If you are looking for the perfect fudge recipe, you’ve just found it! This traditional See’s Fudge Recipe with step-by-step pictures is foolproof and the best fudge recipe around!
See’s Chocolate Fudge topped with chopped walnuts.
Every year for Christmas, my mom makes fudge and mails it out to all nine kids in our family. (She also mails other yummy things like these White Chocolate Candy Cane Drop Cookiesand English Toffee, which is just like my Graham Cracker Toffee Crack).
I wanted to include some of her amazing recipes on this blog, so I asked for her chocolate fudge recipe. Even though I’d never made chocolate fudge before, it was super easy! Let’s get started!
Chocolate Fudge Ingredients
You only need five ingredients for chocolate fudge. If you want to add nuts, make that six ingredients.
- Sugar
- Evaporated Milk
- Butter
- Chocolate Chips
- Marshmallow Fluff
The five simple ingredients for See’s Fudge.
How to Make Chocolate Fudge
I’m going to walk you through this, step by step with pictures.
1. First, you’re going to get a very large, heat-proof mixing bowl (I’m not joking–the bowl needs to be big) and put in two cubes of butter (1/2 pound), two twelve-ounce packages of chocolate chips (you can use semi-sweet or milk chocolate), and the whole seven-ounce jar of Marshmallow Fluff. (You can find this next to the marshmallows at any store).
Place the butter, marshmallow fluff, and chocolate chips in a large mixing bowl.
If you are like me and have a huge bag of chocolate chips (thank you, Costco!) you’ll need to measure about four cups. If you want to be super accurate, you can use a kitchen scale like my favorite, thisTaylor Kitchen Scale.
Measure out your chocolate chips using a scale if needed. Chocolate is measured by weight rather than volume.
2. Next, you’ll want to line a 9×13 pan with aluminum foil and grease it with butter. No need to be super thorough with the butter. You can easily peel foil off the fudge later if it sticks a little.
Line your 9×13 pan with foil and grease it with butter.
3. Now it’s time to add 4 1/2 cups of sugar and one twelve-ounce can of evaporated milk (NOT sweetened condensed milk) to a large saucepan on the stove. Stir that sugar and milk together until it is well-mixed. Then turn the stove on to medium-high heat.
4. Bring the mixture to a boil. At first, you will start to see bubbles around the edges of the pot.
If your mixture is just bubbling around the edges, it’s not ready yet.
You want to wait until the mixture comes to a full rolling boil. There should be bubbles all over the surface of the mixture, like this.
Bring your mixture to a full rolling boil, then set the timer for nine minutes.
5. When the sugar/evaporated milk comes to a full rolling boil, set a timer for nine minutes and do not leave! If it looks like the mixture is going to boil over, quickly turn down the heat. I turned my heat down to medium-low and this kept my mixture boiling the whole time.
6. After 4 1/2 minutes have passed, use a wooden spoon and stir the mixture. Some may be sticking to the bottom. Just gently scrape and try to get it off, but don’t worry if it doesn’t come up. It’s natural for some to stick to the bottom. You only want to stir this mixture once while it is boiling.
7. As soon as the full nine minutes have passed, pour the hot mixture over the top of the butter, chocolate chips, and marshmallow fluff. After you’ve poured the boiling mixture out, the bottom of your pan will probably look like this. The wonky dented side of your pan will only look like this if you have dropped it on the floor while it was still hot 🙂
Don’t scrape up the crystallized, hardened bits at the bottom of the pan.
Don’t scrape the stuck-on stuff at the bottom into the large bowl with the chocolate chips, etc. Just set it aside and hope you have a really good dishwasher 🙂
8. Now, just gently stir everything together. The hot mixture will melt the butter, chocolate chips, and marshmallow fluff. Here’s what it looks like when it’s about half-way done:
Keep stirring until the mixture is smooth and glossy and everything is melted. (Honestly, my mixture still had a few small lumps, but it was starting to set up, so I needed to pour it into the pan!) If you add nuts, like chopped walnuts, pecans, or almonds, you can add them to the mixture now. Or you can wait and just add them to the top later.
When your fudge looks smooth and glossy, it’s ready to be poured into the pan.
9. Now, just pour it into your pan and smooth it out. If you are adding nuts to the top, sprinkle them over the top and gently press them into the fudge.
You can leave the fudge on the counter to cool and then put it in the refrigerator if you want to chill it further. Really, it’s o.k. to sit out on the counter at room temperature for a few days.
Smooth the top of your fudge. Feel free to sprinkle the top with chopped nuts, crushed candy canes, or broken Oreos!
10. Once the fudge is cool and set, grab the edges of the foil and lift the fudge out of the pan. Use a knife to cut the fudge into pieces. Share with all your friends! (This makes a TON of fudge! If you eat it all yourself, you will die!)
See’s Fudge Recipe
Common Questions About Chocolate Fudge:
Can Chocolate Fudge Be Frozen?
Yes! If you find yourself unable to distribute all this fudge and need to save some for later, you can wrap it in plastic wrap and place it in the freezer for up to three months. Simply thaw at room temperature for about an hour before serving.
Is Chocolate Fudge Healthy?
Goodness, no! That’s why we only make it one time a year and give most of it away! The only possibly healthy component of chocolate fudge is the evaporated milk. And I’m not sure that’s even healthy.
Is Chocolate Fudge Gluten-Free?
Yes! It’s not healthy, but it is gluten-free! 🙂
Can I Make Different Flavors of Chocolate Fudge?
Yes! Two amazing chocolate fudge flavors are chocolate orange fudge and chocolate peppermint fudge. To flavor your fudge, simply add 2-3 teaspoons of flavor extract to the mix about half-way through the stirring process.
If you are making chocolate orange fudge, it’s also fun to add grated orange zest to the mix. For chocolate peppermint fudge, try sprinkling crushed candy canes over the top.
Please feel free to ask any other questions in the comment section below, and good luck!
Yield: About 100 one-inch pieces of fudge
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Active Time: 10 minutes
Additional Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Make the traditional recipe for See's Fudge! Super smooth and creamy with only five ingredients. It's the perfect candy for holidays like Christmas and Valentine's Day!
Ingredients
- 4 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk (NOT sweetened condensed milk)
- 2 cubes of butter (1/2 pound, or one cup)
- 2 (12 ounce) packages of chocolate chips (about four cups)
- 1 (7 ounce) jar of marshmallow fluff
- 1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
Instructions
- Line a 9x13 pan with aluminum foil and grease with butter. Set aside.
- In a very large, heat-proof mixing bowl, add the two cubes of butter, chocolate chips, and all the marshmallow fluff. Set aside.
- In a large saucepan on the stove, add the 4 1/2 cups of sugar and can of evaporated milk. Stir together.
- Turn the heat onto medium-high and watch the mixture carefully. When it comes to a full rolling boil, set a timer for nine minutes. Stay by the stove! If the mixture starts to rise and you are worried it will boil over, quickly turn down the heat to medium or medium-low. But make sure that the mixture stays at a full boil.
- After 4 1/2 minutes have passed, stir the boiling mixture with a wooden spoon. Then remove the spoon and let the mixture continue boiling undisturbed until the full nine minutes have passed.
- After nine minutes are up, remove the boiling mixture from the stove and carefully pour it over the butter, chocolate chips, and marshmallow fluff.
- Gently and carefully stir the mixture until everything is melted and the mixture looks smooth and glossy. If desired, add nuts or flavor extracts and stir.
- Pour into your prepared 9x13 pan and smooth out the top. Let cool at room temperature for about an hour. Then transfer to your refrigerator if desired.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 100 Serving Size: 1 piece of fudge
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 97Total Fat: 4.1gSaturated Fat: 2.4gCholesterol: 7.5mgSodium: 24mgCarbohydrates: 15gFiber: .25gSugar: 13.75gProtein: .8g
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