Jeanne's Fudge

My mom always did a lot of baking for the holidays when I was growing up. Every year it was the same--peanut brittle, Mrs. Fields' cookies, almond roca.  I loved--and still love--all of it, but I was excited when we would switch holiday treats with the Foremans.

The Foremans, family friends who are actually more like family, always had quite a holiday spread, but the treats that really stick out in my memory are peanut butter blossoms, caramel corn and fudge. Jeanne would do some plain fudge, some with nuts and often some with marshmallows. Yum. So rich and chocolaty! I love the smooth texture and the way it melts in your mouth. When I was thinking about what do make for Christmas this year, I wanted a little variety. I baked some cookies and made some toffee. I needed something to round it all out, so I dug around and found Jeanne's fudge recipe. Perfect. It's nice to know that nowadays I can make it whenever I want! Thank you, Jeanne!

Jeanne's Fudge

~Print Recipe~

• 4 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 can evaporated milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 cup room temperature butter
• 1 jar marshmallow creme
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 18 oz. chocolate chips
• 2 cups chopped nuts (optional)
  

1. Butter a 9 inch by 13 inch baking dish with deep sides.
   
2. Combine sugar and evaporated milk in a very large saucepan and bring to a boil. Boil for 8 minutes, stirring constantly. (Jeanne recommends reading something while you stir. I think this is a great idea, but when I tried it my pot nearly boiled over. So, make sure you also keep an eye on your mixture!)
3. Add vanilla, butter, marshmallow creme and salt. Mix until melted.
4. Add chocolate chips and stir until combined. Add nuts, if using, and stir to combine. 
5. Pour into prepared baking dish and refrigerate. Keep refrigerated until about an hour before serving.  The texture of the chilled fudge is not as satisfying as that of room temperature fudge. But at the same time, fudge that has been sitting out for hours will start to get very soft. 

Note: As you can probably tell from the photo, I did have some trouble getting it out of the dish. I could have needed more butter on the dish. Anyone have other suggestions?