I messed up the fudge...

[1GoldenSun]

So yesterday I made the super easy fudge. The pan scrapings were delicious, and I was all excited about this fudge. But apparently my chemistry shortcomings are coming back to haunt me, because the fudge never set.

I tried refrigerating it, but it just won't harden. I "cut" it, and had to use a spoon to remove a "piece." Within a few minutes the fudge had filled in the hole and it looked like I never removed any. The piece I cut out pooled into goo on the plate. It tastes great, but its just super runny.

Any ideas about where I went wrong?

 

[low-key]

Ill eat it

 

[powellrj]

My mom was the best spoon fudge maker in the world. We always teased her for her spoon fudge, and last week on the food network one of their cooks made spoon fudge! She would have been proud to know spoon fudge was a real thing. We sure enjoyed it over the years!

 

[ronandannette]

So yesterday I made the super easy fudge. The pan scrapings were delicious, and I was all excited about this fudge. But apparently my chemistry shortcomings are coming back to haunt me, because the fudge never set.

I tried refrigerating it, but it just won't harden. I "cut" it, and had to use a spoon to remove a "piece." Within a few minutes the fudge had filled in the hole and it looked like I never removed any. The piece I cut out pooled into goo on the plate. It tastes great, but its just super runny.

Any ideas about where I went wrong?

The only thing that really could go wrong would be you didn't use enough chocolate chips. If you used one bag thinking it would equal 2 cups, you'd actually be about a 1/2 cup short and that makes all the difference. You could easily salvage what you've got there by re-heating it and melting in more chips.

 

[ashley0139]

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/9368/fudge/

Try this one. Fool proof.

 

[ronandannette]

https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/9368/fudge/

Try this one. Fool proof.

Same recipe only with a whole cup more chips. That one would definitely set up.

 

[Imzadi]

Within a few minutes the fudge had filled in the hole and it looked like I never removed any.

Never-ending fudge sounds wonderful.

 

[jdb in AZ]

Pour into a jar and call it ice cream fudge topping.

 

[_19disnA]

Without seeing the recipe the OP is referring to, we can't really offer any specific advice. Is this a recipe you have used successfully in the past or something new you just found online? Did you substitute for any of the ingredients or change the directions? If it didn't setup properly either the ratio of wet/dry ingredients is off or if a cooked sugar recipe, you didn't cook to the proper temp.

Some recipe sites (such as 'allrecipes') have no test kitchen and you used to be able to direct post recipes to their site. Be sure to read the comments on any new recipe you find online to see what others have said as often the recipes contain obvious errors in quantity of ingredients or have defective/missing directions. Recipes involving cooking sugar are VERY fussy and even the humidity on the day you make it can impact the results.

 

[1GoldenSun]

I used the recipe someone posted on the Cheapest Easiest Christmas Goodies thread that is a can of condensed milk and 2 cups of choc chips melted together, then at the end you add a bit of vanilla, butter, and salt. I measured everything. I do live in Florida but the humidity isn't bad at all right now.

I may try adding more choc chips, or I may just settle for spoon fudge. Or I could send it to @low-key but I'm afraid he'd have to eat it through a straw by the time it arrived.

 

[Ensusieasm]

I used the recipe someone posted on the Cheapest Easiest Christmas Goodies thread that is a can of condensed milk and 2 cups of choc chips melted together, then at the end you add a bit of vanilla, butter, and salt. I measured everything. I do live in Florida but the humidity isn't bad at all right now.

I may try adding more choc chips, or I may just settle for spoon fudge. Or I could send it to @low-key but I'm afraid he'd have to eat it through a straw by the time it arrived.

Maybe you used evaporated canned milk instead of sweetened condensed milk? Also, this type of recipe always produces a soft fudge, but the way you describe your results sounds way too soft.

 

[1GoldenSun]

Maybe you used evaporated canned milk instead of sweetened condensed milk? Also, this type of recipe always produces a soft fudge, but the way you describe your results sounds way too soft.

I definitely used condensed milk because I saw a can of evaporated milk in a display at Publix and wondered if it was the same thing. But instead of picking up a can of that, I waited until I found the condensed milk.

I'm wondering if I could possibly have mis-measured the chocolate chips. I doubled the recipe, so I needed four cups, and I only had a half-cup measuring cup handy so I needed to add eight of those. i could easily have miscounted. I am very easily distracted, and may have gotten too involved in evaluating the quality if the chocolate chips by way of numerous taste tests to keep track of my measuring.

 

[Ensusieasm]

I definitely used condensed milk because I saw a can of evaporated milk in a display at Publix and wondered if it was the same thing. But instead of picking up a can of that, I waited until I found the condensed milk.

I'm wondering if I could possibly have mis-measured the chocolate chips. I doubled the recipe, so I needed four cups, and I only had a half-cup measuring cup handy so I needed to add eight of those. i could easily have miscounted. I am very easily distracted, and may have gotten too involved in evaluating the quality if the chocolate chips by way of numerous taste tests to keep track of my measuring.

Well....I bet it is still delicious.

 

[Ensusieasm]

At room temperature spread it on graham crackers and top with mini marshmallows for a s’mores cookie.

 

[kaytieeldr]

I may try adding more choc chips, or I may just settle for spoon fudge. Or I could send it to @low-key but I'm afraid he'd have to eat it through a straw by the time it arrived.

And you think that's a bad thing?

 

[_19disnA]

I used the recipe someone posted on the Cheapest Easiest Christmas Goodies thread that is a can of condensed milk and 2 cups of choc chips melted together

The other similar recipe in post #5 above uses THREE cups of chips per can of condensed milk. Always good to compare the ratios of key ingredients on similar recipes, especially when making a new recipe for the first time. Use a double boiler instead of a microwave for more consistent results. Every microwave is a different wattage and it is very easy to burn chocolate when melting that way.

 

[ronandannette]

I definitely used condensed milk because I saw a can of evaporated milk in a display at Publix and wondered if it was the same thing. But instead of picking up a can of that, I waited until I found the condensed milk.

I'm wondering if I could possibly have mis-measured the chocolate chips. I doubled the recipe, so I needed four cups, and I only had a half-cup measuring cup handy so I needed to add eight of those. i could easily have miscounted. I am very easily distracted, and may have gotten too involved in evaluating the quality if the chocolate chips by way of numerous taste tests to keep track of my measuring.

Oh look, a squirrel...

Don’t worry about it, just melt in some more chips and see if you can use it as an extra-credit project towards your chemistry degree.

 

[luvsJack]

I made 2 pans of it. I can’t find the recipe I used but I think it was 3 cups of chips for each pan and a can of sweetened condensed milk. Both came out perfect. O didn’t add anything else. It was fudgy, not hard but not too soft. And tasted wonderful.

I used the microwave, but 30 seconds at a time, stiring in between until it was smooth.

And I made one pan at a time. Doubling recipes never works out for me so I make one and then another.

If I have to get out double boilers and use candy thermometers, I won’t be making it.


I made it for work gifts during the commercials of whatever show I was watching!

 

[OhhBother]

Weather can absolutely impact fudge making. Is it raining or particularly humid there? If I ever attempt to make fudge on a rainy day, I get exactly what you described.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

So yesterday I made the super easy fudge. The pan scrapings were delicious, and I was all excited about this fudge. But apparently my chemistry shortcomings are coming back to haunt me, because the fudge never set.

I tried refrigerating it, but it just won't harden. I "cut" it, and had to use a spoon to remove a "piece." Within a few minutes the fudge had filled in the hole and it looked like I never removed any. The piece I cut out pooled into goo on the plate. It tastes great, but its just super runny.

Any ideas about where I went wrong?

Ahhh so that's why I heard a loud OH FUDGE!!! in the wind.