The h2g2 Post Recipe
Created | Updated Jun 10, 2004
As promised we feature some fudge recipes to complement the toffee recipes featured last week.
Make sure that you have plenty of greaseproof/wax paper and airtight tins at the ready!
We would also be happy to feature your own personal favourite recipe but do remember that you should not submit anything which may be copyright.
Send your suggestions or recipes to Shazz.
Basic Vanilla Fudge
Makes approximately 2¼lb of fudge.
Ingredients
- 2lb - 850g - granulated or soft brown suger
- ½pt - 300ml - milk
- 4oz - 100g - butter or margerine
- 1½tspns vanilla essence
Method
- Put the sugar and milk into a pan and leave to soak for at least one hour.
- Add the fat and heat over a low flame, stirring until the sugar has all dissolved.
- Bring to the boil and boil to about 300F - 150C; with no thermometer this takes approximately 10 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent burning.
- Remove from the heat and add the vanilla essence. Leave to cool slightly.
- Then beat until the mixture thickens.
- Pour into greased or lined tins and mark into squares with a sharp knife just before the mixture sets.
- When completely cooled divide into pieces and store in an airtight tin using geaseproof paper between the layers.
Variations on the Above Recipe
Chocolate Fudge
As per the above recipe but reduce the vanilla essence to 1 teaspoonful and add either 3 tablespoons of cocoa or 6oz - 175g of chocolate powder with the fat.
Fruit Fudge
As per the vanilla recipe and adding 8oz - 200g - washed dried fruit along with the vanilla essence.
Nut or/and Ginger Fudge
This time add 8oz - 200g - of either chopped nuts or chopped stem ginger, or a combination of both immediately after you have finished boiling the mixture.
Useful tips for Fudge and Toffee Making
Use a strong aluminium pan with a thick bottom to prevent burning and sticking. The pan should be quite large as the mixtures will tend to rise when boiling.
Cover the pan until the syrup boils to prevent sugar crystals forming.
Soak the sugar in the liquid for as long as possible and make sure that all the sugar has dissolved before proceeding to boil - this will help to avoid any lumps forming. No harm will come if the sugar won't dissolve and you need to add a little more water, but the boiling time will need to be increased slightly.
Avoid stirring when the mixture is being boiled to ensure that any air bubbles formed aren't broken.
Pour out the mixture as soon as it is ready. Don't be tempted to scrape hardened pieces off the side of the pan as they will cause the resulting sweet to be lumpy and uneven in texture.
Enjoy
