Christmas Fudge
Fudge is the gift-tin workhorse: one saucepan, one square pan and a tray of squares that keeps for weeks. These twenty-seven run from grandma's cocoa fudge to candy cane layers, eggnog and a bourbon batch for the grown-ups. Most need no thermometer, and the ones that do explain exactly why.
Start With These Six
One from each section below, from grandma's cocoa fudge to a mocha batch for the grown-ups. Start here if there is only time for one pan.
Grandma's Old-Fashioned Cocoa Fudge
Sugar, cocoa and half-and-half cooked to 240 degrees, then beaten until the shine goes. Make it with our Dutch-Process Cocoa for a rounder chocolate flavor without the sharp edge.
Layered Candy Cane Fudge
Semisweet fudge on the bottom, white chocolate fudge on top, crushed candy cane in both layers. Let it set overnight for the cleanest stripes.
Slow Cooker White Chocolate Cranberry Fudge
White chocolate, condensed milk and dried cranberries, slow-cooked so there is no thermometer and no scorching. Ruby flecks on white is about as Christmas as fudge gets.
Slow Cooker Reindeer Fudge
Milk chocolate fudge made in the slow cooker, then given candy eyes, pretzel antlers and a red candy nose. Kids handle the faces while it sets.
Old-Fashioned Penuche Fudge
Brown sugar, cream and butter cooked like caramel, then beaten into a soft, creamy fudge. Sixty-four squares to a batch, so it covers the whole cookie swap.
Old-Fashioned Mocha Fudge
Two tablespoons of espresso powder cooked right into the syrup, then bittersweet chocolate. Use our Espresso Powder: it is 100% pure coffee and deepens the chocolate with no grit.
Chocolate Christmas Fudge
Cocoa, cherries, chocolate orange and mince pie. Six chocolate fudges for the front of the tin, two of them made the old stovetop way.
Grandma's Old-Fashioned Cocoa Fudge
Sugar, cocoa and half-and-half cooked to 240 degrees, then beaten until the shine goes. Make it with our Dutch-Process Cocoa for a rounder chocolate flavor without the sharp edge.
Creamy Cocoa Fudge with Toasted Pecans
Milk, cocoa and a cup of toasted pecans, with notes that explain every step that makes or breaks old-fashioned fudge. Read them once and this recipe works every December.
Dark Chocolate Cherry Fudge
Tart dried cherries and a drop of almond extract in dark chocolate fudge, done on the stovetop in about ten minutes. One pan gives you thirty-six pieces.
Christmas Chocolate Fudge with Cherries and Pistachios
Glace cherries and pistachios press red and green into dark chocolate fudge, with coconut stirred through. Cut it and every square looks like stained glass.
Chocolate Orange Slow Cooker Fudge
Chocolate orange segments, condensed milk and a knob of butter spend two hours in the slow cooker with a stir every quarter hour. Pack it into a jar and the gift is done.
Mince Pie Chocolate Fudge
Three ingredients and a microwave: chocolate, condensed milk and two spoons of mincemeat. Each square tastes like a mince pie with none of the pastry work.
Old-fashioned fudge starts with the cocoa
Stovetop fudge is mostly sugar, milk and cocoa, so the cocoa sets the flavor. Our Dutch-Process Cocoa tastes smooth and rounded, without the sharp bite of natural cocoa, and carries 22-24% cocoa butter.
Peppermint and Candy Cane Fudge
Candy cane on top, in the middle or layered through. Every one of these cuts into red-and-white squares that look like a candy shop made them.
Layered Candy Cane Fudge
Semisweet fudge on the bottom, white chocolate fudge on top, crushed candy cane in both layers. Let it set overnight for the cleanest stripes.
Christmas Chocolate Peppermint Fudge
Chocolate fudge under a white layer studded with peppermint, about twenty minutes of work. Top it with our Naturally-Colored Sanding Sugars and the red and green comes from plants.
Candy Cane Chocolate Fudge
Dark chocolate fudge with a spoon of cocoa, buried under crushed candy canes. Swap that cocoa for our Black Cocoa and the base turns near-black, so the red stripes stand out.
Mint Chocolate Layered Fudge
Five ingredients, two layers and a full cup of crushed starlight mints on top. Choose red and green mints and it is already dressed for Christmas.
Peppermint Mocha Fudge
Espresso-laced white fudge sits on peppermint chocolate fudge, with a chocolate-covered espresso bean on every square. Our Espresso Powder dissolves completely, so the coffee layer stays smooth.
White Chocolate Candy Cane Fudge
Peppermint extract in a white chocolate base, then a thick blanket of crushed candy canes pressed on top. Hand the kids the rolling pin for the crushing.
White Chocolate, Gingerbread and Eggnog Fudge
White chocolate is the base for all six, carrying cranberry, gingerbread spice or eggnog. Cut them small, because white fudge runs rich.
Slow Cooker White Chocolate Cranberry Fudge
White chocolate, condensed milk and dried cranberries, slow-cooked so there is no thermometer and no scorching. Ruby flecks on white is about as Christmas as fudge gets.
White Chocolate Cranberry Pistachio Fudge
Melted over simmering water, then loaded with cranberries and pistachios inside and on top. The red and green handles all the decorating.
No-Bake Gingerbread Biscuit Fudge
Crushed gingerbread biscuits and warm spice folded into white chocolate fudge, no stove needed. Set it overnight and cut small squares, because it runs rich.
Gingerbread Fudge with Holiday Sprinkles
Gingerbread cookie mix stirred into white chocolate fudge brings all the spice in one step. Finish it with our Naturally-Colored Sanding Sugars for color that comes from plants.
Stovetop Eggnog Fudge
Real eggnog cooked with sugar and butter, then white chocolate, fresh nutmeg and marshmallow creme. A splash of rum extract makes it taste like the glass.
Quick Eggnog Fudge
Eggnog fudge ready in minutes, then dusted with nutmeg so it looks as cozy as it tastes. Good for the night before the cookie swap.
Kid-Friendly Christmas Fudge
Reindeer faces, tiny puddings and a rocky road full of candy. Kids can handle most of the work and all of the decorating.
Slow Cooker Reindeer Fudge
Milk chocolate fudge made in the slow cooker, then given candy eyes, pretzel antlers and a red candy nose. Kids handle the faces while it sets.
Christmas Pudding Chocolate Fudge Bites
Chocolate and caramel fudge shaped into little rounds, then dripped with white chocolate and crowned with icing holly. They sit on the plate like tiny Christmas puddings.
Christmas Rocky Road Fudge
Marshmallows, salted peanuts and red and green candy-coated chocolates, all packed into chocolate fudge. Six ingredients and nothing to cook beyond melting.
Penuche, Peanut Butter and Fruited Fudge
The fudge from before chocolate chips took over: brown sugar penuche, peanut butter and a spiced pudding fudge. All three are worth the stirring.
Old-Fashioned Penuche Fudge
Brown sugar, cream and butter cooked like caramel, then beaten into a soft, creamy fudge. Sixty-four squares to a batch, so it covers the whole cookie swap.
Old-Fashioned Peanut Butter Fudge
Five pantry ingredients, a touch of cocoa and a full cup of peanut butter. This is the soft, creamy fudge a grandparent made without a written recipe.
Christmas Pudding Fudge
Raisins, currants, cinnamon and nutmeg in a boiled fudge, with dark rum if it is for the grown-ups. All the pudding flavor, cut into squares.
Mocha, Caramel and Bourbon Fudge
Espresso, salted caramel and bourbon. Keep these three on the adult end of the dessert table.
Old-Fashioned Mocha Fudge
Two tablespoons of espresso powder cooked right into the syrup, then bittersweet chocolate. Use our Espresso Powder: it is 100% pure coffee and deepens the chocolate with no grit.
Bourbon Chocolate Fudge
Milk and dark chocolate with a quarter cup of bourbon and a pinch of flaky salt on top. No thermometer here, just melting and stirring.
Salted Caramel Fudge
Dulce de leche melted with white and milk chocolate, layered, then finished with coarse sea salt. Fifteen minutes of work for a whole tray of gifts.
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We've Got Answers
Why did my fudge turn out grainy?
Sugar crystals formed too early. In cooked fudge that happens when you stir while it boils, leave sugar stuck to the sides of the pan, or beat it while it is still too hot. Let it cool to about 110 degrees before beating. Condensed milk fudge rarely goes grainy, but overheated chocolate can turn it oily or stiff.
Why won't my fudge set?
For cooked fudge, the syrup almost always fell short of soft-ball stage, 234 to 240 degrees. Test your thermometer in boiling water first. For no-cook fudge, the usual culprit is evaporated milk used in place of sweetened condensed milk, and the two do not swap. A night in the fridge rescues a soft batch more often than not.
Do I need a candy thermometer to make fudge?
Only for the old-fashioned cooked kind, like the penuche and grandma's cocoa fudge here. Without one, drop a little syrup into ice water: if it forms a soft ball you can squish between your fingers, it is ready. Condensed milk, slow cooker and microwave fudges need no thermometer at all.
Which cocoa is best for chocolate fudge?
Use Dutch-process for any fudge built on cocoa powder. It tastes smoother and rounder than natural cocoa, without the sharp, acidic bite, and that matters in a candy that is mostly sugar and milk. Our Dutch-Process Cocoa carries 22-24% cocoa butter. For a darker, cookies-and-cream style fudge, swap part of it for Black Cocoa.
How long does homemade fudge keep?
About two weeks in an airtight container at cool room temperature, and up to three in the fridge. Layer it between sheets of parchment so the pieces don't stick. Fudge freezes well for two to three months: wrap the uncut block tightly, then thaw it still wrapped so condensation stays off the surface.
How do I cut clean fudge squares for gifting?
Line the pan with parchment that hangs over the sides, so the whole block lifts out. Let it set fully, then cut with a long, sharp knife dipped in hot water and wiped dry between cuts. For layered or candy-topped fudge, press straight down instead of sawing so the topping stays put.
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