• Recipes Index
  • About
  • Contact

Real Life Dinner

Recipes your real life family will love!

  • Dinners
  • Desserts
  • Seasonal
  • Slow Cooker / Instant Pot
  • Quick and Easy
  • $10 Dinners
  • Maria’s Favs
Home
  • Recipes Index
    • Dinners
    • Desserts
    • Seasonal
    • Slow Cooker / Instant Pot
    • Quick and Easy
    • $10 Dinners
    • Maria’s Favs
  • About
  • Contact

December 9, 2016 20 Comments

Classic Chocolate Fudge

Chocolate fudge pieces sitting on a white plate with a plastic sprig of holly on the left.

 

Classic Chocolate Fudge Recipe

Yum! Yum! Yum! It’s time to share another one of my favorite Christmas candy recipes from my childhood. My mom made this Classic Chocolate Fudge recipe every Christmas. She loved it so much, she was known for making it on many a Sunday evening for a quick treat, too. In addition to Classic Chocolate Fudge add Old Fashioned Cherry Mash Chocolates to your list of treats to make this Christmas.

My mom always kept the leftover cuts of the fudge in small squared pieces in a baggie in the fridge. I loved coming home from school and sneaking a piece or two. 🙂

Because this fudge is made with simple everyday ingredients, it is very possible you have all of these things in your pantry and could make your very own batch right now. Hurry! Go check!

Delicious Fudge and Fudge Bars

  • Crazy Good Mint Fudge
  • Candy Bar Peanut Butter Fudge
  • Butterscotch Crunch Fudge with a Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl
  • Oatmeal Chocolate Fudge Bars
  • Peanut Butter Fudge Bar Recipe
  • Crazy Good Whole Wheat Brownies with Fudge Frosting

This might be a good time to bring up that not all fudge recipes are created equal. Fudge should have a silky, slightly firm consistency with just a little bit of a chew to it.

A new fad with fudge is to use sweetened condensed milk in place of boiling the sugar and evaporated milk. (Essentially, what you are doing is making your own sweetened condensed milk.) I find that fudge recipes that are made with sweetened condensed milk are not quite as firm and a little chewier than classic fudge recipes. Don’t get me wrong. I’ll still eat it. But this recipe produces a very classic and traditional fudge consistency.

Even with boiling the sugar and the evaporated milk, this recipe only takes about 10 minutes to throw together. I think it’s totally worth it to use the classic method.

Until I started making fudge on my own, I was a little intimidated. Candy-making, in general, tends to get a bad name and scare people off. But fudge is a GREAT place to start, if you get nervous about trying to make homemade candy. It is REALLY HARD to ruin this recipe.

how to make classic chocolate fudge

A bag of sugar, marshmallows and milk chocolate chips on a counter with a can of evaporated milk, a small glass bowl of chopped pecans, and a half stick of butter.

  • Butter a 9×9 dish and set it aside.
  • Combine sugar and evaporated milk in a medium-sized saucepan.
  • Before turning burner on, prep other ingredients and put them by the stove for easy access to add once sugar mixture is finished boiling. See picture below.

Sitting on the countertop is a 9x9 baking dish, a small glass bowl of milk chocolate chips, a small glass bowl of mini marshmallows, a bag of chopped pecans with a twisty tied halfway, a chunk of butter sitting partially on a spoon. Next to the baking dish on the left is a pot on the stovetop.

  • Turn burner on to medium-high. Bring evaporated milk and sugar to a boil, stirring constantly.
  • Once at a full boil, set timer for 5 minutes, turn heat down slightly but keep it at a full boil, stirring constantly. Make sure to stir all the way to the bottom of the pan.

A sugar-evaporated milk mixture bubbling in a pot with a wooden spoon standing up agains the pot on the left.

  • After five minutes, remove from heat. Quickly add the remaining ingredients–butter, chocolate chips, marshmallows, vanilla, and nuts, if desired. Stir vigorously until everything is blended together. It takes a little arm muscle to get it to a nice, smooth chocolate color.

Chocolate fudge mixture partially mixed together in a pot with a wooden spoon held diagonally from the left and partially inserted into the fudge mixture.

  • Once it is ready, quickly pour it into the prepared buttered pan.
Chocolate fudge in a 9x9 baking dish.
  • Don’t scrape the grainy-looking top edges of the fudge into the pan. Scrape that little bit out onto a separate plate, or just leave it in the pan. See picture below.

A green plate with a glob of fudge mixture partially in the middle and at the bottom of the plate.

  • If only putting nuts in half of the fudge, sprinkle them now onto half of the fudge. Then, gently use your finger or a butter knife to press the nuts down into the fudge.

A 9x9 baking dish of chocolate fudge with chopped pecans on top over half of the fudge and the other half plain.

  • Let fudge cool completely for a few hours on the counter before cutting and serving. To speed up cooling time, put it in the fridge.

Classic Chocolate Fudge is very versatile and almost impossible to ruin. The only way you can ruin this recipe is if you don’t stir the sugar and evaporated milk mixture when it is boiling.

So go ahead and check your cupboards. See if you can round up everything you need for a batch of fudge. You’ll love it!A stack of chocolate fudge pieces on a white plate with the text Classic Fudge in the upper right-hand corner. The photo has a white and red striped border.

Best Tips for making Classic Chocolate Fudge

  • To quickly add and mix the remaining ingredients–butter, chocolate chips, marshmallows, vanilla, and nuts–put them by the stove for easy access once sugar mixture is finished boiling. I even keep the buttered pan right next to me, so I can quickly pour in the fudge.
  • Continuously stir the sugar and evaporated milk mixture while it is coming to a boil. The five minutes need to be at a full boil. As a rule when making any candy, stirring means you are going all the way to the bottom of the pan and scraping along every part of it and around the edges. Then doing it all over again and again.
  • Never scrape the crustier-looking edges from the top of the pan into the nicely poured pan of fudge. My mom always had a little plate nearby that she scraped them onto. Now I do the same thing. It’s my own personal taste test while the rest cools. Sometimes when making candy if sugar gets to a certain point, it can become grainy or cause the batch of whatever you are making to “go-to sugar.” My mom did this in an attempt to make sure that wouldn’t happen. I never remember her fudge going to sugar. Also, I have never had it happen to me.
  • Some people in my family like nuts, and some people don’t. I sprinkle nuts on half of the fudge immediately after I pour it into the pan. I then carefully use my finger or a butter knife to press them down into the fudge a little bit.
  • Add other mix-ins to the fudge besides nuts, if you want. I have done M&Ms to make it look festive and marshmallows and peanuts to make it like Rocky Road. I have even used white chocolate chips and mixed in crushed Oreo’s.

chef’s tools for chocolate fudge:

  • 9×9 Baking Dish
  • Wooden Spoon
  • Saucepan
  • Airtight Container
  • Chef’s Knife
  • Cutting Board

Pinterest picture of classic chocolate fudge with the text of the ingredients at the bottom with the text of the title above the ingredients list.

If you love chocolate fudge, you will love these...

A stack of square inch pieces of the fudge on a white plate.Reindeer Poop Fudge Recipestack of small white plates with pieces of fudge with fudge in the back groundHershey Bar FudgeThe Best S'more Fudge on brown parchment paper partially cut with two pieces of fudge stacked on top.The Best S’more Fudge

4.3 from 4 reviews
Classic Chocolate Fudge
 
Print
Prep time
5 mins
Cook time
10 mins
Total time
15 mins
 
Traditional Chocolate Fudge that is silky and smooth with perfect fudgy consistency. A family holiday tradition that you can share with neighbors and friends.
Author: Mom's Recipe
Recipe type: Holiday Candy
Serves: 25
Ingredients
  • 2 cups sugar
  • ⅔ cup evaporated milk
  • ¼ cup butter
  • 1 heaping cup milk chocolate chips
  • 1 cup mini marshmallows
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • ½ cup nuts (optional)
Instructions
  1. Butter a 9x9 dish and set it aside.
  2. Combine sugar and evaporated milk in a medium-sized saucepan.
  3. Before turning burner on, prep other ingredients and put them by the stove for easy access to add once the sugar mixture is finished boiling.
  4. Turn burner on to medium-high. Bring evaporated milk and sugar to a boil, stirring constantly.
  5. Once at a full boil, set timer for 5 minutes, turn heat down slightly but keep it at a full boil, stirring constantly. Make sure to stir all the way to the bottom of the pan.
  6. After five minutes, remove from heat. Quickly add the remaining ingredients--butter, chocolate chips, marshmallows, vanilla, and nuts, if desired. Stir briskly until everything is blended together.
  7. Pour into prepared 9x9 pan. Don't scrape the grainy-looking top edges of the fudge into the pan. Scrape that little bit out onto a separate plate, or just leave it in the pan.
  8. If only putting nuts in half of the fudge, sprinkle them onto half of the fudge. Then, gently use your finger or a butter knife to press the nuts down into the fudge.
  9. Let fudge cool completely before cutting and serving. You can let it cool for a few hours on the counter. To speed up cooling time, put it in the fridge.
  10. Fudge will stay good for up to 2-3 weeks kept in an airtight container or Ziploc bag in the fridge.
3.4.3177

Fudge Recipes you've gotta try!

Crazy-Good-Mint-Fudge-13Crazy Good Mint FudgeA small white plate stacked with fudge pieces and a few Oreos around the plate with other pieces of Oreo fudge in the upper background.The Best Oreo Fudgebutter pecan fudge cut into one inch squares sitting on a piece of parchment paperButter Pecan Fudge

a white plate with five pieces of classic chocolate fudge on it.

Other Chocolate Fudge Recipes
  • Creamy Easy Chocolate Fudge
  • Easy Homemade Fudge
  • Easy Chocolate Fudge Recipe

Beloved Family Recipes, Chocolate, Chocolate Chips, Christmas, Desserts, Gluten Free, Holiday, Homemade Candy, Ingredients, Maria's Favorites, Marshmallow, Recipes, Valentine's Day
Chocolate Fudge, chocolate fudge recipes, Christmas Candy, Classic Chocolate Fudge, Classic Fudge, Easy Candy Recipes, fudge, Fudge recipes, How long can fudge stay good
20 Comments

Like it? Share it!

Yum

Subscribe & never miss another recipe!

Sign up above and receive delicious family-friendly recipes directly in your email inbox!

20 Comments

  1. Nichole

    December 17, 2016 at 11:27 am

    Success!! I just made this and it turned out perfect! I don’t think I’ve ever made a successful batch of fudge before. Thanks for the foolproof recipe! Do you have any suggestions for the rest of the can of evaporated milk?

    reply to this comment
    • Maria

      December 17, 2016 at 2:27 pm

      Yay! I am so glad! Isn’t it so easy! It really is fool proof and so yummy! If you have any plans to make a creamy soup in the next few days you can add it to that. Or you could make a second batch of fudge with white chocolate chips and crushed oreo’s in it. If you are making any treats that have frosting you could use it in place of whipping cream or milk. It will stay god in the fridge for 4-5 days and if you are just going to use it in soup, you could put it in the freezer.

      reply to this comment
  2. Karen

    December 18, 2017 at 8:07 pm

    Love this. (Side note: it’s “sweetened, condensed milk,” not “sweet and condensed milk.”

    reply to this comment
    • Maria

      December 19, 2017 at 10:56 pm

      lol, thanks!

      reply to this comment
      • Hailey Haslam

        December 15, 2021 at 12:37 pm

        I love this fudge!!! So yummy and easy. #decembergiveaway

        reply to this comment
        • Maria

          December 21, 2021 at 4:26 am

          Yay! I love hearing that Hailey!

          reply to this comment
  3. Carolyn

    December 25, 2017 at 3:28 am

    I love this fudge! All of my in laws and extended family start asking me a month or two if I will still make fudge at Christmas when we all get together to make what I call “tamales time.” I joined this family when my husband and I met 12 years ago. I took fudge so I didn’t go empty handed. I have singled out this recipe for many years and they don’t want any other kind. I now make about 15 pans of fudge as they all want their own lo’ll. So thanks for making me a big hit at “tamales time” I do accept bribes of their specialties since I don’t really cook except this. Thanks!!
    Carolyn

    reply to this comment
    • Maria

      January 9, 2018 at 3:56 pm

      Lol, isn’t it fun to have a thing that is yours and everyone looks forward too! I loved hearing this!

      reply to this comment
  4. Traci Havens

    December 3, 2018 at 9:45 pm

    Instead of using a cup of chocolate chips can you substitute a cup of peanut butter?

    reply to this comment
    • Maria

      March 1, 2019 at 1:49 pm

      No, but you can use peanut butter chocolate chips and drizzle peanut butter on top and swirl it before it cools.

      reply to this comment
  5. Oksana

    November 18, 2019 at 9:09 pm

    I doubled the recipe and the fudge itself wasn’t pourable at all. I feel like your milk to sugar ratio is off. Complete waste of ingredients.

    reply to this comment
    • Maria

      May 6, 2020 at 2:49 pm

      I’m sorry to hear that! I’ve never tried doubling it. With candy recipes, it’s usually better to do single batches.

      reply to this comment
  6. Lauren

    December 5, 2020 at 2:07 am

    I like to make this into rocky road fudge. When would I add the marshmallows and nuts without melting marshmallows completely?

    reply to this comment
    • Maria

      December 7, 2020 at 12:19 pm

      Hi Lauren, Let the marshmallows melt completely and add an extra cup of marshmallows and a cup of peanuts.

      reply to this comment
  7. Kate

    December 19, 2020 at 11:02 am

    Just made this amazing fudge with one substitution and it came out great! I used the 200 gram block of vollmilch used for baked good here in Germany. It was so easy and your instructions were perfect. Having all the ingredients set up for when the sugar and milk was done bowling made this so simple. I went for the simple version with no add-ins this time to be safe, but I am almost ready to wash the pan and make some other variations. Thanks so much for sharing another great candy recipe.

    reply to this comment
    • Maria

      February 13, 2021 at 1:22 pm

      Good to know this works well with the vollmilch blocks. I have a bunch of those in my baking cupboard. Candy making is soooo fun!

      reply to this comment
  8. James

    February 13, 2021 at 5:54 pm

    Sorry, but “classic” chocolate fudge does NOT contain marshmallows or chocolate chips! With marshmallows it is “cheater” fudge. Classic fudge is made only with cocoa or baking chocolate, butter, milk or cream, sugar, and vanilla.

    reply to this comment
  9. J. Randolph

    December 9, 2024 at 6:13 pm

    Classic fudge is NOT made with chocolate chips and marshmallows!!!

    reply to this comment
  10. Kathy

    December 21, 2025 at 11:35 am

    Do you have a recipe for peanut butter fudge using peanut butter?

    reply to this comment
    • Ann@Real Life Dinner

      December 22, 2025 at 7:58 pm

      Hi, Nancy. Yes. Here’s the link to Easy Peanut Butter Fudge.

      reply to this comment

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Rate this recipe:  

Welcome friends!

Hi, I'm Maria. A mom of five and a total foodie. My superpower is taking ordinary recipes and making them DELICIOUS. Your family will LOVE these meals! Come cook with me, I promise it will be amazing! Get started here or search my archives below.


When you start your Amazon shopping here, I receive a small percentage of the sale. Thank you for supporting Real Life Dinner.

Housekeeping

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

Meet Maria

Hi, I'm a professional recipe developer, with a degree in teaching and a minor in nutrition. I love helping busy families, like mine, "eat good" despite their crazy schedules...join the fun! Start here

TEST

SIGN UP FOR MY FREE EMAIL NEWSLETTER AND NEVER MISS ANOTHER DELICIOUS FAMILY-FRIENDLY RECIPE

The Best of the Season

Classic-Broccoli-Salad-RecipeFresh-Strawberry-Jam-Recipe-made-with-sure-jell-less-sugar-recipe---Mediterranean-cous-cous-salad-recipe-with-chickenAmazing Strawberry Cheesecake Pastry Bites. Only four ingredients and Soooo Delicious! side bar-Old-bay-potato-salad

Recent Posts

  • Cheeseburger Soup Recipe
  • Three-Ingredient Velveeta Fiesta Dip
  • 60+ Mexican Christmas Food Ideas
  • 40 Favorite Classic Christmas Candies and Treats
  • 40 Popular Classic Christmas Cookie Recipes
  • 25+ Traditional Thanksgiving Desserts
  • 25+ Simple and Easy Thanksgiving Desserts
  • Cake Mix Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Copyright © 2026 Real Life Dinner  •  All Rights Reserved  •  Privacy Policy  •  Site Design by Emily White Designs