Bron's Traditional Vanilla Fudge

Remember the classic fudgy sweets from when we were little? This classic recipe for fudge will take you back to those days. There are only 4 store-cupboard ingredients, and the fudge can easily be made lactose-free by using lactofree milk and butter. The brown sugar adds a depth of flavour to the fudge, making it delicious for adults and children alike.

This recipe will make about 20 good sized shards of fudge. You can use any tin to set the fudge in (depending on the thickness you like it). I tend to use a small 1 pound loaf tin when making this quantity of fudge. 

I only make small batches as they are incredibly moreish. However, if you have more self control than me, the recipe doubles or triples easily – just be aware that the cooking time will increase.

Ingredients:

•      150ml milk *
•    175g light soft brown sugar
•    50g unsalted butter
•    ½ tsp vanilla extract

Method:

1.         Line a 15x15cm tray with greaseproof paper. Start heating the milk, sugar and butter in a  non-stick pan. Melt gently, stirring frequently. 

      2. Once the butter has melted, boil for around 10-15 minutes, stirring pretty much constantly. This is worth the effort, as the mixture can stick to the base, and burnt fudge is not tasty (I learnt that the hard way!). Place a sugar thermometer in the pan and cook until the temperature reaches 115c – this is the soft ball stage. If you don’t have a sugar thermometer, when the mixture looks like it has thickened and is a deep caramel colour (see pictures), take a small spoon of the mixture and place in ice-cold water. When you press it with your fingers it should feel like a soft ball.

    3. Once the mixture has reached the correct temperature, take off the heat, and beat (stir vigorously) with a wooden spoon/spatula. You will see from my pictures that the mixture starts very glossy and a little thick, but once it has cooled and been stirred this gloss disappears and the mixture becomes very thick.

 

4. Once the mixture is dull in colour and forms a ball, place in the tin. Don’t be tempted to use your hands to press the mixture out – you may get burnt! Pat down to the desired thickness (I go for about ½ cm). Leave to cool before breaking into shards and serving J

* I use whatever milk I have in the fridge, and have experimented with whole, semi-skimmed and skimmed milk. The higher the fat content of the milk, the creamier it is, but I still find the healthier skimmed milk version amazing.

Note: If you want neater pieces of fudge, set the fudge in moulds - for example moulds for cake pops or easter eggs. If you're speedy, you could also use a spoon to place spoonfuls of the hot fudge onto a tray (so no cutting would be required).

Hope you enjoy the recipe! If you get pretty results, I'd love to see them, and if not, I can do my best to give advice x

Like this recipe? Why not use the fudge to make this Fudgy Caramel Chocolate Cake?