Microwave Fudge

Fudge. Everybody loves fudge, don’t they? If you don’t, I won’t be offended if you move on to the next post….lol

Soft, delicious, rich, decadent. No wonder it’s so popular!

I first tried making fudge in the microwave a few years ago. For Christmas. It was very well received! But the recipe that I used required liquid glucose, which I had no trouble finding in the supermarket, and it’s not particularly expensive…it’s just so very sticky and I don’t like working with it.

So when I saw Fast Ed making it on a Better Homes and Gardens program I quickly jotted down the recipe. He didn’t use glucose! In the interests of having a site for you to reference, I searched and searched until I found his recipe online. You can also find it on my Yum! Pinterest board 🙂

Here is Fast Ed’s Microwave Fudge recipe:

• 395g sweetened condensed milk
• 100g unsalted butter
• 200g dark brown sugar
• 3 Tbsp golden syrup
• 180g dark chocolate, chopped
• 2 tsp natural vanilla paste

1 Combine the sweetened condensed milk, butter, sugar and syrup in a microwave-proof bowl and cook on medium-high power for 7 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes.

2 Mix in the chocolate and vanilla and stir until combined, then beat well until glossy. Spoon into a lined 17cm x 27cm slice pan and flatten. Set aside to cool, then cover with cling film and refrigerate for 1 hour until firm. Cut into 36 pieces.

It is important that you use butter when making this recipe. Margarine won’t work. I use the generic brand, and have had no issues.

It’s also important to use a glass bowl or jug. Plastic won’t cut it. I treated myself to a large Pyrex bowl specifically for fudge making. Of course, I can use it for other microwave dishes as well!

I had almost no brown sugar when I started making my first batch, so I topped it up with white sugar. The second batch I only had white sugar. Both still turned out perfectly well.

I always have golden syrup in my cupboard….until I needed it for this. I was considering substituting Maple Syrup, but chose honey instead.

If you have a 200g block of chocolate, use the whole lot (minus a square or two for quality control!). Don’t get precious about it.

Make sure the boiling sugar and butter mix has stopped bubbling before you add the chocolate. It only takes a minute or two. Otherwise you risk burning or seizing it, which makes it go grainy and look yuck. Still tastes good, though.

And if for some reason your fudge doesn’t set, don’t throw it out. Package it up and present it as topping for your ice-cream!

You can add flavourings to your fudge. I made craisin (dried cranberries) and chopped nuts with milk chocolate for my first batch, and Cointreau dark chocolate for the second.

The craisins and chopped nuts were about 1/2 cup in total. You can add whatever you think is a good combination. Coconut, dried fruit, chopped marshmallows, crushed biscuits…. You could also press the dry toppings on top of the fudge instead of mixing them through. Mimi does a delicious one with crushed ANZAC biscuits on top 🙂

For the Cointreau I poured in a good splosh at the end. That’s a very technical term. It’s similar to a splash, but better. Again, you can choose whichever liquor you prefer. As this adds to the liquid content of the recipe, it doesn’t set quite so hard. You could compensate by reducing the golden syrup…or just let it be.

When set, cut into whatever size pieces you like. I know Ed says it makes 36 pieces, I’m sure I got more by making them a bit smaller. Whatever you are happy with.

Here I am preparing the fudge and homemade marshmallows for packaging:

In the top right of this photo you can also see a sneak peak of the jars of Nuts and Bolts – I thought I didn’t have one!

I used plastic chinese containers left over from a party to present the gifts. I topped them simply with a fabric flower. I have to thank Mimi for giving me that idea … and the website to source the flowers at a very good price !

I layered the treats between squares of baking paper to stop them sticking together.

A very sweet treat indeed!

Linking up with:

To Simply Inspire – The Mommy Club, 21 Rosemary Lane – Share Your Style, Posed Perfection – Creative Ways, Have a Daily Cup of Mrs Olsen – Share Your Cup, The Crafty Wife – Wednesday Roundup, Lamberts Lately – Create it Thursday, Savvy Southern Style – Wow us Wednesday, Domesblissity – Thriving on Thursday, Wondermom Wannabe – This is How we Roll, Too Much Time on my Hands – The Handmade Hangout, Love Bakes Good Cakes – Freedom Fridays, The Pin Junkie, Life With Lorelei – Home Matters, Shoestring Elegance – What to do Weekends, Tatertots and Jello – Link Party Palooza, Oh My Heartsie Girl – Friday Features, Domestic Superhero – Pinworthy Projects, Oh My Heartsie Girl – Wonderful Wednesday, 24 Cottonwood Lane – Best of the Weekend, Strawberry Butterscotch – Saturday Shuffle, The Pinterested Parent – Sunday’s Best, The Interior Frugalista – DIY Sunday Showcase, Thoughts From Alice – Sundays at Home, My Husband Has Too Many Hobbies – Snickerdoodle Sunday, The Foley Fam – Sunday Funday, Claire Justine – Creative Mondays, Create With Joy – Inspire Me Monday, I Should Be Mopping the Floor – Inspiration Monday, Plucky’s Second Thought – Cooking and Crafting With J&J, My Pinterventures – Merry Monday, Pastels and Macarons – Creative Corner, Merry About Town – Monday Funday, Cozy Little House – Tweak it Tuesday, Cedar Hill Farm House – The Scoop, The Tip Junkie, Yesterday on Tuesday – Project Inspired, Lou Lou Girls, Kathe With an E – You’re Gonna Love it, Our Home Away From Home – Tuesdays at our Home,The Dedicated House – Make it Pretty Monday, Oh My Heartsie Girl – Wonderful Wednesday, The DIY Dreamer – From Dream to Reality, The Life of Jennifer Dawn – A Little Bird Told Me, That Recipe – Tasty Tuesdays, A Tray of Bliss – Five Star Frou Frou,