Fudge is an incredibly quick and easy treat to throw together the night before as it only requires a few basic ingredients.
Making fudge with and without condensed milk couldn’t be simpler. However, if you’re wondering how to make fudge without condensed milk, then you’ve come to the right place.
In this article, I will provide you with a step-by-step-guide on how to make fudge without condensed milk.
Let’s get into it.
What Is Condensed Milk?
In short, condensed milk is cow’s milk that has had all of the water removed from it.
Condensed milk is often sweetened with added sugar, which also helps to thicken its texture.
The purpose of sweetened condensed milk is to give a variety of different recipes, such as fudge, caramel, and pies a more solid texture. It also brings a wonderfully creamy taste to a variety of different desserts, smoothies, and even coffee!
A Guide On How To Make Fudge Without Condensed Milk
Equipment That You Will Need (see Amazon equipment prices via links)
Ingredients (see Amazon ingredient prices via links)
- 8 tablespoons of butter
- 1 cup of chocolate chips
- ½ cup of powdered sugar (sifted)
- ¼ cup of whole milk
Instructions
Step One – Prepare A Pan
Prepare a pan by lining it with baking parchment. Make sure that you leave some parchment hanging over the sides of the pan, as this will make it much easier to remove the paper from the pan once the fudge has had time to set.
Step Two – Add The Ingredients To A Microwave-Safe Bowl
Next, you will need to add the chocolate chips and butter to a bowl that is safe to put in the microwave and place it in there.
Step Three – Melt The Ingredients In The Microwave
Set your microwave to 30 seconds, and continue melting the ingredients in 30-second intervals.
Chocolate is notorious for being easy to burn in the microwave. As a result, you will need to make sure that you stir in between intervals to prevent the chocolate from sticking or burning in the microwave.
Make sure that you keep heating the chocolate and butter until the mixture is completely melted and smooth.
Step Four – Sift Powdered Sugar
While your chocolate and butter mixture is melting, you will need to sift your powdered sugar ready to add into your melted ingredients.
Step Five – Add Sifted Powdered Sugar And Milk
Once you’ve sifted your powdered sugar, you can add it to the melted chocolate mixture. Stir it in, along with the milk.
Step Six – Transfer The Mixture To The Prepared Pan And Refrigerate
Once the fudge mixture is well combined, you will need to transfer it to the pan you prepared earlier.
Make sure that you smooth the mixture within the pan so that the fudge is evenly distributed.
Step Seven – Place The Fudge Into The Refrigerator
Once you have levelled your fudge into an even layer, it’s time to place it into the refrigerator. Your fudge will need a minimum of 3 hours to chill in the refrigerator.
Before you cut your fudge up into equal pieces, you will need to make sure that you check the consistency of the fudge.
Your fudge should be firm enough to cut, and you will be able to tell if it needs some more time to chill as it will feel very sticky to the touch.
Step Eight – Cut The Fudge Up
Once the fudge has been completely chilled, you can remove it from the pan and cut it into equal pieces.
You will need to make sure that you use a sharp knife for this process to ensure neat, clean lines. This is especially important if you intend to give your fudge away as a gift!
Notes When Making Fudge Without Condensed Milk
- Microwaving your butter and chocolate is the best way to imitate the right consistency for fudge without condensed milk. Bearing this in mind, melting the butter and chocolate in a microwave should be your first choice. However, you can also do this on the stove and get similar results.
- Cooking times may vary depending on the microwave that you have, but it typically should only take two 30 second intervals to melt the butter and chocolate in the microwave.
- If it does take longer than this, make sure that you are regularly checking and stirring the mixture after 1 minute has passed to prevent burning it in the microwave.
- When it comes to storing fudge, it will last up to a week in the refrigerator provided that you store it in an airtight container.
- When freezing your fudge, it will last for 3 months in the freezer as long as you store it properly in an airtight container.
- You can use any type of chocolate chips for this recipe depending on your preference. From dark, to semi-sweet, to milk chocolate, the options are endless!
Recipe Variations
Fudge comes in a variety of different flavors, and you can also add many different ingredients to this fudge to alter the recipe.
A few additions to this recipe include:
- Crushed Oreos – Crushed Oreos work well to compliment the chocolate in this recipe, whilst also providing a nice crunch to the fudgy consistency!
- Coconut flakes – Coconut and chocolate is a match made in heaven, so stirring coconut flakes or even desiccated coconut is a great way to add a tropical twist to this fudge recipe.
- Mint extract – If you fancy making a peppermint fudge around the holidays, then why not try adding mint extract to add a twist to this delicious recipe?
- Crushed nuts – If you’re a fan of nuts or know someone who is, you could always try adding crushed peanuts, walnuts, pistachios, or other nuts that take your fancy to this fudge recipe.
In Summary
So, that’s how you make fudge without condensed milk!
Hopefully you now know that making fudge is super easy without condensed milk, and this article has provided you with some helpful tips.
Have fun and happy cooking!