Christmas Candy Traditions - Fantasy Fudge

My mom was not a big baker, but she loved her sweets. As evidenced by her numerous recipe files, where most off of the tabs designating Appetizers, Main Dishes and Side Dishes were empty, while the ones that read Cakes, Pies and Desserts were stuffed full. Granted, she never made most of the recipes, but when the holidays rolled around, there was always one thing Mom was guaranteed to make.

Fudge was, and still is, her absolute favorite Christmas treat. And I couldn't imagine the holidays without it. Yet, as I've shared with you before, I ran into a problem with her Fantasy Fudge recipe several years ago. I made it the same way, but it just wasn't as creamy. It wasn't right. 

Then I stumbled upon the greasy, yellowed recipe she'd cut off of the back of a jar of marshmallow cream all those years ago and, with a little research, I figured out the problem. Now I feel it my duty to reveal the truth to everyone like me who grew up eating Fantasy Fudge, only to be disappointed with the results from the recipe on today's jars of marshmallow cream.

 

You see, back in the day, a small can of evaporated milk contained 6 ounces. Yet somewhere along the way, the manufacturers changed the amount to 5 ounces. And even though it's an ounce smaller, the recipe for Fantasy Fudge on the backs of marshmallow cream jars still call for a small (5 ounce) can of evaporated milk. For people like me who relive memories every time they bite into a piece of fudge, that's just not right. 

So for all of you who grew up celebrating the holidays with Fantasy Fudge, here's the real Fantasy Fudge Recipe we all remember.

• 3 cups sugar
• 3/4 cup margarine (I use butter)
• 6 oz. evaporated milk
• 1 12 oz bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 7 oz jar marshmallow cream
• 1 cup chopped nuts (optional)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

First thing you'll want to do is line a 9x13 baking pan with aluminum foil. This is so you can lift the fudge out of the pan after it's cooled, for easier cutting.

Now spray that foil with some non-stick spray and set aside.

Melt your butter or margarine over medium-high heat in a heavy saucepan at least 3 quarts in size.

Once the butter is melted, add your sugar and 6 ounces of evaporated milk. Yes, buy the big can and store the unused portion in a mason jar or other sealed container in the fridge and use it in your next batch of mashed potatoes.

Stir that all together and continue to cook and stir until it comes to a boil.

Once it boils, keep stirring and cook for approximately 5-7 minutes, until mixture reaches soft ball stage on a candy thermometer.

What's that, you don't have a candy thermometer

Not to worry. We didn't have one when I was growing up, so I learned to do it old school.

Drizzle a small amount of the boiling mixture into a cup of cold water.

Now stick your fingers in there and see if you can form the mixture into a soft ball. If not, keep cooking, testing every minute or so.

This is what you should end up with.

Perfect!

And if you pop said soft ball into your mouth, you will be a very happy camper. Just sayin'.

So once your mixture has reached the soft ball stage, remove the pan from the heat and add the chocolate chips.

Stir until melted, then add your marshmallow cream.

This takes a little longer to stir in than the chocolate chips, because you need to make sure all the little lumps are gone and the mixture is nice and smooth.

Once it is smooth, add your vanilla and stir to mix.

And finally, if you're adding nuts (I prefer pecans), now's the time to do that.

Stir those in and your mixture should look like this.

Pour into your prepared pan and set aside to cool for at least a couple of hours. 

Do not refrigerate until completely cooled.

When the fudge is cooled and set, remove foil/fudge from pan and cut into squares.

Sorry, my lighting must have been a bit off, because these look much lighter than they really are. There were still dark, like the previous pic of the pan. Either way, the fudge is creamy and oh-so delicious. Just like Mom used to make.

And that makes me very happy.

Have you ever had a cherished recipe from your childhood that wasn't quite as good as you remembered? When you think of the holidays, what foods come to mind? What appeared in your kitchen during every holiday season?

Three-time Carol Award finalist, Mindy Obenhaus lives on a ranch in Texas with her husband, the youngest of her five children and two dogs. She's passionate about touching readers with Biblical truths in an entertaining, and sometimes adventurous, manner. When she’s not writing, she enjoys cooking and spending time with her grandchildren. Learn more at www.MindyObenhaus.com