If you are looking for a gourmet fudge recipe that’s perfect for giving, look no further. This creamy, soft old-fashioned fudge outdoes the other recipes you’ve tried — even the famous state fair version! I’m sure of it; I’ve been convincing people for years that this is the best fudge recipe out there, one batch at a time.
Can’t get enough chocolate? Check out my homemade hot fudge sauce recipe, too!
A long-ago friend of mine was well-known for her fabulous desserts. Notably, she had the best melt-in-your-mouth old-fashioned fudge recipe ever. Seriously. She was kind enough to share it with me years ago, and I’ve been using this recipe ever since.
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The BEST Fudge Recipe
You know those gourmet fudge booths at the county fair where they charge one million dollars for a half pound? Hubby insists on breaking our bank every time he has the opportunity, then proceeds to say, “yours is better.” My kids concur that this is the best fudge recipe they’ve tried.
Another friend, after listening me wax poetic about my favorite holiday indulgence scoffed, saying this was no different than the recipe on the back of the marshmallow fluff jar. (Hi, Chris!)
Oh, but it is, I told him. Try it, I told him. He did, and for the past half-dozen or so years, he whips up a batch and considers it the kickoff of his holiday season.
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You need to make this. I have no qualms whatsoever saying that this is the best fudge recipe you’ll make, hands down. All credit to Andrea for that!
Ingredients
Chocolate chips — The original recipe calls for semi sweet chocolate chips, but if you prefer dark chocolate, by all means give it a go!
Butter — I use salted butter for this recipe, but if you prefer, unsalted is fine.
Marshmallow fluff — When I make this fudge, I start by making homemade marshmallow fluff. If you want to skip that step, jarred marshmallow fluff is fine.
Sugar — Use your favorite brand of granulated cane sugar. I prefer organic.
Evaporated milk — The full fat canned stuff is what you want here. This is not the same as sweetened condensed milk; don’t use that.
Vanilla — Real vanilla extract gives the best flavor, but whatever’s in your cupboard will work. Try making vanilla at home!
Nuts — This fudge is melt-in-your-mouth creamy and lovely to savor without the optional nuts. But if you’re a yes on nuts, stir in some walnuts. Amp up the flavor by toasting the walnuts!
How to Make Fudge the Old-Fashioned Way
It’s not hard to make, but this recipe requires a bit of effort. Start by putting the chocolate chips, marshmallow fluff, and butter in a large mixing bowl.
Heat the milk and sugar on the stove top over medium heat, then pour the hot liquid over the ingredients in the bowl. The heat of the cooked milk and sugar mixture will melt the ingredients in the bowl as you mix.
You can use a stand mixer or a hand mixer for this recipe. In either case, you’ll want to mix it until the fudge begins to hold its shape.
Nuts or no nuts? That’s your call! You could also divide the recipe and add nuts to just half. One cup chopped walnuts would be perfect for half a batch.
Spread the chocolate fudge into pans and cool in the refrigerator before cutting into squares. When left at room temperature, this fudge recipe can be a little soft. I store cut fudge in the fridge until I’m ready to serve it or give it to its lucky gift recipient.
Big Batch for Giving
This recipe makes about five pounds of fudge, so you’ll have plenty to share and still have some left for yourself. Store fudge in an airtight container in the refrigerator. If you’re giving this fudge recipe as a gift, I like to package it up into pretty tins and keep them in the fridge until I’m ready to give them away.
Can I Use Marshmallows Instead of Fluff?
Unfortunately, they are too different. Fluff contains eggs, which marshmallows do not, so the texture of the fudge will not turn out.
What Sugar Options Can I Use in this Fudge Recipe?
Stick with granulated sugar, including organic. This will dissolve correctly when heated. Any coarser options may make the fudge grainy.
★ Did you make this fudge recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below! ★
The BEST Decadent Gourmet Fudge Recipe
This recipe makes about five pounds of fudge, so you'll have plenty to share and still have some left for yourself. The melt in your mouth fudge goodness will knock their socks off.
Ingredients
- 3 cups semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup butter
- 2 cups homemade marshmallow fluff, (or 1- 7 oz. jar marshmallow creme)
- 4 ½ cups granulated sugar (I prefer organic)
- 12 oz. evaporated milk (1 can)
- 2 T. vanilla extract
- [1-2 cups walnuts (optional)]
Instructions
- Butter a 13" x 9" pan and line it with parchment paper. (See notes about pan sizes.)
- Put chocolate chips, butter, and marshmallow cream in a large bowl. Set aside.
- In large (7-8 quart) stock pot, bring milk and sugar to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly until mixture comes to a full rolling boil. Continue stirring frequently for exactly eight minutes. (Mixture will reach about 210ºF.) Pour hot mixture over ingredients in bowl.
- Stir until well mixed and the butter and marshmallow fluff is well-melted, then beat with an electric mixer until fudge begins to hold its shape. Beat in vanilla. Stir in nuts if you like them.
- Pour fudge into a buttered 13″ x 9″ pan and refrigerate until solid.
- When the fudge is ready to cut, use the parchment paper to help lift the slab out of the pan and turn it out onto a cutting board for easy cutting.
Notes
I use a 13″ x 9″ plus an 8″ x 8″ pan – using only the one makes a really deep fudge; too deep for me.
The fudge "holds its shape" when ridges and bumps remain on the surface of the chocolate when you lift the mixer away.
Using coarse sugar may result in undissolved sugar bits in the fudge.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 48 Serving Size: 1.5 inch squareAmount Per Serving: Calories: 176Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 12mgSodium: 42mgCarbohydrates: 28gFiber: 1gSugar: 27gProtein: 1g
Made this and fudge tasted great but it did not set right was soft even after I had cut in pieces I put it in the freezer and the only part the hat was frozen was the nuts what did I do wrong
My guess is maybe you didn’t beat it long enough?
Hi I’m keen to try your recipe, I’ve made fudge before but never this way or with these ingreds. However a question this marshmallow fluff you talk about I’ve never seen that here in NZ. So I was wondering if I could use mini marshmallows and melt them down. I’m so so keen to try this wonderful recipe. I have enjoyed reading all the comments.
Maybe? I haven’t tried that, however, the recipe I have to make marshmallow fluff is easy!
I have learned my lesson…read comments before making. I am not a fudge maker, but I was tempted by your recipe and a desire for chocolate. I did fine until I had to beat the fudge. I did not know what you meant by “holding its shape”. I figured 5 minutes was enough…wrong! For us clueless idiots I suggest you put in your notes that this could be as much as 15 minutes. I am sitting here satisfying my chocolate craving with a spoon. Tastes good.
Noted 🙂 I’m glad you’re enjoying it as is, cheers!
4 1/2
Cups of granulated sugar? Is this correct, mine taste way too sweet. Im really sad . I wanted to love it for all the work i put in . Did i do something wrong?
It is a sweet recipe.
I am confused as to how 2 cups homemade fluff can equal 7 oz of store bought. I am making this now for the first time and do not want to fail. Can you comment? thank you
It’s very light, and commercial fluff is sold by weight.
This is the fudge recipe I use! Only difference is, I use my microwave! The original instructions were for the SEARS microwave we bought back in the ’70’s. I’ve had to adapt the times as we bought other microwaves.
After I mixed the butter, milk & sugar, I microwaved it 10 minutes on HIGH, Stired it, Micro for another 10 minutes. Remove from micro carefully!! Add chips & FLUFF & mix it all well. Pour into pan…….
That’s a way to do it, I’m glad it works well! 🙂
This is the recipe my great grandma, Grammy, and I have used for years. Holidays wouldn’t be the same without it. Follow the directions & don’t ovethink it and you’ll have perfect fudge every time. (Fun fact, the only batches I’ve messed up are when I used a candy thermometer instead of a timer. Seriously, don’t overthink it.)
Love it! I’m a fan of not overthinking things 🙂
Why butter the pan when you are using parchment paper?
Both make for easy lifting out of the pan once it’s cooled. 🙂
Wow! This fudge is AMAZING! So creamy and rich and addicting ;). This is so delicious, I’ll never try another recipe because THIS IS THE BEST. I followed the directions precisely and it’s perfect. Cheers to my fudge every year at Christmas ♥️♥️♥️
I’m so glad you love it!
Hi Kris, Thanks so much for sharing the Chocolate Fudge Recipe with me. It is like the one that I used to make when my kids were little. I haven’t made chocolate fudge in many, years. My hubby and I used to make Chocolate and Peanut Butter Fudge as well as what I called Christmas Fudge every year and gave the candies to our friends and neighbors as well as sending it to any of our children who were living away from home. Haven’t done that in years either. It was fun while we did it.
Thanks Kris for sharing so many lovely recipes.
Suzae
Is this recipe going to be gritty? Because I made a fudge recipe yesterday and it was gritty tasting I’m looking for the best recipe of fudge
It shouldn’t be gritty, give it a try I’m sure you’ll love it 🙂
I’ve found that to be true if I used a coarser sugar as it didn’t all dissolve resulting in a “gritty” texture. If your sugar is coarser than what’s called for you can do a real quick grind in either a food processor or a clean coffee grinder to bring it down in size so it dissolves better.
Good advice!
Great recipe! I took this to a cookie exchange and got lots of compliments. I used softened butter and chocolate chips that were a little melty. I had to beat the mixture for quite awhile, probably because of the warmed chocolate. I also used only a 13×9 inch pan…I like a thicker fudge. Thanks for the recipe!
Using parchment in the pan should be enough to allow easy removal of the fudge. Why do we butter the pan prior to putting the paper in? Looking forward to making this fudge soon! Thanks!
I don’t do the whole pan with parchment — it’s too hard to fit it into the corners. Thus, butter.
When cooking the 8 min. What temp are we aiming for? I like to use a candy thermometer.
I’ll check that next time I make it.
This recipe has been around for years. My Mom made it when I was a little girl.
Yep, that’s what my friend Chris said. This is different than the recipe on the jar.
Hi – I really want to try this, it sounds and looks delicious! How do you store it (fridge, freezer etc)? And how far in advance can you make it?
I keep it in the fridge until I serve/eat it, because it is a somewhat soft fudge. You can make it a week or so ahead of time.
Miss Kris, this is the most forgiving recipe ever. WOW. I cut it in half, used a different chocolate (got mine from the folks at Brown and Hailey- yes almond roca).scorched the milk sugar mix and it is still the best fudge I’ve ever made!! The fudge set well and it is so tasty I cut it in really small pieces. As per others comments I need to hide this or give most away, I can’t leave it alone. THANKS SO MUCH.
You are so welcome! I’m glad you like it.
You mentioned that it gets kinda gooey at room temperature. I am looking for something to put in tins and give as gifts. Will this fudge hold up to that?
I give it as gifts and people love it. I just keep it in the fridge in tins until I’m ready to pass it off to the recipient.
Absolutely perfect fudge. Thank you s much for sharing!!!
Hi can you use this fudge recipe and turn it into peanut butter chocolate layered fudge? If so how would’ve you go about doing this? Thank you.
I haven’t tried that; if you do, let us know!
I see the recipe calls for 2 cups of your homemade marshmallow fluff which would be 16 oz. or 1 – 7 oz jar of the store brand. That seems like a big difference. Is this right?
That’s correct. The jar is measured by *weight not volume.
Has anyone tried white chocolate? butter scotch? peanut butter?
I know I can mix those all in at the very end – just wondering how they would hold up in the main recipe…
Disney sells a 2 inch by 1 inch chunk for 6$ and we usually buy a 30 $ box to share. For that amount of groceries, I can make 3 recipes, and if I split the batch to make different combos, then I that is a couple different choices to split up for teacher gifts!!!
I haven’t, but you kind of make me want to!
Perfect! I’ve been trying fudge recipes for the past 3 months or so. They all call for pretty much the same ingrediants (in varying amounts). This is definately the best I’ve made!! I wish I had had nuts to put in, but someone ate the last of them for a snack. I used my kitchen aid and probably only mixed 5-8 minutes. Set up perfectly and was able to take to a party within a couple hours. A keeper recipe for sure.
I just made this and it is delicious. I tweaked it a little (not on purpose lol) I used condensed milk, instead of evaporate milk. I used half milk chocolate chips and half semi sweet chocolate chips. It does make quite a bit. I made 3 kinds…. Plain, with walnuts, and Rocky road. It set it very well, but because I realized I used the wrong milk, I let it boil a couple of minutes longer and I also used a copper pot as I’ve heard copper is good for candy making. Also I used a little less butter because I wanted it to dry out a little more than it usually does (I like mine dried out).
This recipe is so much better than the easy ones. This tastes like I knew what I was doing. Thank you for it.
you know, I bake a lot of things. But I have always struggled with fudge. I LOVE fudge. I made this yesterday and wow, it is really the best ever. Im really picky about my fudge and this has to be a favorite now. I gotta quit eating it though!!!!!!
Isn’t it GOOD????
So delicious!
I will definitely make it again.
I LITERALLY JUST finished making this! I’ve never made it this way before, I’ve always made it the “easy” way or “lazy” way lol, but I wanted to make it the “right” way, I researched MANY recipes, I wanted one that would make A LOT as well!! Anyways, I chose yours!! (Thank God I did! I am not disappointed) anyways, everything went GREAT, then got to the mixing with my hand mixer, and I was mixing, and I knew you said “mix till it starts to set” or something to that effect, but I remembered on MANY recipes them saying to mix till it looses its shine almost, but I kept thinking OMG, HOW Am I gonna know WHEN to stop mixing, it seemed like a LIFETIME, I didn’t know if I was over mixing or what, but I kept going till it felt kinda THICK but not too thick, and then I started pouring into my pans (I also did like you and 8″ x 8″ and 11″ x 13″ ) and I think I stopped mixing at the exact PERFECT timing!! It started setting up rather quickly as I was adding to the pan, and I tasted from the bowl as did my son and it’s out of this WORLD!! So THANK YOU!! I’ve found my recipe from HERE OUT!! Sorry for the long post, but I am so excited and happy!!
Also, how do you do your peanut butter fudge?? )”(measurements) Thanks so much!!
Love it — glad it worked so well for you. (I don’t have a peanut butter fudge recipe.)
Not sure how to tell if it’s “holding it’s shspe” so I just beat it for 15 m. Was that necessary? Thx
It’s usually about 15 minutes or so. (I’ve never tried NOT doing it.)
Recipe said use 2 cups homemade mashmello cream or 1 jar 7 oz marshmallow fluff
My store only had large tub type container so I used 2 cups
I think this is why it’s more frosting like than fudge
My mistake but this could be why it doesn’t firm up
Since this fudge recipe cools in the fridge is it necessary to keep it refrigerated after it hardens and is cut into pieces? I would like to place some in tins for Christmas and take to friends.
I keep it refrigerated. It won’t hurt to have it UNrefrigerated for a good while, but it gets a bit gooey at room temp, and messier to eat.
How much chocolate and what kind is best for this recipe? Mine is cut off and doesn’t say in the recipe
That’s odd. 3 cups semisweet chocolate chips.
Can’t see how many chocolate chips the picture covers the measurements
It’s three cups. Are you reading on mobile or desktop. Definitely not okay that you can’t read the measurements!
Thank you! This is my mom’s Christmas fudge. We just moved and I haven’t been able to put my hands on her recipe. My children and grandchildren have tried not to pout but they will love knowing that the Christmas fudge is back on the goodie menu. (Maybe I won’t tell them for another week!) This really is fabulous fudge and so easy to make. Thanks again for posting this.
You’re welcome!
What type of butter did you use? Salted or unsalted? Or would margarine sticks work?
Salted. If you prefer margarine, yes, that will work.
I made this fudge yesterday , And i didn’t have evaporated milk like the recipe said , so i made my own evaporated milk using the recipe. Once i put my fudge in the fridge to set it was not setting at all , so I put it in the freezer overnight + half a day. It has still not Set!!
Without being in your kitchen, it’s so hard to say what went wrong. This is not a firm fudge, but should be sliceable. If it’s really not setting up, I’d use spoons to scoop it and roll balls to make truffles. Roll them in some cocoa powder.
Thanks for this suggestion which I will probably end up doing. I have mine in the freezer but it probably won’t set up any further.
Would love to make this but in the re cope it says it makes a 13×9 and an 8×8 pan, and in the comments you say an 11×7 and an 8×8….which is it?
My error in that comment; shouldn’t be answering from memory. As I said in the post, the original recipe calls for JUST a 13″ x 9″ pan. I found that to be way too thick, so I use that plus an 8″ x 8″. That’s personal preference. If you have an 11″ x 9″ pan, use that; it won’t make or break the recipe. The thickness of the fudge will just be a bit different.
Oh my god! Absolutely the BEST fudge I have ever made. Can’t stop eating it. lol thank you!
OMGOODNESS!!! This is wonderful!! I made it today..sleeting and snowing outside and it was great. It reminds me of the fudge I made as a kid. We had to beat it by hand until the candy lost its gloss. This is sooooo much easier. It did take about 15+min with a mixer. Next time I’m using my kitchen aid. Thanks!
I’m making this tomorrow but I’m using granulated Dominos sugar it says natural on it but it’s not the brownish cane sugar. Will it still work correctly?
Absolutely. My personal preference is to use cane sugar. Sugar that’s not identified as cane sugar is most likely made from sugar beets that are likely genetically modified. But any granulated sugar will work.
Love the recipe and it was quick and easy, but I did the recipe to the “t” but mine as well came out with a crunch, I stirred and allowed to boil for a while but the cane sugar still did not dissolve. Did I need to cook a bit longer? I love the taste but not a fan of the crunch. I am going to try regular sugar next time. What do you think I did wrong?
It sounds as though the sugar was maybe the bigger, chunkier sugar and didn’t have a chance to dissolve. Thanks for alerting me; I’ll make a note on the recipe so someone else isn’t surprised by this!
Whoa! I just made this and I have one word “Heavenly” At first I thought you were nuts using a mixer but I can see why now. Thank you for sharing! I will be definitely be doing more for gifts.
OMG THIS IS THE BEST FUDGE EVER!!! MAKE IT NOW! DO NOT HESITATE!!! NOW!!!
LOL. Right?? I’m glad you enjoyed it.
How long does mixing with electric mixer usually take?
It can take 15 minutes or so, but it depends on your household temp.
Got a question. My mom has always made fudge and she tells me you can only make it on a beautiful sunny day or it will not firm up like it needs to. Does the same go for this fudge?
Hunh. I’ve never heard this one. I’ve never paid much attention, but I made this for years in northern California in December, when beautiful sunny days are sporadic.
Do you have to store in the refrigerator?
I do.
Is the cup of butter, melted?
Nope. The hot ingredients will melt it!
Help! I made this fudge and while the flavor was so good there was a gritty texture that ended up making the fudge crunchy!
It sounds almost like something crystallized. Was there a lot of crunchy? Or just a bit? Possibly the sugar at the edge of the pan that got hot (and not stirred) crystallized?
There was crunch throughout the fudge, and you could hear the crunch as you chewed
Is that 4 cups of sugar or 4 1/2 or 4- 1/2 cups which would really be 2 cups…it’s just a little confusing for me right there
Thanks
4 and 1/2 cups
4.5
I like to use peanut butter it is so creamy, also try white chocolate. I’ve done a lot of fudge it’s a big hit in family
I just bought all of the ingredients and can’t wait to make this fudge. I do have one question – when stirring the milk and sugar for 8 mins, is the heat still on medium-high?
Thanks so much!
How much did this recipe make? I need to make a bunch for teachers at my daughters daycare.
Thanks
The original name of the recipe is “Five Pounds of Fudge.” I don’t think it makes 5 pounds, but it makes a fair amount. I get a 11″ x 17″ pan plus an 8″ x 8″.
When it says “heavy stock pot”, take it seriously! My pot was too small, and now we have every window and door open to clear the smoke. My cell phone screen cleaned up well, but the ceramic cooktop will take some elbow grease. The good news is, the fudge is the best, smoothest ever! I will make again, but I will follow the directions!
Oh no! After all that, I’m glad you like it! (I just edited the instructions to make them even clearer.)
I’m not real sure what I did wrong. I followed the directions to a ‘t’ but my fudge didn’t set up completely. It’s a bit too soft (almost like refrigerated frosting). When it finally started to boil it grew quick and almost boiled out of the pan. So I turned down the heat a little so it didn’t get out of control. I’m guessing that’s where I messed up. I did boil for the full 8minutes. Anyone else have that problem?
I haven’t. That 8 minutes of boiling is usually sufficient, but boiling it a bit longer should result in a firmer fudge. Did it not come together in the mixing stage? Sometimes it takes awhile!
I had that problem!
I used a lot less butter than instructed, maybe 1/3 of a cup or even less. It set up great. Turned out perfect.
This is the Fantasy Fudge recipe… exact same ingredients. Differences are how you combine them, amount used and cooking time. I’ve been making Fantasy Fudge by memory for over 40 years and haven’t had a bad batch yet.
The quantities are different, too, which results in a quite creamier fudge. Thanks for stopping by!
I had the same problem with it boiling over too soon and not setting properly. I made the fluff from scratch and it turned out perfect and used Ghiradelli chocolate wafers. It’s very tasty but fudge is about texture as well as flavor for me. I’m thinking about scraping it and trying again but hate that I wasted the money, time and effort. I also used a deeper dish than suggested but I don’t think that would prevent it from setting. Ughh, so bummed!
I had — for the first time ever — a batch that was slightly too soft this year. I’m not sure what caused this. I’m sorry you did, too. I was thinking of scooping the dough into balls and rolling in nuts to make fudge truffles, but it ended up getting eaten anyway.
I make a similar recipe, but use 1 cup whole milk, 4 cup chocolate chips, and 2 sticks of butter. The rest of the ingredients and proportions are the same, but only boil 3 minutes. I am eager to try the homemade marshmallow fluff.
I Had Never Made Fudge. Always Thought It Would Be Too Hard. Tried This Today, It Was Easy To Do And Tasted Great! Thank You!
My FIL has a similar recipe, which he makes in the microwave. Fudge is fun but I can only ever really eat a tiny piece of it!
My kids love fudge! Thanks for providing the recipe. Goin to try this!
Completely agree. Your fudge recipe rocks!
I can vouch for this recipe. My kids (and me too) LOVE it. It’s chocolatey, creamy, and oh-so-addicting. Thanks for sharing!
Yay! I knew today was a good day!
Yay! I knew today was a good day!
Like I need another excuse to make fudge! YUMMY!
Yummy! I’m bookmarking your recipe for later use 🙂
I’ve made fudge with marshmallow cream and agree it’s absolutely the best. Hmmm… haven’t made any yet this Christmas, though…
I’m checking back in to report. I made this fudge last week and it was sooo popular I’m making it again today. To quote my hubby, “I don’t usually like fudge, but this is really good.”
We already tried mixing in mini marshmallows and walnuts for rocky road and I did cranberries and almonds in another. Today I’m planning on dividing the batter into three and doing another rocky road, a chile-ancho batch and then giving my kids free reign on deciding on the other.
Love that it converted your hubby! And the chile-ancho version? You might have to share the details with ME. Thanks for reporting back.
How did you do the chili fudge? I would love to try that.
Oh, I love fudge. I might have to give this one a try!
My FIL makes a very similar recipe, except he makes his in the microwave!
I’m not usually a fudge eater, but I must admit, this sounds too good to pass on!
Thanks for this! I made fudge for Thanksgiving and it didn’t turn out well. I needed a new recipe and there it was in my inbox.
I’m going to try this Saturday. Looks tasty!