My fudge did not turn out as solid as I would have liked it this year, and that is, in a large part, due to me not going back and revising the basic techniques for fudge making before I start testing new recipes. My bad. Making chocolate-less fudge can always be little bit dicey, but my biggest mistake was that I stirred the fudge once it had reached boiling point. Oops. Double Oops. I revised the recipe below to include these additional techniques and tips, but I have yet to go back and test them out. I’m classing this recipe as a work in progress until I can go back and test out the revisions, but the flavors are excellent and theoretically it should work?
Ingredients:
- Oil Spray (for greasing)
- 1 1/4 cup Brown Sugar
- 1/4 cup Maple Syrup
- 1 cup Half and Half
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1/2 cup Confectionary Sugar
- 1/2 cup diced salted Butter (1 stick total)
- 1 cup toasted Walnuts
Directions:
- Line a loaf pan with plastic wrap.
- Lightly spray the plastic wrap with oil.
- Combine the brown sugar, maple syrup, half and half, and vanilla in a deep heavy bottomed pot.
- Bring the mixture to a boil. Do not stir your mixture after it has started to boil.
- Insert a candy thermometer, and allow your syrup to continue to cook until it reaches the softball stage and your thermometer reads 236 F (~113).
- Meanwhile, use a wet brush to brush down the sides of the pot to prevent any crystals from forming.
- Once the syrup has reached the soft ball stage, turn off the burner, and let it cool back down to 110 F (~43 C).
- When the syrup had cooled sufficiently, stir in the confectionary sugar and the butter.
- Stir in the walnuts.
- Press the fudge into your loaf pan using an oiled spoon or spatula.
- Let it set overnight before cutting it into individual pieces.
