50 Fabulous Fudge Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What is the world's best fudge? ›

For over a century a distinguished line of candy makers on Mackinac Island have worked their magic on marble slabs and created a treat so sweet and creamy that it embodies the essence of bliss. An enthusiastic fan recently posted on our facebook page: “the fudge from Mackinac Island is the Best Fudge on Earth“.

Once a seed crystal forms, it grows bigger and bigger as the fudge cools. A lot of big crystals in fudge makes it grainy. By letting the fudge cool without stirring, you avoid creating seed crystals.

After years of testing recipes, we're pretty sure we have a handle on the most popular fudge flavors, but chocolate and cherry will always rank high on the list.

Evaporated milk doesn't have sugar added. The sweetened condended milk is needed as no extra sugar is added to the fudge. If evaporated milk were used then the fudge would not be sweet enough and also would still be too soft unless the fudge is frozen.

To obtain the world famous taste, the fudge is slowly cooked in traditional copper kettles over a gas flame. Once the desired temperature is reached, the mixture is poured onto marble slabs for a cooling period and then hand-paddled into loaves.

It's the size of sugar crystals that makes the knees of fudge lovers buckle…the smaller the crystals, the less they are perceived on the tongue and the more the fudge tastes smooth and creamy. Cooking, and beating after cooking, is the key to successful fudge.

Turns out that the two are not quite the same, but they're still equally delicious. Denser and sometimes a bit more crumbly than its American counterpart, British fudge comes in dozens of flavors, and is frequently found in gift shops and at outdoor markets and street fairs.

You should mix the cream, butter, and sugar when making your fudge, but put down the spoon once it has reached its boiling point. Stirring while your sugar mixture is boiling will only form sugar crystals and make your fudge crunchy rather than silky smooth.

If the fudge is very soft and slightly chewy then it is possible that it did not quite cook to soft ball stage and next time the mixture should be cooked to a slightly higher temperature (soft ball is 112-116c/235-240F and a sugar or candy thermometer can help).

What went wrong with my fudge? ›

Fudge usually behaves this way when it's not cooked to a high enough temperature (due to oversight or a faulty candy thermometer). If your fudge is tough, hard, or grainy, then you may have made one of several mistakes: You may have overcooked it, beaten it too long, or neglected to cool it to the proper temperature.

A Mackinac tradition for more than 60 years, today Ryba's has two locations on both Mackinac Island and in Chicago. Its fudge is made by hand on big marble slabs, with flavors including Oreo, chocolate pecan, chocolate macadamia, German chocolate, and maple pecan.

Whether you visit Mackinac Island on National Fudge Day in June or any other day – maybe during the Mackinac Island Fudge Festival in August – come find your favorite flavor and experience the fudge capital of the world!

Arguably Michigan's most well-known food, Mackinac Island fudge is so famous, we have a name for the tourists who flock to the island specifically to swarm the fudge shops — fudgies.

The amount of time you cook fudge directly affects its firmness. Too little time and the water won't evaporate, causing the fudge to be soft. Conversely, cook it too long and fudge won't contain enough water, making it hard with a dry, crumbly texture.

Cream of tartar is used in caramel sauces and fudge to help prevent the sugar from crystallizing while cooking. It also prevents cooling sugars from forming brittle crystals, this is why it's the secret ingredient in snickerdoodles!

Undercooked. This fudge was cooked until the temperature reached only108 °C (226 °F). At this temperature, the sugar is not concentrated enough... there is too much leftover water in the syrup and the resulting fudge is soft.