One thing that is fun and you can experiment with, if you like, is trying other types of Hershey bars–Symphony with or without toffee or Hershey with almonds. If you’re living in Europe like me and have access to Ritter Sport or Milka bars, using their chocolates is another fun option to tailor the taste of your fudge.
Another thing you will love about this fudge is how simple it is to make. The ingredients that you need to make besides the Hershey bars are already in your pantry. If you haven’t made homemade candy before, fudge is a great recipe to start with. You don’t need a candy thermometer. The step-by-step instructions below will help you become a pro in no time.
My Favorite Fudge and Candy Recipes
- Crazy Good Mint Fudge
- Candy Bar Peanut Butter Fudge
- Merry Widow Caramels
- The Best Microwave Caramels
- Old Fashioned Cherry Mash Chocolates
- Homemade Toffee with Chocolate and Almonds
step-by-step pictures on how to make Hershey bar fudge
Frequently Asked Questions about making Hershey Bar Fudge
if i don’t have evaporated milk, can i use regular milk or cream?
No. For this recipe and the time allotment for boiling, you need to stick with the specific ingredients to have it come out correctly and not grainy.
does the chocolate need to be chopped up?
As you can see in the step-by-step pictures, I used regular-sized Hershey bars and broke each rectangle in half. If you use the larger bar that has thicker rectangles, you will definitely want to chop it up with a knife. The important thing to remember is the pieces need to be as uniform as possible so that they will melt evenly.
when cooking the fudge, why shouldn’t I scrape the sides down?
As you stir and cook the fudge, it’s impossible not to splash a little bit up on the sides. The sugar crystals that get up on the side of the pan will cook differently than those that stay in the main mixture. Be careful not to scrape the sides down as you stir. Those crystals that are cooked on the side will cause a grainy consistency in your finished product as it cools.
what is the difference between a full boil and a rolling boil?
They’re actually the same thing. Some people call it a rolling boil. Others call it a full boil. Basically, a full or rolling boil is when a liquid is boiling rapidly with lots of bubbles. A full or rolling boil will not stop when stirred. It is different from a simmer, which is boiling lightly with a few bubbles and when stirred, the bubbles disappear.
can i use large marshmallows instead of mini marshmallows?
Yes, you can, if you’re willing to cut them into smaller pieces. The large ones will not melt quickly enough when stirred into the fudge. Here’s a great tip about marshmallows: Use the little bag of stale marshmallows that’s been hiding in the back of the cupboard. The stale marshmallows give the fudge really nice consistency. My mom would let the marshmallows sit out a day or two when she knew she was going to be making fudge.
cook’s tools:
More recipes for chocolate lovers!
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- ⅔ cup evaporated milk
- ¼ cup butter
- 7.5-8.5 oz of chopped Hershey bar (I use milk chocolate Hershey bars)
- 1 cup mini marshmallows, heaping
- ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
- 1 tsp vanilla
- Butter or line with parchment paper an 8x8 baking dish. Set aside.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine the evenly chopped Hershey bars, marshmallows, and butter. If adding nuts, combine them with this mixture.
- Set near the stove with vanilla nearby. You will need these ingredients to be quickly accessible once the sugar and evaporated milk finish boiling.
- In a 2-quart saucepan, combine sugar and evaporated milk. Bring to boil over medium-high heat.
- Stir constantly and bring the mixture to a rolling boil. Set a timer and stir constantly at a rolling boil for exactly 5 minutes. Once the timer starts, turn heat down to medium.
- When the timer goes off, quickly remove from heat and stir in the chocolate, marshmallows, butter, and vanilla. Mix until everything is melted and incorporated.
- Quickly pour into prepared dish. Pour as much of the fudge into the dish without scraping the sides as you can. If you do scrape the sides, you risk having a grainy fudge. Afterward, you can scrape the sides out onto a separate little plate or just leave in the pan for sampling.
- See step-by-step pictures to see how I add nuts to half of my fudge.
- Let fudge cool completely before cutting and serving. To speed up cooling, refrigerate it.
- If wrapped well and in an airtight container, the fudge will last up to 3 weeks in the fridge.
Use the rest of the evaporated milk in these Soups:
I have never heard of this but it looks delish! I am saving this recipe to make very soon! Thank you very much!
I love that you are excited to try so many of my recipes. I hope you love them as much as I do!
Hi. The ingredients listed say, “1/4 butter.” Is that 1/4th a cup, 1/4th a lb, 1/4th a stick? I would like to make this milk chocolate fudge today, but am unsure of how much butter is needed. I have a very old Hershey’s fudge recipe that is made with an 8 oz pkg of Hershey’s semi-sweet chocolate & it calls for 2 tbsps of butter. Will try that amt for now.
Thank you !
1/4 cup, sorry about that. Thank you for bringing it to my attention. I will go fix it.
7 months later and you still haven’t fixed the recipe. If I hadn’t read the comments I wouldn’t have saved the recipe to try.
Thanks for reminding me Gale. It is fixed now.
Is this supposed to be thin when you pour it in the pan?
Hi Cheryl, It should be a similar consistency to thick cake batter or maybe a little thicker, depends on how hot it still is when it is poured in.
It’s not foolproof, but if you take some softened or room temperature butter and used it to put a coating on the inside of your cooking pot, it helps to avoid sugar getting up and sticking to the sides of the pan. Hope this helps!!!
Thanks for the tip, Ashley.
This is one of the best textured fudge I’ve made, Can this be doubled?
Thank you
Love hearing that Louann. Yes it should be fine to double.
Do you salted or unsalted butter? Does the 1/4 cup butter be measured before or after belted?
Hi Kelli, I use salted butter. I don’t melt it.
I make the regular fudge recipe and add a large milk chocolate bar at the end. It make the fudge so creamy and smooth.
Yum! Sounds delicious!
I have the sane recipe for this fudge. It is the best smoothest fudge ever.
It really, really is! Once you have this one it’s really hard to go back to any other recipe.
You can’t call it a recipe if you use the same thing as what you’re making!
Post a real recipe that has the chocolate from coca powder!
Do you have to add marshmallow? Or is there a substitute?
You could use marshmallow cream, but marshmallows work the best for a really nice texture.
Lol..you a 🤡 David
Anxious to make this Fudge for Christmas Gifts. Thank you so very much. Have a blessed Christmas.
Thanks, Karen! Merry Christmas to you!