Oh, fudge!

Inspired by a friend, who recently bought me some old-style proper cooked coconut ice (thanks Lisa) I was tempted back into the world of cooking with sugar.  And oh boy, it's tricky.  I decided I want to make chocolate fudge - not just with condensed milk and put it in the fridge (although there's nothing wrong with that), I wanted the cooked stuff, where it's a little bit crunchy, just like you used to get at school fetes.  So to the recipe books I went.

Just about everyone of my cookbooks had the condensed milk/fridge version, I had to look harder.  Eventually I found a handwritten recipe in one of my cookbooks and it's in my handwriting so I can't be sure where it came from and whose recipe it was.  Last weekend was the perfect cooking weekend - cold, wet and miserable.  So with wooden spoon in hand and lots of sugar, away I went.  The results of this first batch (yes I made several), weren't too bad.  It was smooth and held it's shape once cooked, but it wasn't as firm and 'crunchy' as I was looking for.  That didn't stop me eating it.  I realised that I had stirred the fudge too much whilst cooking and upset the whole sugar/caramel/toffee scientific thingy - see the Science of candy  and Stages of cooked sugar for more information.

As always, I was determined to get it right. This week I bought a new candy thermometer, instead of the regular kitchen thermometer I used previously.  The candy thermometer shows the smaller graduations you need from 110C - 120C.  I was aiming for soft ball at 116C.  The scientist in me decided to remake the recipe I had made last week and just not stir it once the sugar dissolved.  But also, just in case something was actually missing from that one, to use an alternate recipe with a few different ingredients (see below).

I'm pleased to say that both fudges were successful this week.  Both have the slight crunch factor I'd remembered and both were extremely delicious.  My top tips for you when making cooked fudge: spend $10 and buy a candy thermometer; use a bigger saucepan than you think you need (from the quantities) as the sugar expands and you don't want to have to stir it; only stir over a low heat till the sugar is dissolved, then turn up the heat and put the spoon away; be patient with the cooling process - don't try and speed it up in anyway (bad things happen - just ask my sister Sue), be patient, be patient, be patient.  Enjoy!


Chocolate Fudge (Australian Women's Weekly)
1 1/2 cups (330g) caster sugar
1/2 cup (110g) firmly packed light brown sugar
60 g (2oz) dark eating chocolate (semi-sweet), chopped coarsely
2 tablespoons glucose syrup
1/2 cup (125mL) pouring cream (the really thin one)
1/4 cup (60mL) milk
40 g (1 1/2 oz) unsalted butter, chopped coarsely

1. Grease deep 15cm (6 inch) square cake tin; line base and sides with baking paper which extends over the sides (you need this extra paper to pull the fudge out of the tin).
2. Combine sugars, chocolate, glucose, cream and milk in medium heavy-based saucepan; stir over low heat, without boiling, until sugar dissolves. (Now put the spoon away!)
3. Bring to a gentle rolling boil; boil uncovered, WITHOUT STIRRING, about 10 mins or until mixture reaches 116C (235F) on a candy thermometer.
4. Remove pan from heat immediately, once it reaches temperature; leave thermometer in mixture.  Add butter, do not stir.
5. Cool fudge 20 - 30 mins until the temperature of the mixture drops to about 40C (80F). This can seem to take an absolute age, but this is where you have to be patient, seriously go and do something else!
6. Stir fudge with wooden spoon for about 10 mins or until a small amount dropped from spoon holds its shape (and the butter is incorporated).
7. Quickly spread fudge into pan; cover with foil.  Stand at room temperature about 3 hours or until set.  Lift fudge out of pan; cut into squares approximately 2cm.