Uncle Frank's Fudge
Why I Love This Recipe
I had never posted this recipe anywhere until recently, because one of my Uncle's friends owned a candy store in VA. She sold tons of fudge, and this was her recipe. He gave it to me almost 40 years ago. It took me forever to get it from him, and he made me promise never to give it out. Since, I have seen many similar recipes, I am now sharing it.
This is one of the creamiest fudges you will ever eat. HOWEVER, this recipe is very temperamental. Over the years, I have learned some tricks. Never make it if there are any clouds in the sky, or you will end up with soupy fudge, sugary fudge, or gooey fudge. It is important to keep the sides of your pan washed down using a wet pastry brush to ensure the sugar crystals don't adhere to the sides. Just one crystal of sugar can cause the whole thing to get sugary. You will need to stir this the entire time don't go do something else while you are making it! Mine now turns out about 99% of the time, so that isn't bad. In fact, my successes are better than my Uncle's were with this recipe, because through my observations with the weather, I have been able to successfully make it just about every time.
Good Luck!
Kate
Ingredients You'll Need
18 oz chocolate chips
1 can pecans or walnuts broken (I use 1/2- 1 cup depending on my mood!)
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 can milk
4 cups sugar
1/2 lb butter
Directions
Have ready in a large mixing bowl:
18 oz chocolate chips
1 can pecans or walnuts broken (I use 1/2- 1 cup depending on my mood!)
1/2 tsp vanilla
In a large heavy pan, mix:
1 can milk
4 cups sugar
1/2 lb butter
Cook on medium heat until it boils (takes approximately 25 minutes, then boil 6 minutes. Pour over nuts and chocolate chips. Stir until smooth. Pour into a large pan greased with butter and lined with wax paper. Cool. Put into the refrigerator for about 2 hours. Cut into squares. Finis!
You can vary this recipe and make many delicious kinds of fudge. Here are just a few.
Peanut Butter Fudge - substitute 2-10 oz bags of peanut butter chips for the chocolate chips and add about 2/3 of a jar of 18 oz peanut butter.
Praline Fudge - substitute dark brown sugar for the sugar and use pecans.
Coconut Fudge - add however much coconut you think you would like to the bowl with the chocolate chips.
White Walnut Fudge - substitute white chocolate chips for the chocolate chips and use walnuts instead of pecans.
White Coconut Fudge - substitute white chocolate chips for the chocolate chips, leave out the nuts, and substitute coconut flavoring for vanilla flavoring.
Chocolate with Peanut Butter Fudge - you will need to work quickly on this one. Dollop peanut butter over the chocolate and then swirl into the fudge.
2 Layer Fudge - 1/2 recipe of two different kinds. Make and pour the first into your pan. Then, make the second batch. Pour over the top of the first batch. This looks pretty on a candy try and gets lots of raves.
3 Layer Fudge - Two 1/2 recipes of one kind and 1/2 recipe of another kind. Pour the first 1/2 recipe into the pan. Make 1/2 recipe of the other kind and pour into the pan over the first layer. Make 1/2 recipe of the first kind and pour into the pan over the second layer.
Cherry Fudge - Substitute maraschino cherries for the nuts and use either white or chocolate chips.
Chocolate Raisin Fudge - Substitute raisins for the nuts.
Cranberry Fudge - Substitute dried cranberries for the nuts and use either white or chocolate chips.
You can place pecan or walnut halves in what will be the center of the slices when the fudge is cut. That makes each piece look really nice