Maple-Walnut Fudge
Authentic from-scratch fudge has officially become our Achilles heel. We started out our fudge journey a couple of years ago when we made a speedy and straightforward fudge recipe using sweetened condensed milk. Last year, we thought we would crank things up a notch and make “real” from-scratch fudge – you know, the kind with the candy thermometer and lots of mixing with a wooden spoon. It took us three tries last winter before we finally managed to turn out a decent batch of chocolate fudge. Then we moved on to an awesome, straightforward recipe for peanut butter fudge, which is still our favorite. Now that the weather has cooled, we wanted to whip up a batch of maple-walnut fudge. Again, we tried twice using the “old-fashioned” method and had no success. The first time the fudge didn’t set up and remained a sludge-like mixture, and then the opposite happened – it got way too hard too fast. We took a deep breath. We had run out of patience with having to toss real maple syrup (not cheap) and tons of walnuts (not cheap) into the garbage – twice. So we went on a search for A straightforward version of maple-walnut fudge. And… ta-da! We have fudge!
We think we need to accept the fact that we will never be an all-world fudge superstar. It’s not our lot in life. And we're okay with that. We can still make fabulous from-scratch fudge, it just won’t be the beach boardwalk authentic variety. But variety is the spice of life, right? Sometimes when we admit our shortcomings it frees us to explore alternatives that can be just as good, if not better, than that which we were originally searching for. And this maple-walnut fudge alternative? Absolutely phenomenal. It will totally get you in the mood for fall. And we are celebrating our fudge freedom by embracing straightforward fudge recipes and all of the wonderful varieties that we can dream up between now and Christmas!
What type of recipe or technique vexes you in the kitchen? We know we can’t be the only one ;-)
One year ago: Pancake Cupcakes with Maple-Bacon Frosting
Two years ago: Chewy, Fudgy Triple-Chocolate Brownies
Four years ago: Hershey’s Best Brownies
Maple-Walnut Fudge
Yield: 64 pieces (about 1 pound) From-scratch sweet fudge- 2 cups (440 g) light brown sugar
- 5 ounces (141.75 ml) evaporated milk
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter
- 2 cups (240 g) powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) maple flavoring
- 1 cup (117 g) coarsely chopped walnuts
- 1. Butter an 8x8-inch or 9x9-inch square pan. Line with parchment paper or foil, and butter that; set aside.
- 2. In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, evaporated milk and butter. Bring to a full boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat slightly (no lower than medium-low) and boil for an additional 10 minutes, stirring constantly.
- 3. Remove from the heat and stir in the powdered sugar, vanilla extract and maple flavoring. Transfer the mixture to a standing mixer (or use a hand mixer) and beat the fudge on medium speed until thick and glossy - about 3 minutes. Fold in the walnuts and pour the mixture into the prepared pan.
- 4. Let the mixture cool to room temperature, then cover tightly and refrigerate overnight. Slice the fudge into 1-inch squares and serve. (Fudge can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container.)
- Note: You can find the maple flavoring in the baking aisle where the vanilla extracts are.
- Yield: 64 pieces (about 1 pound)
- Prep: 30 minutes
- Cook: 15 minutes
- Total: 45 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 cups ( 440 g ) light brown sugar
- 5 ounces ( 141.75 ml ) evaporated milk
- 1 cup ( 227 g ) unsalted butter
- 2 cups ( 240 g ) powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon ( 0.5 teaspoon ) vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon ( 0.5 teaspoon ) maple flavoring
- 1 cup ( 117 g ) coarsely chopped walnuts
Method
- 1. Butter an 8x8-inch or 9x9-inch square pan. Line with parchment paper or foil, and butter that; set aside.
- 2. In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, evaporated milk and butter. Bring to a full boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat slightly (no lower than medium-low) and boil for an additional 10 minutes, stirring constantly.
- 3. Remove from the heat and stir in the powdered sugar, vanilla extract and maple flavoring. Transfer the mixture to a standing mixer (or use a hand mixer) and beat the fudge on medium speed until thick and glossy - about 3 minutes. Fold in the walnuts and pour the mixture into the prepared pan.
- 4. Let the mixture cool to room temperature, then cover tightly and refrigerate overnight. Slice the fudge into 1-inch squares and serve. (Fudge can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container.)
- Note: You can find the maple flavoring in the baking aisle where the vanilla extracts are.
