There is nothing worse to a fudge baker than the heart dropping moment when the first bite into your newly made fudge feels like sand.
No matter what type of fudge you make, whether it’s chocolate, nutty, vanilla or a strange and crazy flavor, you will always be aiming for a smooth consistency.
If you end up with grainy fudge, then no one will want to take a bite. However, if you manage to notice this issue before sharing the treats with your friends, then have no fear! There is a simple way to fix it!
But first, let us explain what went wrong.
Why Is My Fudge Grainy?
Grainy fudge is caused by the sugar in your mixture enlarging. You want the sugar in your fudge to form crystals, but if they start the process too quickly, then they will become so big that you can feel it against your tongue.
When you heat up your fudge, you are supposed to make it reach 234 and 237 °F/ 112 and 114 °C and then allow it to slowly cool.
If you touched the cooling mixture before it reached 109 to 113 °F/ 43 to 45 °C, then you would activate the crystallization process too early.
To avoid this in the future, do not touch the mixture before it reaches 109 to 113 °F/ 43 to 45 °C in the cooling down period. After this point you can stir the fudge, but try not to do so too often. The more you stir it the more you activate the crystallization.
To make sure you are fully aware of the mixture’s temperature, we suggest using a candy thermometer.
But I Didn’t Touch The Mixture
If you didn’t touch the mixture and still ended up with grainy fudge, then you probably didn’t have enough fat content for the sugar to dissolve into.
This is normally a problem for people making low-fat fudge. To avoid this in the future, we suggest using more fat.
How To Fix My Grainy Fudge
No matter the reason for your grainy fudge, the solution is always the same; get it back in the saucepan and add more cream.
Fudge is not a sensitive bake, so you don’t have to worry about trying, again and again, to get it right. Now you know what to avoid, the second time around should be smoother.
Put the mixture back into the saucepan and add in half a cup of cream. As the fudge melts, judge for yourself if more cream is needed and continue to add in more until a smoother liquid is formed.
From this point, you will need to boil it back up to 234 and 237 °F/ 112 and 114 °C, and as soon as it reaches that temperature, allow it to cool again.
As we said before, give the fudge time to reach
If you touched the cooling mixture before it reached 109 to 113 °F/ 43 to 45 °C, then you would activate the crystallization process too early before attempting to touch it.
Once it has gone past this temperature point, you can test the consistency again to see if it has become smooth.
What Texture Should Fudge Have?
With all this talk of consistency, you might be sitting there wondering what you should be aiming for. Let’s break this down so you know what to look for.
Traditional fudge has a firm texture, like pressing down on a used eraser, however when you put a bit of pressure on the sweet, it should slowly collapse like an overused playdough kit.
When it comes to stickiness, a little bit of grab is expected, but we don’t want a lot. The firm squares should be able to hold their own.
If you find that the fudge cannot hold a shape or is easily squished, then it is probably undercooked.
Suppose it doesn’t reach the optimal 234 and 237 °F/ 112 and 114 °C. In that case, the liquid will not be able to evaporate at an appropriate level which causes the fudge to be too soft.
How To Fix A Too Soft Fudge?
Although we have an article dedicated to this subject How To Fix Fudge That Is Too Soft, we want to give you a bit of help while you’re here.
If your fudge is too soft, you can still save it. Like with a too grainy fudge, you simply need to put the mixture back into the pan and heat it up to 234 and 237 °F/ 112 and 114 °C.
This time instead of adding 1 cup of milk, we suggest adding 1 tablespoon.
The reason for this is because the only problem was its texture, so we don’t want to ruin the balance you have created. 1 tablespoon of milk will be enough to allow the evaporation process to begin again without messing with your fudge’s flavor.
Feel free to add more if you think extra milk is needed, but take this process slowly.
How To Fix Crumbly Fudge?
Although we have an article dedicated to this subject, we want to give you a bit of help while you’re here.
If your fudge is brittle and dry, it means that you overcooked the mixture.
Unfortunately, there isn’t a quick fix for this type of problem. However, if your fudge is only slightly too stiff, there is something you can do to soften it up.
With your hands, knead the fudge or use a rolling pin. This will force the fudge to become a little elastic, allowing it to have a softer and bouncier texture.
My Fudge Was Fine, But Now It’s Grainy
If you noticed that your fudge was fantastic once it had set, but after a couple of hours or even days, it started to become grainy, the problem will likely come from your storage.
You can use our advice above to fix this grainy problem, but to avoid it in the future, you should store your fudge in an airtight container kept at room temperature.
We suggest using a glass container to protect the environment as you preserve your fudge! Furthermore, check out this post about storing fudge How To Store Fudge .
In Summary
Fudge shouldn’t be grainy. Fudge should smooth with a slight crumble to it. Notice that when you make fudge and beat it to a smooth consistency and loses its shine. Your fudge is perfect and ready to be set. We at Call Me Fudge hope that your fudge no longer has the texture of the Sahara desert.
