Fudge · Easy Chocolate
Easy Chocolate Fudge
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Before you start
Gather your ingredients
Weights from USDA FoodData Central cup weights; counted things stay as counts.
Swaps for semisweet chocolate chips
Instead of chocolate and chocolate chips
- Semisweet and bittersweet: The same amount, either way. Bittersweet is less sweet and more intense; semisweet is milder and sweeter.
- Chopped bar chocolate for chips: The same weight (a 12 oz bag of chips is about 2 cups). Melty puddles and streaks instead of neat chips.
- Chips for bar chocolate when melting: The same weight. Chips melt thicker and less smoothly, so ganache and glazes are a bit stiffer.
Swaps for unsalted butter
Instead of butter
- Salted butter: The same amount, with about ¼ tsp less salt per stick (½ cup) elsewhere in the recipe. Nothing noticeable once you cut the salt.
- Plant-based butter sticks: The same amount. The closest swap.
- Refined coconut oil: The same amount: solid when the butter is soft or cold, melted when it is melted. It is all fat, so bakes are a bit more tender and rich, with no butter flavor.
Cooking for an allergy? Check every label.
Swaps for vanilla extract
Instead of vanilla extract
- Vanilla bean paste: The same amount. Stronger, with visible vanilla seeds.
- Vanilla bean: The seeds of 1 bean for each 1 tbsp extract. A deeper, floral flavor and visible seeds.
- Alcohol-free vanilla: The same amount. Made with glycerin; a slightly milder taste.
Swaps for kosher salt
Instead of salt
- Table salt or fine sea salt: About half as much as Diamond Crystal kosher, about ¾ as much as Morton kosher. The same saltiness when measured this way.
- Salt by weight: 1 tsp is about 6 grams of table salt, 5 grams of Morton kosher, 3 grams of Diamond Crystal kosher. The most reliable way to swap, especially in baking and brines.
Swaps for walnuts
Instead of nuts
- Another nut: The same amount. Pecans are sweeter and softer, walnuts slightly bitter, almonds firmer and milder.
- Toasted pumpkin or sunflower seeds: The same amount. Smaller and crunchier, with an earthy taste.
- Leave them out, or use chocolate chips or toasted oats: The same amount (or none). Leaving nuts out doesn't change how a batter bakes.
Cooking for an allergy? Check every label.
Step 1 of 8
Line (how to line a pan)
Line a pan Cover the bottom (and sometimes sides) of a pan with parchment or foil so food doesn't stick and lifts out easily. 1. For a sheet pan, tear parchment the size of the pan and lay it flat.2. For a round cake pan, trace the bottom on parchment, cut the circle out and press it in.3. For brownies and bars, leave two long sides hanging over to make handles (a "sling").4. A little grease under the paper holds it in place. Done when: The paper lies flat with no folds where the batter could run under it. How to line a baking pan with parchment: mistakes to avoidStep 2 of 8
Put the chocolate chips, condensed milk and butter in a medium saucepan over low heat.
Step 3 of 8
Stir constantly with a spatula until the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is smooth. Keep the heat low so the chocolate doesn't scorch.
Step 4 of 8
Take the pan off the heat and stir in the vanilla and salt, then the walnuts if using.
Step 5 of 8
Scrape the fudge into the lined pan and spread it into an even layer.
Step 6 of 8
Sprinkle with flaky salt if you like.
Step 7 of 8
Refrigerate until firm.
Step 8 of 8
Lift the fudge out using the parchment handles and cut it into 6 rows each way. Wipe the knife clean between cuts.
All done
Enjoy!
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