Fudge Friday #3 Oh Fudge!

What is Fudge?

If you ask around, there's some misconception of what Fudge actually is! Is it supposed to be dry? Is it supposed to be creamy? What is it even made of?!! Well we're here to help let you know what's what when it comes to Fudge!

Fudge is a candy that is made from sugar, cream, and butter. While Marshmallows are commonly used to make homemade Fudges, it actually isn't Fudge at all! Real Fudge is a melted mixture of sugar, cream, butter that is heated to the "Softball" stage of candy making. It actually is very similar to Caramel, so much so that the first Fudge was very possibly a mistake batch of Caramel!

But wait, what is "Softball" and how can Fudge and Caramel be similar?!! Well we have the answer! When sugar is cooked it forms a crystalline structure. The larger the crystals are, and the more grainy the candy will become. If you let the crystals get large enough, you will end up with hard candies. The smaller the crystals are, and the creamier and softer the candy will be. This is where Caramels and Fudge fall in. By carefully boiling the sugar mixture to a specific temperature, you can achieve the correct level of crystallization in the sugar! In fact, the first Fudge recipes were Caramel recipes that cooked at a slightly lower temperature!

So Fudge is really quite simple after all! A mixture of sugar, cream, and butter cooked to a specific temperature!  Be sure to check out our other editions of Fudge Friday!  Goodbye until next week!