Fudge And Faux Fudge

[Janet H]

Do you have a fudge recipe you love or loath? Post it up; let us know what you think! Fudge is a wonderful thing. Rich, creamy, sweet and addictive but in it's classic form; also a nuisance to make.

There are a number of short cut recipes that bypass the standard "cook to a soft ball and then beat" process and for better or worse, I thought they deserved some attention. Post up your fudge work-around recipes and any comments you may have about how successful (or not) they are. Here's the baseline recipe for real fudge. No condensed milk, powdered sugar, marshmallow fluff or other fast work arounds. It's the gold standard in my book but not quick or especially easy to make. Dark, smooth, dense and wooooonderful.

Old fashioned fudge - the good stuff:
3 Cups granulated sugar
2/3 Cup cocoa powder (unsweetened Dutch processed)
1/8 tsp salt
1 1/2 Cups whole milk (no substitutes)
1/4 Cup butter
1 tsp vanilla
Chopped toasted nuts (optional)

Method:
Equipment / prep: Candy thermometer, 8 x 8 inch pan buttered or lined with buttered parchment, wooden spoon.

1. In a medium heavy saucepan combine sugar, cocoa and salt. Add the milk and stir with a wooden spoon and cook over medium heat stirring continuously until mixture comes to a strong boil.
2. Turn heat down and continue to cook (small boil) without stirring until temperature reaches 234 °F. This takes about 30 minutes.
3. Remove pot from heat, add the butter and vanilla. Do not stir. Cool to room temperature. Beat with a wooden spoon just until mixture begins to lose some of it's gloss (approximately 6-8 minutes) Add nuts if desired.
4. Spread quickly in prepared pan and let cool completely at room temperature, even overnight. Cut into squares. Store in an airtight container at room temperature. DO NOT refrigerate as sugar crystals may form.

 

[Janet H]

Velveeta Fudge (yup, THAT Velveeta)

2 pounds of powdered sugar
1/2 C cocoa powder or 6 ounces unsweetened chocolate, broken up into chunks
1 C butter
12 Oz. Original (not 2%) Velveeta, cubed
1 Tbsp. vanilla

Chopped lightly toasted pecans of walnuts (optional)

Assembly - In LARGE bowl:

1. Mix sugar and cocoa powder doing your best to get rid of any caked lumps of sugar. If using block Chocolate melt with Velveeta in step 2 and skip the cocoa powder
2. Melt Velveeta and butter together in a pan (can be done in microwave), mixing till smooth and then add the vanilla to this mixture. If using block chocolate include it in this step.
3. Pour warm cheese mixture into dry ingredients and mix by hand to combine. Stir in nuts. A whisk is useful or you can use a hand mixer on low.
4. Press into a 9 x 13 pan (greased or lined with non-stick parchment) and chill for 3 hours until firm.
5. Cut into pieces.

This can be frozen for later.




Review: Weird concept but surprisingly acceptable. It's not fudge but it's pretty good and very easy. The Velveeta flavor isn't discernable and the texture is smooth and the "fudge" is a bit soft. Powdered sugar texture is not noticeable. Distinctly milk chocolate in flavor - not for dark chocolate lovers. A good way to use up unwanted velveeta.

 

[pepperhead212]

The "faux fudge" I've been making for many years is a cream cheese fudge, the recipe put out by the Philadelphia brand, and I've made it so many times, I don't have to look it up. I've also made many flavor variations, most popular probably the orange, but adding some expresso is also popular.

Philadelphia Cream Cheese Fudge
Line a 9 x 9 pan with foil, and butter, unless using the non-stick foil.

6 oz cream cheese, softened
4 cups powered sugar, sifted
4 oz semi-sweet baking chocolate, melted (also good with 3 oz unsweetened)
1 tsp vanilla extract
Other possible flavors - zest from one orange, about 2 tsp; 1½ tsp instant expresso; spices, like in wienerstube
1 c chopped nuts (optional)

Beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add sugar a half cup at a time, until all as beaten in. Add the vanilla, and other seasonings, then, on slow speed, beat in the melted chocolate, followed by the nuts, if used. Spread into the pan, and level out. Refrigerate a few hours, before cutting into squares.

 

[taxlady]

No recipes for vanilla or maple fudge?