This super easy Candy Cane Fudge is the perfect holiday gift idea! Made with just five ingredients, this Christmas dessert is the perfect way to celebrate!
Homemade Candy Cane Fudge Recipe
Oh it’s the time to get your food gifting skills READY! This time of year is all about the giving of the sweet treat, and I ain’t mad about it! It seems like every weekend of the month I receive a little container, or small platter of cookies that are baked by neighbors and friends…and I love it. People usually make family recipes, or personal favorites around the holidays and taking a bite of a dear friend’s, Grandma’s shortbread recipe is enough to make my heart go pitter-patter. ALL THE NOSTALGIA!
Of course, I love my family recipes, but every year I try to throw in a new recipe to try along with all of our classics…and this year Candy Cane Fudge has officially become a newbie front runner.
Not only is is adorably festive, it’s sweet and minty and EASY! There is nothing worse than a complicated recipe when you’re knee deep in your holiday baking.
While I am fairly confident that I can make a good looking dessert, I am NOT a fantastic gifter. I am not, and have never been, someone who puts a ton of detail into the presentation. I am more about what’s on the inside that counts. Toot toot!
Anyhow, that’s where these adorably festive and hugely functional Limited edition Glad® holiday containers come into play. Here’s the deal… while a gorgeous cookie platter is all well and good, once you rip open that cellophane, those cookies are officially exposed to the elements and their shelf life decreases every minute. (I made that sound super intense, didn’t I?) So the Glad Holiday containers are not only seasonal and cute, they are functional…which in my mind’s eye most people would prefer.
Not only are they BPA free, they’re microwave and dishwasher safe.
And a fun tip I like to do is pick up a whole slew of extra containers at Walmart when you’re there doing all your holiday shopping and keep them in your pantry for when you entertain.
There is always leftover food, and no one like to give away their bowls, hoping they will get them back one day. Oh and one more tip…if you’re like me and making time to go out to shop has become another stress in your life Walmart now has a Grocery Pickup Service, where you order online and you can have it delivered or pick it up! What a great time saver!
So my long-winded point here is not to ficus so much on all the fancy platters, and the gift tags. All anyone wants is the sweet treat inside!
And this Candy Cane Fudge is an easy treat that your kids can help you make! It’s a minty white chocolate fudge, with crumbled candy canes throughout for some crunch!
This super easy Candy Cane Fudge is the perfect holiday gift idea! Made with just five ingredients, this Christmas dessert is the perfect way to celebrate!
Line an 8×8 dish with foil and coat lightly with nonstick spray. Set aside.
In a heat-safe bowl placed over a pot of simmering water melt the white chips and sweetened condensed milk together, stirring very frequently. Remove from over the heat when the chips are just melted. Stir in the peppermint extract until combined, and then stir in the candy canes.
Add a drop or two of red food coloring and swirl it through.
Press the mixture into the prepared pan and chill for 2 hours until set.
Cut into pieces.
Store airtight at room temperature for up to 5 days.
After the chocolate has mostly melted, stir in the vanilla extract. Continue to stir until the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is smooth and shiny. Pour into a prepared 8 x 8 inch pan. Let the fudge set at room temperature (covered) for at least four hours.
Understand at what point you add any extras like nuts or fruit (typically right before it's ready to be poured into the pan). Beware the recipe that tells you to chill the fudge to ensure it sets. Proper fudge will set after sitting at room temperature for about 4 hours.
To keep peanut butter fudge fresh, store it in an airtight container and keep it in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Allow fudge to come to room temperature before serving. You can also freeze fudge for up to 2 months.
Monitor the Temperature with a Candy Thermometer. If you end up with soft fudge that turns into a puddle in your hands or hard fudge that is a bit reminiscent of a crunchy candy, improper temperature is likely to blame. ...
Avoid Stirring Once the Mixture Comes to a Simmer. ...
OPTION 3) Sieve together some powdered sugar and cocoa powder, and gradually work this into your unset fudge until it reaches the consistency of dough, then roll out and cut into squares, or shape into balls and then roll in powdered sugar (roll the balls in icing sugar, not yourself).
Once a seed crystal forms, it grows bigger and bigger as the fudge cools. A lot of big crystals in fudge makes it grainy. By letting the fudge cool without stirring, you avoid creating seed crystals.
If your fudge is soft or runny, it probably didn't come up to a high enough temperature while it was cooking. Put it back into the saucepan and add 1–2 US tbsp (15–30 ml) of 35% fat whipping cream.Stir the fudge as it heats, but only until the sugar in the chocolate is completely melted again.
The amount of time you cook fudge directly affects its firmness. Too little time and the water won't evaporate, causing the fudge to be soft. Conversely, cook it too long and fudge won't contain enough water, making it hard with a dry, crumbly texture.
You have to control two temperatures to make successful fudge: the cooking temperature AND the temperature at which the mixture cools before stirring to make it crystallize. Confectionery experiments have shown that the ideal cooking temperature for fudge is around 114 to 115 °C (237 to 239 °F).
If the fudge is very soft and slightly chewy then it is possible that it did not quite cook to soft ball stage and next time the mixture should be cooked to a slightly higher temperature (soft ball is 112-116c/235-240F and a sugar or candy thermometer can help).
Use Evaporated Milk- Make sure to use evaporated milk and not sweetened condensed milk. If you accidentally use sweetened condensed milk your fudge will be incredibly over the top sweet. Cut up the Butter– Before adding the butter in make sure to cut it into smaller pieces for faster melting.
If you didn't reach the correct temperature during the cooking process, it might not set properly. Use a candy thermometer to ensure that you reach the recommended temperature. Overcooking or Undercooking:Solution: Cooking the fudge for too long or too short a time can affect its texture.
The main reason is that your Fudge has not reached the optimum temperature. If your mixture only reaches 110 or 112 degrees Celsius it will always be soft. That's why we recommend investing in a sugar thermometer. Another reason your Fudge is not setting is that the ratio of liquid to sugar is too high.
The good news is fudge stays safe to eat even when kept at room temperature for a week or two. To make your next batch last longer, however, place any leftovers in the refrigerator to extend their storage life for up to 2 to 3 weeks.
The best way to store fudge is to keep it in an airtight container or wrap it tightly with wax paper, aluminum foil, or plastic wrap. This will help prevent the fudge from drying out or developing a slimy texture.
So to recap, it's best to store proper fudge at room temperature. Keeping it in the fridge takes out all its moisture, drying it out. Homemade fudge is best in the fridge. No matter where you store it, the goal is to protect the fudge from exposure to the elements so airtight containers are best!
One of the most common questions we get asked here at Murdick's Famous Fudge store, is “how do we keep this fudge fresh?” Our usual answer is this: Fudge is like bread. If you leave it out in the air, it will dry out. If you keep it wrapped in plastic, it will stay fresher.
Once the fudge has thickened and the nuts are added, pour the fudge into the prepared pan. Allow it to set at room temperature until firm, about three hours or overnight.
Introduction: My name is Mrs. Angelic Larkin, I am a cute, charming, funny, determined, inexpensive, joyous, cheerful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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