This Quick and Easy Three Ingredient Fudge will make everyone think you're a candy master; even though it's super simple, it can even be made dairy-free!
If you've been around here for a bit, you'd know my love affair with chocolate, haha. There might be more than a few chocolate recipes on the site, but that's okay.
While all those recipes are delicious, there is something classic and comforting about homemade fudge around the holidays. Fudge comes in so many different flavors, but I like a simple classic, maybe with a few twists on occasion.
Fun fact back in the seventeenth century, the meaning of the word fudge was clumsy? While the word changed meanings over the years to even mean something that was messed up, "oh fudge." It's often said that fudge is a byproduct of a batch of caramels gone wrong.
All I know is; however, it got here; I am glad it has stayed around as long as it has.
What's it made of?
Classic old-fashioned fudge is made from cooking sugar, butter, and milk until it's at a soft-ball temperature. While it's not overly complicated, it can be a little tricky. If you don't cook it right, you can end up with grainy fudge or something that crumbles in your hand, and no one wants to eat that.
Don't worry about that, though, because I am giving you my ultimate chocolatey, super easy, can't mess it up fudge recipe. Everyone will think you slaved over the stove when you didn't.
Let's Gather What We Need
As I said above, this is my easy recipe, and that means there are only three simple ingredients.
- A good semi-sweet chocolate - I like Enjoy Life Chocolate. You can use whatever chocolate you prefer.
- Sweetened Condensed Milk
- Vanilla
Make it Your Own
Making it Dairy-free: Use your favorite dairy-free chocolate. For this, I like to Enjoy Life brand. You can also sub the sweetened condensed milk for a dairy-free alternative like coconut-sweetened condensed milk.
Mix up the Flavor: Switch out the vanilla for something festive like peppermint extract or even something like orange (It's like those classic chocolate oranges you break apart.) I like to add a TBS of orange zest when I do this to make the flavors pop.
You can even fold in some of your favorite chopped nuts or even peanut or nut butter of choice before letting it cool.
I promise it will take this simple fudge over the top and make it more gourmet.
Want to up it more?
Add one tablespoon of butter (if you can handle dairy). It will increase the richness.
Use an ice cream scoop, shape the fudge into balls and roll them into cocoa powder or crushed nuts. You can even dip them into more chocolate for an added touch. It makes giving this fudge even more fun by making them into super easy truffles. The possibilities are endless.
You can even pour the fudge into chocolate molds to get a fun shape. Note: You will need to freeze the fudge to make it easier to get out of the molds if you do this.
Tips and Tricks
If this were a classic recipe, you'd have to be worried about heating and cooling the fudge properly to get the right texture, but it's not. There is only one thing I tend to do any time I am melting chocolate.
I prefer to melt the chocolate over a double boiler as it makes it easier to make sure the chocolate doesn't scorch in the microwave by slightly cooking too long.
Let's Make Some Fudge!
- Line a baking pan with parchment paper. I usually use an 8x8.
- Place the chocolate into a bowl with the sweetened condensed milk. Melt the chocolate over a double boiler or in the microwave for 30-second increments until the chocolate is completely melted.
- Remove the chocolate mixture from the heat and stir in the vanilla or other choice extract until the chocolate is completely smooth.
- Transfer the warm fudge to the baking pan and smooth it out evenly.
- Let the fudge cool completely at room temperature before cutting it as desired. You can also place the fudge in the fridge if desired.
Storage Tips
Fudge will typically stay good stored at room temperature for one to two weeks. If you place it in a container in the fridge, you can keep it for up to a month. Freezing it will keep it good for up to about three months.
Personally, I love cold chocolate, so I tend to keep mine in the fridge.
Giving the Gift of Fudge
Fudge is a festive treat to give and gift all season long. You can simply put the fudge in a box or tin lined with wax paper.
It is even great for shipping because of its dense texture. I like to add padding around whatever container I am shipping it in to avoid getting shaken around too much. If fudge is left out, it can dry out, so I like to make sure it's sealed properly if I am shipping. I will sometimes even wrap individual pieces in wax paper to help.
More Chocolate Goodies to Love and Share
📖 Recipe
Quick and Easy Three Ingredient Fudge
Ingredients
- 12 OZ Chocolate Chips I use Enjoy Life brand
- 14 OZ Sweetened Condensed Milk or Dairy-free Sweetened Condensed Milk
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Or another extract of choice like orange or peppermint.
Instructions
- Line a baking pan with parchment paper. I usually use an 8x8.
- Place the chocolate into a bowl with the sweetened condensed milk. Melt the chocolate over a double boiler or in the microwave for 30 second increments until the chocolate is completely melted.
- Remove the chocolate mixture from the heat and stir in the vanilla or other extract of choice until the chocolate is completely smooth.
- Transfer the warm fudge to the baking pan and smooth it out evenly.
- Let the fudge cool completely at room temperature before cutting it as desired. You can also place the fudge in the fridge if desired.
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