Vanilla fudge

Tried first time with half a batch and it worked almost perfectly. Fudge was of great consistency - did not fall apart but light and delicate texture. Good colour. Only snag was that fudge was starting to set as soon as I let it cool and was setting more as I was beating it and barely had time to get it into the tray. Was now thinking so what is all this fuss about! Tried a second batch and ended up with toffee. Reckon I had been too keen for it not to set on me in the pan and so had not allowed to cool and then beat but had beaten it while still too hot. But I managed to rescue it by melting the toffee and then cooling and beating. This time I could tell it was right. So there is a knack to this and beware of beginner's luck!

I have just made this for the first ever fudge attempt. I used soft light brown sugar instead of caster and salted butter instead of unsalted. Consistency is nearly right - very "short" but a bit grainy. Very sweet.

I made this yesterday and it tastes amazing! (although very sickly! haha) anyway its not come out quite like it should, its VERY pale, like the colour of a good butter, and although the fudge that was left in the pan after scraping was the right texture (nice and crumbly) the fudge i poured into a tin has set kind of soft and 'bendy'. I followed the above and used a sugar thermometer so any idea what I did wrong??

You might also find ot useful to watch our video on how to make the perfect fudge - [link]

Anna

Hi Harriet, thanks for your comment and I'm glad you enjoy both outcomes of the recipe but I understand you preferring the results to be more consistent. Are you using a sugar thermometer for this, or doing it by eye? It could be a variation at that stage that is affecting the outcome, so investing in a sugar thermometer should help. Also, beating the mixture until it starts to thicken and the gloss disappears is key to getting the right consistency so making sure it looks the same each time should help.

Hope this helps.

Anna

I have made this recipe a few times and sometimes it works well and goes nice and crumbly. However sometimes it doesnt set properly and remains slightly runny, meaning that you have to eat it off a spoon. It still tastes good but doesnt have a nice texture. Can someone help me with this?

Fantastic recipe, I have tried 3 other recipes before this with no success at all - until now. Thank you so much James

Lovely! Perfect Sunday afternoon treat, kids & husband very happy! Make sure all the ingredients are room temp before you heat in the pan as this should stop the mixture curdling . I also recommend using whole milk .

How long do people suggest that i leave it to set for at room temperature?

Just made this, I think I cooked it too long? Its not nice.

i tried this twice now both times the liquid curdled it was gross- used semi skimmed no idea whats going on !!!

Just tried the recipe, worked well even without the thermometer. Can't wait to make some for my husband's birthday instead of buying chocolates. He will adore it.

Great easy recipe. Tried a different recipe with no thermometer.... It didnt work....This time it worked. I am obsessed with burnt sugar fudge... The sea salt one... Next time I am going to add some salt and it will be perfect. Thank you!

I forgot the Vanilla however you follow this properly and are patient It makes very addictive fudge (husband has now put on top of a cupboard!) I would say instead of letting it cool alone - beat until its cooled before pouring out

turned out awful, it was dark dark brown, tasted burnt, I followed the instructions exactly but didn't work and is now in the burn.
Very dissapointed

Made this today, added some sprinkles - turned out ok.

Don't understand what an oven has to do with this recipe...

This really worked but I have a gas oven and so it took 25 - 30 mins to cook. Wait till the sugar starts browning =)

If I stirred some chocolate chips or strawberrys in with the vanilla extract, would it still set?

Everyone I have made this for absolutely loves it. It was a bit tricky the first time as I burnt it on the bottom of the pan but now I have mastered the art of temperature control it is really easy to make. The great thing about this recipe is it is made with milk so much more cost effective than cream based fudges but still tastes creamy. Just off to make a batch for my mum....she requests it every Christmas!

Hello there, glad you like the recipe! At room temp fudge will last for 7 - 14 days; in the fridge in an airtight container it will last for up to 3 weeks; and if wrapped in waxed paper, then again in aluminum foil and stored in an air-tight container, it can last for several months in the freezer!

I have made it so many times in small quantities and its perfect every time.Usually I never have any left to preserve.Can anyone say how long does it keep,either in room temp or refrigerated? I am planning to make this as Christmas gifts for friends ,and would like to put an approximate use by date on the little transparent gift bags.Any help is much appreciated.

I'm actually in the middle of making the recipe and for a person of my age (13) i think i've done well so far. I'm just waiting for it to cool but i'm worried it's not going to cool as quick as i expect it to, because i think it's still a bit runny unless it's meant to be a little runny but i made it at school the other day and it was delicious. Let's hope it's going to be better because golly the one i last made was lovely no effence it's going to be hard to beat :D xx

I've made this fudge I don't know how many times and it sets perfectly for me with a lovely crumbly finish. I'm wondering if some of the issues people are having may be to do with the stirring continuously while boiling part. This is not just to prevent burning, this along with the final beating is what gives the fudge it's crystallized texture, exactly the opposite reason to why you MUST NOT stir caramel while it's cooking. Also, to check if it's going to set, have a glass of ice cold water on standby. Drop a blob of the cooked mixture into the water and if it doesn't set up to soft ball consistency keep cooking it until it does. I think the recipes description of beating it for a few minutes is a bit off though, i tend to beat mine until it is totally cooled. It's hard work, but sooooo worth it.

Brilliant recipe, fudge came out perfect and it was the first time I'd made it. Took longer than 20 mins to reach 115, more like 40 mins, just had to be patient. Also had to swap over to a bigger pan as the mixture nearly bubbled over the sides. Make sure you keep on stirring throughout to prevent it from burning at the bottom. Didn't want to wait for it to cool so I put the pan in a bowl of cold water which made it cool down much faster. Definitely will make again.

Fab, gorgeous and crumbly and wow it set. This is the 1st time I've braved making fudge and I was so happy with it. I will say that my cooking time was more like 35 mins but just scrummy. Will definitely be making this again :-)

Followed the recipe exactly AND used a sugar thermometer and ended up with toffee! Very nice tasting toffee though, but not what I wanted. Very dissappointing. :-(

First time making fudge and this has turned out perfect, looks just like the picture and has a crumbly texture. I do have a thermometer but didnt end up using it. Mine was almost setting as I put it into the tray so maybe people need to heat it a bit longer if they are getting toffee like consistancy.

Has anyone been able to produce fudge that looks anything like the picture? (i.e. fairly dark and crumbly). I've done the recipe to the letter with a thermometer and whilst I have tasty fudge it is very pale and soft.

I just wanted to update my comment, i definatly didnt get it hot enough it never set, i bought a sugar thermometer and it's now perfect! i really really think that you need to get a thermometer when makeing fudge i also think that it needs to heat to just over soft ball personally the recipe says 115c but i take it to 120c ish because its ever so slightly to sticky for me unless you cut and leave to set in the fridge for 2 days. Which quite franckly i cannot possibly wait that long lol! i also beat mine untill its practically cold, where you beat and it just forms a paste and balls into the middle of the bowl.

if you are looking for a scottish tablet recipe i would go to the nestle carnation milk recipes web site its easy to follow and taste's great

fuschiaB4290- you probably didn't heat it to a high enough temperature, i would definitely use a sugar thermometer otherwise it's too sickly and is very smooth

Not a very good fudge recipe - it turns out like that horrid smooth stuff you get in cheap pick and mix. To get that lovely sugary, crumbly tablet-like texture and proper fudge taste I think it needs a good deal less cream and a good deal more butter. I reheated it and added a whack of cocoa powder to cover up the sickly flavour and to break down the smoothness; it didn't really make it crystallise properly, though.

This is the 2nd time i have made fudge, the 1st time was with white chocolate so it set very well. this time i substituted the milk for a tin of evaporated milk and a little extra sugar but only 50g of butter, i don't have a thermometer so i boiled and tested a little in a cold mug i kept boiling untill the mixture thickened very well and then flavoured and beat as instructed. hopefully it will set well. i think this recipe should be updated to have instructions on how thick the mixture should be without a thermometer. by my eye it is as thick/hard to stir as cake/sponge mixture. i bpiled for about 40 mins on a simmer.

It's tricky to perfect Louise! Check out our How To video for help: [link]

mine has went a bit more like toffee?? any ideas what i did wrong?

Hmmmm. What happened after the cooling period Sharon?

I melted the butter in slowly, boiled it for 15 minutes. It says it goes into a soft ball... mine's still really liquidy.
Have I messed it up? I'm leaving it to cool for 5 minutes now as instructed.

Preferably overnight Rachel! Failing that, it should be hard after 3-5 hours...were you successful?!

Just wondering how long it takes to set? ...trying my best to be optimistic about the rather gooey consistency of my fudge. Please tell me it takes more than 2 hours.

Oh no! Did you leave it to cool a little before stirring? Fudge is very easy to get wrong - check out our top tips for getting it right here: [link]

Can't rate yet because mine has gone rock hard like toffee: what have I done wrong? I can't leave my sugar thermometer in because my pan's not deep enough for it to stay still, so I have no idea what to do now. Really gutted :(

Amazingly easy! Mine did burn a little (cheap pans!) but the end result is a gorgeous, creamy rich fudge that melts in your mouth, and is much lighter than the picture. It's really rich (sugar rush headache is approaching!) and sets well if you follow the instructions. I had a thermometer, but if you don't, just keep going until it gets thick and slightly darker.

I have just made this recipe with my neighbour it's just setting at the moment, smells and looks good x wonderful recipe thanks, my neighbour and I love to cook x

This is a delicious recipe. I made this fudge and a chocolate fudge on the same day. Surprisingly, this Vanilla fudge was by far the favourite and disappeared in less than a day. I couldn't keep the family off it. It was soft and creamy and one of my daughters thought that I had bought it! A simple straight forward recipe.

First time. No thermometer. Perfect results. Just follow the instructions

Hi SianF69750, You could try substituting half of the caster sugar for muscovado as this would guarantee a darekr colour. Hope that helps.

I also had a problem with the fudge being too pale. It set really well, but it never changed colour much. If I'd heated it any more I think it would have burned. Maybe a different type of sugar would work?

Sorry - meant to give it five stars - see my feedback below...

I've just made this for a Valentine's present without using a thermometer and it was a doddle. Left it to bubble and gave it the odd stir every now and then. It's easy to tell when it's ready by its consistency and colour - and by dropping a tiny amount in a glass of cold water. Mine took about 35 mins of boiling though. Delicious fudge - yum yum!

I made this fudge today and followed the recipe using a thermometer until it got to 115 degrees. The fudge has set really well but it is very pale in colour I was expecting it to be golden - have I done something wrong? I've made it for a present and don't know whether I should do another batch to try again. Has anyone else found there's has come out anaemic looking?

Superb fudge, thermometer essential however. It tends to sit at around 109 degrees for EVER, then suddenly zooms up to 115 degrees in a couple of minutes. If you didn't have a thermometer, you'd definitely lose patience. NB. It improves with age, too - made an enormous batch nearly two weeks ago, wrapped in cellophane and presented to people as Christmas presents (many grateful recipients!) and had a bag left over - lucky me. Scoffed it yesterday in one sitting and found it even better than when first made. (KatW40806: wrap it up an d you can keep fudge for a very long time - the sugar prevents spoiling.)

Does anyone have any idea how long this will keep for? I know not long when given as presents but, due to snow I have no idea when I will get home, should I make it now or leave it till nearer the time?!

I made these for a dinner party at the weekend but instead of vanilla essence, i used banana essence...i also made one batch with a teaspoon ground ginger, clove and cinnamon...great Christmas ones. it was all gone within minutes. Absolutely delicious.

A thermometer is the only way to ensure that this recipe will work! I have learnt the hard way previously and now can not live without mine in my kitchen - it is a worthy investment.

Cooked correctly, this recipe is absolutely delicious and much much better than bought fudge. It is really easy to cook(with a thermometer) and the results are delightful - gone on try it!

OMG! Just made this - sugar thermometer definitely helped but it is amazing!

I'm with Margot. After stirring, boiling and beating for about an hour and a half, I'm left with a sticky mess. I used to make lovely fudge when my children were little, but this recipe didn't work for me. Very depressing! Lynne

Complete disaster! As I don't have a sugar thermometer I had to use the soft ball test, however it would appear that it reached the required temperature well before the 15 min guideline as the 'soft' ball was a hard ball in the water and after leaving the mixture for the required 5 mins to cool I found it had hardened and welded itself to the bottom of the saucepan - and I don't think it will come off!!!!

Very weary about trying again, especially if the saucepan is ruined.

Having never made fudge before, I found this recipe very easy to follow and the results were amazing! I'm hoping to make quite a few batches for presents for people this Christmas.

Me too ! Any suggestions for resurrecting this sticky runny sauce. I followed the recipe closely also. Oh dear.

I followed this recipe closely but the finished fudge refuses to set and I have ended up with a tray of very sticky, runny sauce-like textured mixture. Help! what can I do with this to make it set? What has gone wrong?

Does anyone remember when there was a fudge store at Chessington? This has the consistency and flavour of the stuff they used to make there. I'm wondering how to make it chocolate flavoured - would stirring in hot melted dark chocolate just before you leave it to cool work?

And there was me thinking I didn't like fudge. Made this for Christmas hampers. I'm just glad I doubled the recipe!!!

It's a good recipe as I can use soya milk instead of cow's milk so my friend can enjoy it too! Does anyone else find that it turns out wrong the first time for them and great the second? Or is it just me?

This Fudge Recipe works really well and it has a really nice tast to it I recommend you try and make it the thing is that you dont have to use any meshing to do the work

KatieD11945 - one important thing I have learned over the years is that to make a good fudge you need to beat it well -until the mixture thickens and leaves the sides of the pan. Otherwise it just won't set. Hope that helps!

Hi KatieD11945, a good test to see if your fudge will set is to drop a little of the mixture into a bowl of cold water, if it sets into a soft ball, the fudge will set. If not, cook the mixture for a little long, making sure to stir constantly so that it doesn't burn. I hope that helps!

Am I missing something? it didn't set very firm at all, and it took a heck of a lot longer than 15 minutes to thicken.

Tasted alright, but pretty rubbish texture.

Am I missing something? it didn't set very firm at all, and it took a heck of a lot longer than 15 minutes to thicken.

Tasted alright, but pretty rubbish texture.

i left it on the heat for too long which meant that it turned in to toffee, although it does taste just as nice

Well total novice 1st attempt at fudge and this deffo not in the recipe shot of bacardi and chocolate tastes good to me lol . humm, think I will go check how nice it is again. yep that worked ok

Very very easy. Quick to make and tastes delicious. What more do you want?!

this one didnt go too well for me! wouldnt set the first time and the second it went rock hardd. valentine fudge on the other hand was easy

I made this a few days ago and it was very easy and tastes delicious. Am about to try it again

I have spent an hour making this and has turned out rock solid, its ruined my pan and wasted my ingredints!

Mmmmmm lovely crumbly fudge... i have been looking for this recipe for 15 years now and now that i've found it I'm a very happy bunny Smile This recipe is very easy to follow and was a complete success

Mmmmmm lovely crumbly fudge... i have been looking for this recipe for 15 years now and now that i've found it I'm a very happy bunny This recipe is very easy to follow and was a complete success

Lovely recipe- me and my mum made it together and it was great fun.smell nice.Can`t wait for it to set so i can try it!

really nice. have made it loads of times for birthday presents and it is always appreciated!

it took me a few shots but got there eventually, and came out really nice

Just made another batch! This time using soft brown sugar which had almost castor grains (Silver Spoon) and that added a real depth to the flavour. Again turned out perfectly, this is such fun!

Just made another batch! This time using soft brown sugar which had almost castor grains (Silver Spoon) and that added a real depth to the flavour. Again turned out perfectly, this is such fun!

A really good and easy recipe - lovely melt-in-mouth buttery fudge - delicious!

A few tips: 1 - don't worry about the appearance of burnt bits from the side/bottom of the pan near the soft ball stage. Don't over-beat the mixture if this happens, particularly when stirring in the vanilla- if you let these bits stay at the edge of the pan they will get stuck there and not get dispersed into the mixture. A good soaking will dissolve them away when washing up - your pan will get back to normal I promise!
2. Use an electric whisk to beat the mixture after it has cooled for a few minutes- otherwise your arm will drop off.
3. To those that are cautious about this recipe because of failed attempts below - don't worry- it can come out lovely!

Just perfect fudge - fabulous melting texture, not too grainy not too sticky. I beat it less than I would normally and wow that paid off. Absolutely sold! Lucky me I have my own yummy goats milk so tastes divine - any tips on how to stop it disappearing too fast!!!

By far the easiest recipe I have come across. Turned out perfect every single time, without a sugar thermometer. I just kept it boiling until a bit dropped into cold water stays solid but soft (soft ball stage).

The tricky bit is beating the mixture, ensuring it's slighlty granular but not too stiff.

The colour once it is ready I've found is a sort of caramel shade, and it also becomes slightly stringy and pulls away from the sides of the pan.

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I had the same problem as ChantalS2289...this recipe is impossible if you dont have a sugar thermometer.

I had the same problem as ChantalS2289...this recipe is impossible if you dont have a sugar thermometer.

I had the same problem as ChantalS2289...this recipe is impossible if you dont have a sugar thermometer.

great stuff

not impressed - nearly set kitchen on fire despite following recipe.

THANKYOU SO MUCH! This is a fabulous recipe and so simple and easy to make! =D

it tastes really good but it's very fattening it's quite easy to make

it's really recipe although it's quite fattening

very good recipe i was very happy about how my fudge tearnd out u should defantly try it.

This recipe is helpful and easy to use. It is helpful because there is usual house-hold items.

Didn't have a thermometer and recipe turned out perfect! Used half evaporated milk

Great recipe! I actually used half evaporated milk

Lovely easy recipe. I live in france and the local French love it and are always asking for the recipe.

This seemed to be going really well until I started beating the syrup and then it just went granular and very dry. Anyone else encountered this problem?

Overall, great ! :P

Really easy, yet too sweet! But overall, the whole secret is to mix it like mad after you let it cool down after boiling. It's also optimal to score it into pieces whilst warm, as cutting it can affect the appearance. Overall

A syrup is not enough - you are probably not cooking it for long enough. Get a sugar thermometer and heat up until 115C

i cant get it to thicken more than a syrip is this enough

what colour is the miw when the gloss disappears and what type of sugar do you use

I have never made anything like this before and I was really nervous but it seems to have worked fine for me! So i'm a very happy bunny

I found mine was also a bit granular (like tablet) when I first took it off the heat. I kept faith and beat it with a spatula for more like 10 mins and it's turned out beautifully smooth and very tasty!

Made this recipe today but fudge turned out more to be scottish tablet. Still yummy!!!

You can put the sugar thermometer in once the sugar has dissolved. Many of them simply clip to the side of the pan. Or after about 10 minutes, once the fudge has started to thicken, if you are a more experienced confectionery maker.

You can make it 2-3 weeks in advance if it is tightly wrapped and stored in an airtight container (this is easier before it is cut into squares). Fudge freezes well, but defrost it at room temperature before opening the wrapper to prevent streaking.

I am just about to make this for the first time for a school christmas fayre at what stage do I put in the sugar thermometer.

How long will this fudge keep? I want to make some for Xmas gifts and do not know how far in advance I can make it!

what a fantastic and easy fudge recipe.i couldn't believe it turned out so well. the down side is that i've nearly eaten it all myself already, 30 minutes after making it.

Excellent recipie, use if for kids, and is great for gifts and bring and buy sales

What is a soft-ball stage?

I used a thermometer and still ended up in a mess!

This was really easy, even without thermometer - great results. Made it again today and stirred in 100g chopped plain chocolate before beating the boiled fudge mixture.

Made this twice now, without a thermometer, and it's come out perfect both times. Just made it again this afternoon, again without a thermometer, and still looks good!

This is not FUDGE it is TOFFEE

Followed this recipe- it didnt reach the soft-ball stage?! After stirring for 20 mins. Wonder if these recipes are actually tested. Now the mixture is glued to my pan. What went wrong?