Phenomenal Fudge by our very own Mrs Christmas

As a Christmas Treat, the lovely Pamela here at F!nd has very kindly given us all a lesson on the wonder that is her beautiful homemade fudge! Followed correctly, the below recipe should be bombproof, and provide you with festive fudge for the holidays...

Ingredients

115g salted butter

1 tin condensed milk

1 large tub clotted cream (Rhoda is my brand of choice)

450g demerara sugar (Billingtons has the best flavour)

1 tsp vanilla paste

Method 

Put a jug of cold water in the fridge.

Line a small toffee tin and butter the paper

Select a reasonably big pan (for this volume I use one that’s c20cm wide and c10cm deep)

Use a wooden spoon (that’s important)

 

YOU MUST STIR CONTINUOUSLY THROUGHOUT. I DO ABOUT 10 SWEEPS AROUND THE EDGE OF THE PAN AND THEN GIVE THE MIDDLE A GOOD STIR.

 

Over a low heat melt the butter and then add the cream, condensed milk and sugar. Gradually bring the mixture to the boil.

Increase the heat a little to achieve a relatively vigorous boil and continue to cook until the mixture thickens and darkens (this usually takes c15-20 minutes). Test for soft toffee stage by trickling some fudge off the wooden spoon into the jug of cold water. After a couple of seconds lift it out with a metal spoon, roll it into a ball and place it on a plate/work surface. When the ball is firm enough to hold its shape, but will squash down a bit when you press it, take the pan off the heat.

NB: If you need to test a few times do it quickly and get back to stirring.

Continue to stir as the fudge thickens and cools. You don’t need to beat the mixture…just keep it moving. To save my arms and let gravity do some of the work I sit down and put the pot on a wooden board on the floor during this stage. This has the added benefit of getting me away from the heat of the cooker!

 

When the mixture holds a trail stir in the vanilla paste.

 

Pour into your tin and leave to cool. It's really is as simple as that ;o)

 

Variations

For salted caramel: use a tin of caramel condensed milk and sprinkle with sea salt when nearly cold.

 

For chocolate: once the butter has melted, take the pan off the heat and add a 100g bar of quality dark chocolate. Leave to melt. Don’t do this with the pan on the heat as the chocolate may burn. I find that 85% chocolate gives the best result. You will need to scrutinize the label and note how many grams of fat the chocolate contains. This figure should be deducted from the 115g of butter in the recipe…it’s usually about 40g.  Don’t be tempted to use the chocolate flavour condensed milk. I’ve tried and it tastes awful.

 

For rum & raisin: soak sultanas (much nicer than raisins) in rum, drain off excess rum and add with the vanilla.

For cherry brandy: soak dried cherries in brandy.

 

Happy fudging!