Old Fashioned Fudge Recipe

I can't imagine a family holiday without this homemade treat available for snacking, can you?

Jump to:

• ❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
• 🧾 Ingredients
• 🔪 Instructions
• 🥫 Storage
• 📖 Variations
• 💭 Things to know
• 👩‍🍳 FAQs
• 📚 Related recipes
• 🥄 Restless Chipotle recommends
• 📞 The last word
• Old Fashioned Fudge
• 💬 Comments

❤️ Why you'll love this recipe

This is my favorite fudge recipe, maybe because it's the one I grew up with!

• easy fudge recipe without condensed milk or any special equipment
• the creamiest fudge ever
• no candy thermometer needed, no need to worry about a "soft ball stage", or sugar crystals
• tried and true, no fail fudge recipe

Mom's easy chocolate fudge recipe has never let me down and it won't let you down either! It makes great holiday gifts, hostess gifts, or is just a nice way to end dinner with a cup of coffee.

🧾 Ingredients

What ingredients are in fudge?

Well this recipe is made with just a few simple things -

🔪 Instructions

Note: This is an overview of the instructions. The full instructions are in the green recipe card below.

1. In a large pot, combine sugar, butter and milk.
2. Cook the mixture over medium heat, stirring, until it comes to a full rolling boil. Boil the mixture, stirring constantly and making sure that it doesn't scorch, for 5 minutes exactly.
3. Remove the saucepan from the heat and quickly stir in the chocolate marshmallow cream, vanilla extract, pecans, and the salt.
4. Stir the mixture until it is combined thoroughly. Pour the mixture into a greased 13 x 9 pan that's been lined with parchment paper and sprayed with no stick spray.

🥫 Storage

Store homemade fudge in an airtight container, lined with wax paper or parchment paper, separating the layers with more wax paper. You can also cover the 13x9-inch pan with plastic wrap if you don't need to be fancy.

Keep in a cool place. It will be fine for several weeks at room temperature if the kids don't find it.

Freeze for up to 3 months in an air-tight container.. It lasts longer if you freeze it in an old spinach box. 😉

📖 Variations

• Add leftover fudge to hot milk and stir until melted. It makes fantastic hot chocolate.
• Substitute vanilla extract with peppermint extract.
• Use walnuts, peanuts, hazelnuts, or macadamia nuts instead of pecans.
• Add espresso powder for mocha fudge.
• Stir in mini m&ms.

💭 Things to know

Expert Tip: Pre-measure your ingredients because once everything gets going you won't have time to measure!

• There's no need to use a candy thermometer with this easy no fail fudge but a timer is super helpful! It won't every get a grainy texture.
• Mom's recipe used chopped chocolate but I use chocolate chips - it's just easier. You can use the chunk chocolate if you want - just chop it small.
• Line the pan with parchment or waxed paper. You'll be able to easily get the candy out and cut it into neater squares.
• A rubber spatula works great because it scrapes the bottom of the pan easily and keep the mixture from scorching.
• Use a heavy saucepan with tall sides for best results.
• This is delicious with a sprinkle of fleur de del salt on top of the fudge.

👩‍🍳 FAQs

📚 Related recipes

These boozy white chocolate cherries are delicious, too! Make up a box of homemade candy with a few other yummies like the peanut butter pretzel bites.

🥄 Restless Chipotle recommends

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You'll need the following items to make this recipe successfully.

• granulated sugar 
• milk chocolate chips
• bittersweet chocolate chips
• semi-sweet chocolate chips
• milk 
• pecans
• butter
• vanilla extract
• marshmallow fluff (marshmallow cream, marshmallow creme)
• heavy stockpot
• rubber spatula
• parchment

📞 The last word

I am sure that this easy, old fashioned chocolate fudge recipe will become a family favorite in your house, if it isn't all ready.

Remember that it will only be as good as the chocolate you put into it so use the best you can afford.

Mom's famous fudge recipe (without condensed milk)

Fudge, like many other homemade treats, was something that was only made at Christmas in my house.

My mom was a practical cook except at Christmas and then she went all out with ambrosial fruitcakes, the most perfect fudge ever invented, buttery cookies that were worth arm wrestling over, and magical things I cannot replicate to this day.

The month of December was a flurry of epicurean activity which stopped abruptly on January 2.

At that point we went back to broiled chicken and wedge salad.

To say that I enjoyed the month of December would be an understatement of such gigantic proportions that it would be equal to saying that I simply dislike Monsanto, or somewhat disagree with various politicians.

I lived for Christmastime.

By the time my elementary school teachers began sending home math worksheets with reindeer and Santa hats on them I was a quivering mass of anticipation fueled by those enticing aromas that wafted out of my mother's kitchen.

Fudge was the star of the show, the item that created a release of saliva that nearly dripped from your chin and pooled at your feet.

My mother's fudge was legendary in the neighborhood. It had the best texture, the creamiest mouthfeel, the butteriest melt in your mouth flavor...

My father and I encouraged her to take naps, go to movies, and visit friends so that we could carefully shave off the sides of that creamy chocolaty confection without being detected.

Being caught was certain death or at least a well placed whack with the wooden spoon.

Dad and I were terrified of the Kitchen Nazi that my mother channeled in December - but not terrified enough to stay away from the creamy fudge. 

It was that good.

And the experience later served me well when we did recon and other war games in boot camp.

The flavor secret was in the mixture of chocolate used.

One type of chocolate will give a one dimensional flavor but three or four will create waves of chocolaty pleasure that the Aztecs could not even imagine.

You can bet I remind my kids every holiday season that they are lucky that they have the privilege of gorging on their grandma's recipe for old-fashioned fudge without dodging the Kitchen Nazi.

If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need. Don't forget that you can click on "add to collection" to save it to your own, private recipe box!

If you love this recipe please give it a 5 star rating. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

First published December 12, 2011. Last updated December 15,2022 for editorial updates.