
Use almond bark. You can make delicious eggnog fudge substituting almond bark for chocolate, and eggnog for condensed milk.
I'm a fan, used half semi-sweet and half milk chocolate chips with toasted walnuts. It was the perfect easy, summer, sweet finish at last Sunday's Family Dinner!
Arggh! I have chocolate swimming in a pool of butter, despite much stirring and scraping. So simple, but really frustrating! I'll go make banana bread and fruitcake instead!
Many years ago, I made this recipe for all my girls' school events. It was always a hit, and so easy for a busy mom! Now the girls are grown and hubby has acquired a taste for late night sweets...thanks for reminding me of this!
Why is this no longer called “Absurdly Easy Chocolate Fudge?” It IS absurdly easy. It is also insanely good.
the fudge is excellent (of course you must use good quality chocolate as an ingredient), quick, easy, divine.
I forgot the butter, but it didn't matter at all. 1 tin condensed milk, a 16 oz bag of chocolate chips, tspn vanilla extract, a half cup of chopped pecans, 2 tspn rum! Batch 1. Batch 2 used half chocolate, half peanut butter chips, and half a cup of crushed salted macadamia nuts.
I added flakey maldon salt before setting. Delicious!
Notes ideas: add 1 tsp vanilla 2 T cocoa powder 1/2 tsp baking soda (C.I. version) "doesn't need butter"
I've made this as posted several times, but leave out the optional nuts. It's creamy, not-too-rich, simple, and doesn't have that grainy, sugar crystal feel.
I cooked this to spec and used 70% cocoa. I think I used to rich of a cocoa and recommend scaling back to 50 or 60%. Its too dense for my pleasure. I did sprinkle Maldon salt over the top which adds a little something!
Ok I have to say I am not a fan of this one. If I’m going quick and easy, I like Mrs. Eisenhower’s fudge. This one is too dense. I prefer mine with more air. Marshmallow cream gives you the beaten fluff consistency.
I made this with 62% Aldi chocolate and home made condensed milk. My wife says it's not fudge, I think it's closer to flour-less chocolate cake with nuts. I'm very happy with it, a great pandemic recipe albeit old. Maybe it will be different on day 2. It only sat in the fridge for 4.5 hours.
This in no way resembles fudge. The texture is off. The taste is off. I do not recommend.
There are so many recipes like this. I remember doing it with marshmallow fluff. It’s a definite candy but it’s not fudge. You have to take turns beating that fudge. If you were good at dropping a ball into a glass of cold water to determine the “stage” you were rewarded with creamy fudge. If not you got a pan coated with sugar concrete and Sandy texture. Half the fun was making it.
I didn’t like this very much- the flavor wasn’t right on and the fudge was kind of gummy- it didn’t have that bit of crystallized sugar feel to it- I wouldn’t make this again - it was easy but not worth it
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