Fudge

vintagekitty, Sep 11, 8:07pm
I have a recipe here for fudge, which im going to do with kids tomorrow. I have not made any for ages. It states "simmer for 20 minutes", does 20 mins seem to long?
tiogapass, Sep 11, 8:58pm
probably not...fudge making is a chemical reaction which requires that the sugar get to the correct temperature then cooled rapidly - hence the beating.
martine5, Sep 11, 9:51pm
20 mins is very normal
kurtis, Sep 11, 9:58pm
thats right fudgepacker
vintagekitty, Sep 12, 9:52am
Cheers, for the input

Oh lol kurtis, thats something a 14 year old boy would say!, did you have one too many to drink last night?.
pickles7, Sep 12, 9:55am
buy a sugar thermometer.
vintagekitty, Sep 12, 9:59am
nah pickles, I very rarely make sweets, it will just end up in a drawer with all the rest of the "stuff", I strive to Minimalism
juliewn, Sep 12, 12:05pm
Hi Vintage..

For a quick and easy recipe.. I made this Coconut Ice, posted by Ribit - the recipe worked beautifully.. and I thought, maybe it would work to make fudge..

To change it to fudge, I added 1 tablespoon cocoa to the icing sugar mix.. and instead of using coconut, I used 1 & 1/2 cups of peanuts.. yummy peanut fudge..

Ribit's recipe:
This is so easy and creamy I bet you make it twice at least:)
4 cups icing sugar
100 gms butter
1/4 cup milk
microwave for 4 minutes then beat untill its smooth and add 1 1/2 cups coconut and a few drops vanilla, pour 1/2 the mixture into your tray, colour the other 1/2 and pour on top. enjoy
Quote ribit (125 )9:09 pm, Mon 9 Aug #1
teragram09, Sep 12, 8:17pm
2o mins is the norm for boiling fudge, dont do it any less time and dont over do it as it will burn.
Also dont stir while it is boiling. If it looks like its going to over flow just turn down a fraction and lift pot off element, but keep over heat. You will have to do this a few times during the 20 mins, so dont leave it.
duckmoon, Sep 12, 8:25pm
my best advice is buy a candy thermometre.
twenty minutes isn't too long, especially for russian fudge...
but it isn't about time, it should be about temp.
duckmoon, Sep 12, 8:26pm
it depends on the sweets you are making.
coconut ice needs to be left - to make long chains of sugar...
Russian fudge, can be stirred - and needs it to stop sticking
danielle35, Sep 13, 7:11pm
Rule of thumb for fudge, make sure your sugar is melted over a low heat, before allowing to boil, otherwise you will end up with grainy fudge.One batch used to take me 45 minutes, extra smooth result :-)
duckmoon, Mar 17, 2:10am
i agree... most recipes say "heat the milk and sugar until sugar has dissolved"...
If you do this, your fudge will work, but will be more grainy.

If you wait (while pot on a low heat) until the milk/sugar mixture is translucents (almost see through but not quiet), your fudge will be extra smooth.