Family Recipe Box: Fudge
for members of the Thompson and allied families
Here’s another installment in our genealogy-adjacent series Family Recipe Box, featuring the perfect little treat to share with your friends for the holidays: Fudge.
This recipe originated with Blanche Thompson (née Austin), affectionately known by her family as Nana — my great-grandmother.
It was kindly shared with me by Mike + Molly Bearden, who got it from Lloyd Ola “Doda” Bearden (née Thompson), Nana’s eldest daughter. Aunt Doda loved to bake and often made this fudge for holidays or as a gift to share with her neighbors.
Get the downloadable + printable version of this recipe (PDF)
About Fudge
Fudge actually originated in America, apparently sometime in the late nineteenth century (when chocolate started to get cheaper for home cooks). The exact circumstances of its invention have been lost to history. However, it gained widespread fame when it became a trendy fundraising item among students at women’s colleges in the 1880’s.
Ingredients + Equipment
9x13 inch baking pan and a large saucepan; candy thermometer helpful, but optional
Sugar, 4 1/2 cups
Evaporated milk, 12 oz
Butter (unsalted), 8 Tbsp
Salt, 1/8 tsp or more to taste
Chocolate chips, 2 cups (approx. 12 oz)
Marshmallow creme, 7 oz
Almond extract, 1 tsp
Vanilla extract, 1 tsp
Nuts, chopped, 2 3/4 cups (optional)
Instructions
Combine the sugar, evaporated milk, butter, and salt in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly to avoid burning the sugar. Then, if not using a candy thermometer, reduce heat to medium-low.
Allow the sugar mixture to boil until it reaches soft ball stage, or 235°— 240°F per a candy thermometer, without stirring. This should take about 5–15 minutes depending on the heat level. Remove from heat.
Add the chocolate chips, marshmallow creme, almond extract, vanilla extract, and nuts to the saucepan and mix thoroughly. Blend the mixture so that it has a uniform chocolate color; there should be no white marshmallow creme streaks. The mixture will thicken slightly while being stirred.
Pour into an even layer in a baking pan. Use an offset spatula or butter knife to spread it evenly before it begins to harden.
Chill in a refrigerator until firm, a minimum of 15 minutes. Cut into 48 pieces to serve.
Notes
Mix-in options:
Mix-ins other than nuts are also possible, so long as they are low-moisture and have a higher melting point than chocolate — chopped pretzels, cookie pieces, cinnamon candies, cracked toffee, shredded coconut.
Method suggestions:
To test whether the sugar mixture has reached the soft ball stage without a candy thermometer, drop a small amount of the boiling mixture into cold water. You should be able to use your fingers to form a soft ball in the water that flattens when removed. Begin testing the sugar mixture after it obtains the consistency of a thick syrup.
If the sugar mixture has been cooked beyond the soft ball stage (when it instead forms a firm ball in the cold water that does not flatten when removed), you will have to start over.
To make the end product easier to remove from the pan, you can lightly butter or grease the pan with spray oil or line the pan with non-waxed parchment paper.
Get the downloadable + printable version of this recipe (PDF)
Call for Comments + Family Recipes
Do you make a version of this dish?
Visit this post on Substack to comment about variations or ask questions, or just send me a note via email!
Do you have an inherited recipe to share?
If there’s a dish that’s extra special because it always made an appearance at family events or because the recipe was taught to you by an older relative, I’d love to hear about it. If you’re comfortable with sharing, I’d be happy to make the dish in my own kitchen and write it up in a shareable format, like this one — just respond to this email to reach out!