Fantasy Fudge Recipe

A version of this recipe used to be printed right on the side of the marshmallow creme package. It called for butter or margarine, and throughout the years it either called for chocolate chips or chopped baker’s chocolate. It’s also been referred to as million-dollar fudge in some regions of the country.

Through lots and lots of testing, we’ve been able to narrow down a consistently excellent fudge using this specific recipe. Enjoy!

Ingredients

Are evaporated milk and sweetened condensed milk the same?

No, these are two very different products, and this fudge recipe will only work with evaporated milk.

Evaporated milk has the consistency of whole milk or half-and-half. It’s also not sweetened or flavored. Whereas sweetened condensed milk has a thick consistency and it’s very sweet (hence the name!). It will not work in this recipe.

If you accidentally grabbed a can of sweetened and condensed milk, you can use it to make our Peanut Butter Ice Cream recipe, but please do not attempt to use it in this recipe.

Need to use up some of the leftover evaporated milk? Try Slow Cooker Hot Chocolate or Cinnamon Pancakes. Or, just do like we do…and make another batch of fudge. 🙂

How to Make Fantasy Fudge

*I’ll walk you through it here with some photos and tips, and you’ll also find a printable recipe card at the bottom of the post with exact measurements, etc. You can also click “jump to recipe” to skip down.

Start by buttering the dish that you are going to use. If you like thinner fudge, choose a 9×13 baking dish. If you love thick cubes of fudge, an 8×8 dish is the way to go.

Add the butter to a large saucepan, and heat it over medium-low heat until it is fully melted. Add the evaporated milk and sugar and stir frequently, allowing the sugar to fully dissolve (~5-10 minutes). Pro tip: do not let the mixture come to a boil before the sugar has been dissolved. This will result in crunchy/grainy fudge.

Once the sugar has fully dissolved, increase the temperature to medium and allow the fudge to reach a rolling boil. Stir constantly for 4 minutes. If you’re using a candy thermometer, the fudge should reach 235˚F/113˚C.

Remove the saucepan from heat and add the chocolate chips and marshmallow creme. Stir until it is completely combined and smooth (~2 minutes). Add in the vanilla extract and stir until completely smooth (~1 minute).

Pro tip: the vanilla extract may cause the surface of the fudge to “break” for a bit and become segmented. That’s normal, and some gentle stirring will bring it all back to the same consistency.

Pour into the buttered dish and smooth to distribute evenly around the pan. For best results, allow it to set (~45 minutes) before cutting. For the cleanest cuts, it benefits from a few hours in the fridge AFTER it has fully cooled.

Equipment Needed

You’ll want a fairly large heavy-bottomed saucepan that allows for even and consistent heating, BUT you also want to make sure it isn’t too heavy for you to be able to pour the mixture into the baking dish. This is the saucepan that I use and like.

The fudge will need a glass, metal, or ceramic baking dish for the setting process. If you prefer thinner pieces of fudge, a 9×13 pan is the way to go. If you like thicker pieces, I recommend an 8×8 pan. This set of baking dishes has both sizes AND lids. Huzzah!

You’ll want a wooden spoon and/or a silicone spatula for stirring, scraping, and smoothing. I would not recommend a whisk for any portion of the cooking process.

A candy thermometer is helpful, but not necessary.

Parchment or foil are not necessary, but it does make it handy to lift the whole block of cooled fudge out to cut into even pieces.

Why is my fantasy fudge too soft?

If the fudge was not cooked at a rolling point for long enough, and didn’t reach 235˚F/113˚C (softball stage on a candy thermometer), the fudge will not set correctly and will stay soft, no matter how long you allow it to set up.

Using a candy thermometer can be helpful, but if you are at a higher elevation, knowing your boiling point by elevation can also give you accurate results. Look up your boiling point by elevation, but also keep in mind the general rule for high elevation: subtract 1˚F for every 500 feet above sea level.

Variations

If you love chopped nuts in your fudge, throw in a cup or two with the vanilla extract, or sprinkle a few on top before it sets.

For mint fudge, use equal parts mint and chocolate chips and sub in mint extract instead of vanilla extract.

You can also top it with Dehydrated Marshmallows for a fun and crispy surprise topping. Using dried fruit can also be a great option.

Can I double this recipe?

Technically you can double this fudge recipe, but between you and me, it’s really hard to stir this when it is twice the ingredients.

Every time I have doubled it, I am not able to stir it well enough and it accidentally scorches the batch. Which is just the saddest.

The recipe itself is pretty fast, so I prefer to simply just make it twice, back to back.

And I’m guessing that you love making homemade holiday goodie baskets, so I recommend adding some slices of fantasy fudge to a container with homemade almond roca, nordy bars, and candy cane bark.