Classic Chocolate Fudge ~ recipe cook-off

Classic Chocolate Fudge ~ recipe cook-off

Can you believe, until now, I had never made fudge before?  I love fudge.  So I don't know why I waited so long to try my hand at it!  I always thought it was hard to make - it's not.  It's easy.  Very easy.

So, you want to know what I went and did on my very first time making fudge?  I didn't make just one recipe of fudge.  No, no.  I put two fudge recipes to a head-to-head fudge cook-off battle.  See, I'm cooking my way through the family cookbook I published last year for our family.  And both my mother-in-law and my sister-in-law put a chocolate fudge recipe in the cookbook.  It just seemed like the right thing to do was to put both recipes to the test, rather than picking just one.  So, that's what I did.

The two recipes were similar in method.  The differences, you ask?  Well, my mother-in-law's recipe was made with marshmallows, had a higher ratio of evaporated milk, and a bit lower ratio of chocolate.  My sister-in-law's recipe was made with marshmallow creme (as opposed to marshmallows themselves), had a lower ratio of evaporated milk, and a higher ratio of chocolate.

So I set about to whipping up both.  And this method is so easy, I was done in no time.

First, bring some sugar, butter, and evaporated milk to a boil and cook it for a bit, stirring constantly, of course.

Boiling, boiling, boiling ...

Then stir in some chocolate until it's all melted.

Chocolate!

Finally, stir in the marshmallow until it's all melty and combined.

Stirring in the marshmallow

Pour the mixture into a pan, and let it cool to set up.  I used an aluminum foil sling in my pans to make removal from the pan (and clean up!) easier.

Here are my two finished products side-by-side ... I made one plain chocolate and the other chocolate-walnut, just for fun.  My mother-in-law's is on the left ... my sister-in-law's is on the right.  Which do you think won the cook-off battle?

And the winner is ...

Well, I preferred my mother-in-law's version! ~ the one made with the marshmallows themselves, the higher ratio of evaporated milk, and (surprisingly!) the lower ratio of chocolate.  To me, it had a smoother and creamier texture - just the way I like my fudge.  The other one was good, too, - but it had a slightly drier, more crumbly texture.  So, in  my book, marshmallows reign supreme over marshmallow creme!

Looks like I can cross fudge off my cooking & baking bucket list.  Well, chocolate fudge anyway.  Let's see, there's still peanut butter fudge ... Nutella fudge ... maple walnut fudge ...  rocky road fudge ...

Classic Chocolate Fudge

Source:  My mother-in-law

2 1/4 c. granulated sugar

1/2 stick (4 T.) butter

3/4 c. evaporated milk

1 c. (6 oz.) semi-sweet chocolate chips

18 large marshmallows

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 c. chopped walnuts (optional)

Combine sugar, butter, and evaporated milk in a saucepan; bring to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly.  Continue to boil, over medium heat, for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring constantly.  Pour in chocolate chips; remove from heat and stir until chocolate chips are melted.  Add vanilla and marshmallows.  Stir until smooth and all marshmallow is incorporated.  Stir in chopped walnuts, if using.  Pour into an 11x7" pan lined with aluminum foil.  Cool.  Use the edges of the aluminum foil to lift fudge from the pan; cut into small squares.