Maple-Walnut Fudge
Authentic homemade fudge has officially become my Achilles heel. I started out my fudge journey a couple of years ago when I made a quick and easy fudge recipe using sweetened condensed milk. Last year, I thought I would crank things up a notch and make “real” homemade fudge – you know, the kind with the candy thermometer and lots of mixing with a wooden spoon. It took me three tries last winter before I finally managed to turn out a decent batch of chocolate fudge. Then I moved on to an awesome, easy recipe for peanut butter fudge, which is still my favorite. Now that the weather has cooled, I really wanted to whip up a batch of maple-walnut fudge. Again, I tried twice using the “old-fashioned” method and had no success. The first time the fudge didn’t set up and remained a sludge-like mixture, and then the opposite happened – it got way too hard too fast. I took a deep breath. I had run out of patience with having to toss real maple syrup (not cheap) and tons of walnuts (not cheap) into the garbage – twice. So I went on a search for an easy version of maple-walnut fudge. And… ta-da! I have fudge!
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I think I need to accept the fact that I will never be an all-world fudge superstar. It’s not my lot in life. And I’m okay with that. I can still make fabulous homemade fudge, it just won’t be the beach boardwalk authentic variety. But variety is the spice of life, right? Sometimes when we admit our shortcomings it frees us to explore alternatives that can be just as good, if not better, than that which we were originally searching for. And this maple-walnut fudge alternative? Absolutely phenomenal. It will totally get you in the mood for fall. And I am celebrating my fudge freedom by embracing easy fudge recipes and all of the wonderful varieties that I can dream up between now and Christmas!
What type of recipe or technique vexes you in the kitchen? I know I can’t be the only one ;-)
One year ago: Pancake Cupcakes with Maple-Bacon Frosting
Two years ago: Chewy, Fudgy Triple-Chocolate Brownies
Four years ago: Hershey’s Best Brownies
Maple-Walnut Fudge
Ingredients
- 2 cups (440 g) light brown sugar
- 5 ounces (141.75 ml) evaporated milk
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter
- 2 cups (240 g) powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) maple flavoring
- 1 cup (117 g) coarsely chopped walnuts
Instructions
- 1. Butter an 8x8-inch or 9x9-inch square pan. Line with parchment paper or foil, and butter that; set aside.
- 2. In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, evaporated milk and butter. Bring to a full boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat slightly (no lower than medium-low) and boil for an additional 10 minutes, stirring constantly.
- 3. Remove from the heat and stir in the powdered sugar, vanilla extract and maple flavoring. Transfer the mixture to a standing mixer (or use a hand mixer) and beat the fudge on medium speed until thick and glossy - about 3 minutes. Fold in the walnuts and pour the mixture into the prepared pan.
- 4. Let the mixture cool to room temperature, then cover tightly and refrigerate overnight. Slice the fudge into 1-inch squares and serve. (Fudge can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container.)
- Note: You can find the maple flavoring in the baking aisle where the vanilla extracts are.
Did you make this recipe?
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I still fail at piping cupcakes! I don’t know what my problem is; I have the right tips, I’ve read the tutorials… It kills me.
I just made maple walnut fudge last night! Yours look amazing. Fudge is definitely not my cup of tea either. But it sure does taste good!
Love that you don’t need a candy thermometer for this! And, looks like we are on the same fudge wavelength this week, ha!
Paula Deen has a wonderful recipe using – of all things – Velveeta cheese – but it is to die for and I don’t think you can screw it up (unless you misread the recipe like I did the first time and put in twice the amount of velveeta that you were supposed to – it was rather gooey and I couldn’t for the life of me figure out why until I went step by step over it and realized that I had a much larger block of Velveeta than the recipe and that half of it was waaaay too much) Anyway, check it out – no one that I have served it to could tell that it was made with Velveeta – they loved it!!!
This sounds amazing! I’ve never made fudge myself but I think I might have to now!
yum! that looks delicious.
I’m going to try this-I needed a flavor variation from the Chocolate I typically make (easy method only over here). Pies vex me. I’m just not that great at them. Occasionally the family requests them and they stay right here, in the family.
I love fudge and I love maple, but I’m so allergic to walnuts. If I make it myself I’d omit. But last time I made fudge it was totally grainy – what did I do wrong!? I’m going to try again!
Over the years I have tried to make fudge and finally gave up after my latest failed attempt a couple of months ago (it was great as a cake frosting). I may have to try again with this recipe. :)
Creme Brulee. I’ve tried to make it twice and my custard came out lumpy both times. This and souflees. Argh! Despite the difficulties you had, this fudge looks delicious anyway!
This is my mother’s favorite flavor of fudge….maybe I’ll be a good daughter and make her some this weekend….
I’ve only ever made fudge using sweetened condensed milk as I’m too chicken to try another method and I’ve never tried to make maple walnut fudge. Your recipe and the look of this fudge makes me think that I should.
Thank you for sharing your love/hate relationship with fudge. I too was able to make the kind with condensed milk and then failed at making old-fashioned. This recipe sounds good, I may have to try my hand at fudge again.
Well we are very grateful that you tried and tried again and came up with an easier version of maple walnut fudge…this stuff looks insanely delicious and just screams fall…!
Yummy, can’t wait to make this! This is my first year using a gas stove (my electrical one always caramelized things unevenly) so I’m hoping I’ll have better fudge luck this Christmas.
That sounds great. I love the flavor of maple. And it’s always better when you make it yourself. Nice and fresh!
This flavor combo is my favorite fudge. I usually pick up a piece or two every time I visit a local store and always have the best of intentions to savor it for a couple of days. Usually it’s gone by the time I arrive home.
I’ve tried macarons and while not a total failure; adding high altitude to their already finicky needs makes that effort both a lot of work and a gamble as to results. Combined with the fact that they just don’t do that much for me…well, I’m in a decidedly non-macaron place and I’m OK with that.
What is the deal with Macarons? I’ve never truly enjoyed them, but suddenly they’re everywhere. And, I know I’m not the only one from my informal polls ;).
I agree – I made them once and have eaten them at a couple of higher-end bakeries and they do absolutely nothing for me. I’d rather have a big chocolate chip cookie or piece of cheesecake ;-)
its because macaroons are glluten free that they are popping up all over, I think, I’m not crazy for them either but my doctor wants my thyroid antibodies reduced – i.e. auto -immune thyroiditis- so its no gluten for me
Being 100% Italian, this pains me to even write it but I am a complete failure at making homemade pasta and gnocchi. Turns out dense and heavy every time, not like the tissue paper-thin ribbons Nonna tossed together in a matter of minutes. It’s the stuff of my dreams and the first meal I’m ordering when I see her again in the next life.
P.S. Fudge looks amazing. Might have to muscle its way onto a Christmas cookie tray.
‘Traditional’ Fudge is my kitchen nemesis. I can’t count the number of failed batches, but it’s in the neighborhood of 1 good batch to every 4-5 failed batches. Yet, I keep trying to perfect it. I did start using a stand mixer to do the beating, which has improved the process quite a bit, but determining if the day is too humid or not is still hard to determine. The fact is, nothing beats the creamy texture of traditional fudge. Now if I could just find a way to match the flavor of my favorite ‘coastal’ fudge. I’ve spoken to a number of fudge makers that sell their goodies along the Oregon Coast and none will reveal their secret ingredients – particularly the type of chocolate they use. While I’ve been able (only a few times) to match the texture, I still can’t seem to match the taste. I can’t wait to try this maple fudge though (sans walnuts for me) it sounds really good.
a pinch of sea salt should give you that coastal taste you are looking for .be careful it just takes a very small amount as it’s very course.
good luck
You didn’t need to toss the first trial that didn’t set up….. Keep it in the frig and warm it up to pour over ice cream…..or maybe spice cake! (I have to wonder what would happen if you poured it over the top of a cake and broiled it a bit!) Indeed, pure maple syrup is a thing to be respected! Looks like one more thing to put on my fundraiser “baking” list now!
I have issues with anything that requires a candy thermometer it seems; fudge and certain candies are just out of my reach. Sometimes I wonder if it is my old thermometer, or maybe it’s just my impatience and problem with following directions!
Either way, I eat my mom’s candies, and I make easy fudges to get around it :)
Ohh yes..there is nothing better than homemade fudge!!! this looks WONDERFUL!
I love a good fudge recipe in my life. Yum!
I don’t have any problems in the kitchen, I leave all the harder techniques to someone else :D
I saw the final version had maple flavoring, do you think it could have been the syrup in the earlier ones that was giving you problems?
I think part of the problem was not using corn syrup to control the action of the granulated sugar. It keeps the sugar crystals from going grainy and helps maintain a creamy smooth texture. That’s why so many fudge recipes use marshmallows – they’re mostly corn syrup!
I failed at “no-fail” fudge. Then I found a recipe in Fine Cooking magazine here: http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/creamy-chocolate-fudge.aspx. The first couple of times I made it, it was delicious but never got very firm, even after an hour of beating it with my hand mixer. I decided to try it again, and transferred the mixture to my stand mixer. Somehow, it worked! And it was so wonderful, that twice I ended eating half the pan myself…. that and my other cookie-dough splurges sent me back to Weight Watchers when the Holidays were over. Personally, I don’t care if a recipe is “authentic,” just as long as it tastes good.
I’ve never made fudge, and definitely not using a thermometer. This flavor sounds delicious.
Fudge is so tricky to get right but I think the easy versions taste just as good as the scary candy thermometer versions. This looks the perfect colour and consistency.
Oh wow! I’ll be making this sometime this fall. Already starred it on my Google reader.
Caramelizing sugar always makes me nervous. I have to watch it like a hawk and there are always lumps!
Also I recently started canning and I always seem to make my pot boil over during the processing time, which makes the water level too low, which freaks me out because if the jars aren’t properly processed I might kill everyone with botulism! (Ok, that was a little dramatic and not very likely, but the boiling over thing is definitely vexing.)
It’s great that you kept working on making the fudge. I’d say you are a pro at it by looking at this amazingly delicious fudge. Love the idea that it’s maple flavored too…it’s a nice change. The texture of this fudge looks just perfect.
I cannot for the life of me make mousseline buttercream. Pretty much anything that involves cooking sugar, I fail. Also, if you’ve never tried it, ladyfingers are SO hard to make. I know my tiramisu turned out amazing buy I could’ve saved hours and energy had I just used pound cake. Ah, the trials of cooking :)
Sherri- ladyfingers are soooooo easy. Just remember to not overbeat the egg whites. When I make my Tiramisu, I make the ladyfinger batter, line a 1/2 sheet pan with parchment and spread evenly. I don’t waste time with a pastry bag. that way, I just cut the shapes I need for the shape of the pan. Then I use the remants and just fit it into layers. Cuts out so much time. An added bonus-you can freeze the leftovers for future Tiramisu.