Fudge Tasting

We tried two new fudge recipes this weekend, our first and second recipes of the final three months. The first (or second if you count the fudge from last weekend) was one I found in my chocolate cookbook.

Easy Chocolate Fudge

1 lb 2 oz dark chocolate

1/3 cup unsalted butter

14 oz can sweetened condensed milk

1/2 t vanilla extract

Lightly grease an 8 inch square cake pan. Break the chocolate into pieces and place in a large saucepan with the butter and condensed milk. Heat gently, stirring until the chocolate and butter melts and the mixture is smooth. Do not allow to boil. Remove from heat. Beat in the vanilla, then beat mixture for a few minutes until thickened. Pour it into the prepared pan and level the top. Chill the mixture in the refrigerator until firm. Tip the fudge out on to a chopping board and cut into squares to serve.

This was an easy recipe and the flavor was good and rich, certainly the most chocolaty of the batches. But it was almost more of a ganache than fudge. It was firm enough, but melted all over your fingers while you ate it.

The third recipe was one I found online for the Original Fantasy Fudge. This was more similar to the fudge recipe I made last weekend, but I didn't like that it only used part of a can of milk (what am I going to do with the rest of it?). This fudge was dry and crumbly. I'm not sure if I overcooked it, or if it is just a drier fudge, but I was not happy with the texture. The taste was good though.

We had a fudge tasting at my parent's house Sunday and the first two fudge recipes were rated the highest. We were pleased to discover that the Easy Chocolate fudge firmed up more overnight and was not so melty. I still thought the consistency of the first recipe was the best, but that one improved quite a bit. I think next I want to try the first recipe with more dark chocolate.