Oh Fudge!

[tracilicious]

Chocolate Fudge that is. I tried to make some last night and it didn't exactly turn out. It never really poured into the pan, I had to scoop it. I'm thinking my problem was ingredients. I used turbinado sugar instead of refined, coconut oil instead of butter, and sweetened condensed milk instead of evaporated milk (are those two the same?). Which ingredient was my downfall? It was really really grainy and way too sweet. I was making dark fudge too.

I really need to make the best fudge ever. I'm throwing my sister a tenth anniversary party in a few weeks, and I had the bright idea of having a fudge cake. I'm thinking of making six different kinds of fudge, cutting them in even squares and putting them together in a cake shape. Then I'll write the "Happy Anniversary" in Caramel and garnish with fresh cut strawberries. If I can't make good fudge, this won't work very well.

Any ideas for types of fudge? Any general party ideas? It's 25-30 people including six or seven kids. I should note that it's my family who comes to a dinner party with a, "Free food? Score!" mentallity, so I have to go over on food, not under. Right now I'm thinking of making a few big, yummy salads, lots of garlic bread, a few big pasta dishes (maybe lasagna and fettucine alfredo w/chicken and artichoke hearts), a bunch of baked chicken, and beef of some sort.

I should mention that I don't have recipes for any of that stuff and I've never cooked for this many people before. So any ideas are welcome!

[Matterhorn Fan]

If it's grainy, you probably didn't cook the sugar-butter-cream mixture long enough. At least, when I've rushed that step, I've always had it come out grainy (and it didn't set).

[BarTopDancer]

Buy a jar or three of marshmellow fluff. Follow instructions.

Or drive out to DL and buy fudge.

[tracilicious]

Originally Posted by BarTopDancer

Buy a jar or three of marshmellow fluff. Follow instructions.

Or drive out to DL and buy fudge.

I want spectacular fudge though. Not just regular old fudge. The part that made me saddest about it turning out so badly was that I couldn't have my tiny piece of Disneyland.

[BarTopDancer]

Originally Posted by tracilicious

The part that made me saddest about it turning out so badly was that I couldn't have my tiny piece of Disneyland.

It's only a 5 hour drive.

[tracilicious]

Really? I timed it for exactly five minutes, stirring constantly just like the recipe said. How will I know when it's done? My thoughts on the grainyness were that the turbinado sugar is a lot more coarse than refined sugar. And if sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk are not the same thing, then perhaps the condensed milk is thicker?

[Matterhorn Fan]

I would presume that coarser sugar would need to be cooked longer. I'm not sure about the evaporated/condensed milk (I rarely use either). My fudge recipe calls for half & half.

[Snowflake]

Here is the original Fantasy Fudge recipe from the Kraft Marshmallow Creme jar (they changed it, this is better and dead esy, fool proof)

Easy Fantasy Fudge

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) margarine
3 cups sugar
1 can evaporated milk (5 oz.)
1 pkg. (12 oz.) Semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 jar (7 oz.) Kraft Marshmallow Creme
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)
1 tsp. vanilla

Lightly grease 13 x 9 inch pan.
Mix margarine, sugar and milk in heavy 2 1/2 or 3 quart saucepan; bring to fulling rolling boil on medium heat, stirring constantly. Continue boiling 5 minutes on medium heat or until candy thermometer reaches 234 degrees F.,stirring constantly to prevent scorching. Remove from heat. Gradually stir in chips until melted. Add remaining ingredients, mix well. Pour into prepared pan. Cool at room temp.; cut into squares. (Makes 3 lbs.)

[Ponine]

Originally Posted by tracilicious

Chocolate Fudge that is. I tried to make some last night and it didn't exactly turn out. It never really poured into the pan, I had to scoop it. I'm thinking my problem was ingredients. I used turbinado sugar instead of refined, coconut oil instead of butter, and sweetened condensed milk instead of evaporated milk (are those two the same?). Which ingredient was my downfall? It was really really grainy and way too sweet. I was making dark fudge too.

ok....
sweetened condensed and evaporated are not the same. Not even close, imo
(sweetened is just that, sweetened, and added to your overall sugar content)

The sugar... thats workable

The grainy thing, could be a number is issues, among them, cooking to to high of a temp.
Matterhorn fan is right too... they could not have been cooked enough.
it sounds as if you are cooking by time, and not by temp?

candy is really a temp sensitive thing

[tracilicious]

Originally Posted by Ponine

ok....
sweetened condensed and evaporated are not the same. Not even close, imo
(sweetened is just that, sweetened, and added to your overall sugar content)

The sugar... thats workable

The grainy thing, could be a number is issues, among them, cooking to to high of a temp.
Matterhorn fan is right too... they could not have been cooked enough.
it sounds as if you are cooking by time, and not by temp?

candy is really a temp sensitive thing

I don't have a candy thermometer. I guess I should get one. The too high of a temp thing sounds right, as the sugar kept browning at the bottom (carmelizing?). Good to know about the milk. I knew LoT would have the answer.

Prudence, those sound so good. I'll have to make a batch to test.