Christmas Fudge is the perfect holiday treat and edible gift with creamy chocolate, butterscotch chips, almonds, walnuts, and candied fruit.
Homemade Candy Recipes are always a tasty treat during the holiday season. They are fun to make, fun to eat, and fun to give. What’s not to love? Easy recipes like Gumdrop Fudge, Gingerbread Fudge, and Christmas fudge are filled with holiday cheer and make the ideal last-minute edible gift.
If you haven’t tried homemade fudge before, you might be surprised by just how easy this is to make! Assembling the recipe takes almost no time and it’s all done in the microwave. The fun and festive flavor set this chocolate fudge apart and make it the perfect holiday candy recipe.
Table of contents
Sabrina’s Christmas Fudge Recipe
This rich homemade fudge is the perfect blend of textures and flavors. The creamy fudge has a nice soft consistency, but the added almonds and walnuts give a crunchy contrast. Candied fruit makes a beautiful, colorful addition and add some sweetness. Meanwhile, butterscotch chips add even more creaminess and a buttery flavor than a classic Chocolate Fudge Recipe. On top of all that, you can give the fudge mixture a boozy kick with cognac.
Instead of heating the fudge on the stove and worrying about a candy thermometer, like you have to in more traditional fudge recipes, just heat the chocolate and cream mixture in the microwave. Then melt in the butterscotch chips and vanilla. After they come together, you just stir the mix-ins into the bowl and pour it into a lined baking pan to set. It honestly couldn’t be easier!
Ingredients
- Chocolate: This amazing chocolate fudge starts with 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips. Semi-sweet chips have the perfect texture and a good amount of chocolate flavor for fudge.
- Milk: To make the fudge mixture smooth and creamy, as well as add sweetness, you use 14 ounces, or 1 can, of sweetened condensed milk.
- Flavoring: To give this holiday fudge a warm Christmas fruit cake flavor, you use vanilla extract and butterscotch chips. You can also add some cognac just like you would for an adult fruit cake.
- Nuts: Fruit Cake is usually studded with delicious nuts and this Christmas Fudge is loaded with them too. We use a mixture of walnuts and almonds, mixing them into the actual chocolate and adding more walnuts on top.
- Candied Fruit: This fudge is topped with 1 cup of candied fruit mix, that usually includes candied cherries, ginger, and pineapple. You can also just use your favorite dried and candied fruits.
Kitchen Tools & Equipment
- Baking Pan: Use a 8×8-inch square baking pan to make thick, delicious fudge squares. You can cut them brownie-size for a jumbo piece of fudge or make smaller indulgent bites.
- Microwave Safe Bowl: You’ll need a large, microwave-safe bowl to melt the chocolate in the microwave. It needs to be heat safe to protect your hands from burns but also protects hot spots from burning the chocolate mixture.
How to Make Christmas Fudge
Time needed: 2 hours and 10 minutes
- Prepare your Pan
Line an 8-inch square pan with aluminum foil, using one large piece to cover the bottom and sides. Leave about an inch of foil over the sides to lift out the fudge later. You could also use parchment paper.
- Melt the Chocolate
In a large heat safe bowl, add the chocolate chips and condensed milk. Microwave for 1 minute and stir well to help it continue melting.
- Flavor the Fudge
Stir the cognac (if using), vanilla, and butterscotch chips into the chocolate mixture until creamy. If it’s not smooth, microwave for another 30 seconds and stir. Finally, stir in the almonds and ¾ of the walnuts.
- Pour and Set
Quickly pour the fudge mixture into your prepared baking dish and smooth out the top. Cover with the remaining walnuts and the candied fruit.
- Chill and Cut
Chill the fudge in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours to fully set. Once it’s firm, use the foil or paper overhang to lift the fudge block straight out of the pan and then slice into squares.
Nutritional Facts
Cooking Tips & Tricks
- Line the Pan with Foil
- Line your baking pan with aluminum foil to make removing the fudge super easy. Plus when you remove the block of fudge from the pan, you can cut cleaner, straight edges for the perfect fudge squares.
- Make Silky Smooth Fudge
- The key to making the perfect batch of silky smooth fudge is to use a mixture of chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk. The condensed milk already has the sugar dissolved so don’t have to worry about a grainy texture and the milk chocolate chips melt beautifully for super smooth, rich chocolate fudge every time.
Sides for Your Christmas Fudge
Fruit Cake Desserts: This delicious fudge already has all the yummy parts of Fruit Cake, so why not make a gift basket or dessert table filled with other bite size fruitcake flavored treats? Make mini Fruit Cake Muffins, chop up Fruit Cake Bark, and bake Fruit Cake Cookies for a fruity, spiced sweet spread.
Toppings: Clean out leftover holiday baking supplies and use them as toppings for this delicious holiday fudge. Add some festive sprinkles for extra holiday cheer, drizzle the top with Caramel Sauce, or use Candied Walnuts (or Candied Pecans) instead of plain walnuts.
How to Store Christmas Fudge
Store: After you’ve given it time to set, you can keep Christmas Fudge at room temperature for up to a week. Cover the dish in foil, or transfer the candies to an airtight container to keep them fresh. You could also seal and store it in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Freeze: For long-term storage, you can freeze the fudge for up to 3 months. To make sure they don’t stick together, wrap each piece in parchment paper and then plastic wrap before sealing them all in a freezer bag
How to Gift Christmas Fudge
These rich candies make the perfect homemade gift to give to friends, family, neighbors, or give as a hostess gift. It’s sure to be a hit with anyone who receives it! The important part is packaging them so that the candies won’t lose their shape or get stuck together. Here are some tips for packaging the gift:
- Wait for the Christmas Fudge to set, and then cut it into squares.
- Place the squares in a tin or gift box with parchment paper or festive tissue paper lining it.
- To add more than one layer of fudge, put the paper between each layer so that they don’t stick.
- If you’re giving the gift in person, add a festive bow, and you’re done.
- However, if you’re shipping the fudge, find a shipping box of a similar size to put the gift box in so that the fudge doesn’t shake around too much in transit.
- Lay gel cooling packs next to the fudge container to keep them from melting.
- It’s also best to use express shipping, and let the person you’re shipping it to know that there is food coming in the mail.
Frequent Questions
You want to use sweetened condensed milk for fudge, not evaporated milk. The condensed milk adds sweetness to the fudge mixture without adding granulated sugar which could make the fudge grainy. Plus condensed milk adds a delicious richness you can’t get with evaporated milk.
Yes, you can definitely swap the microwave for a saucepan on the stove but keep the heat low so you don’t burn your chocolate and milk and stir constantly. You could also add an inch of water to a pan, set a heat safe bowl on top then melt the chocolate with the milk in the bowl while water simmers underneath.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon cognac , optional
- 1 1/2 cups butterscotch chips
- 1 cup walnut halves , divided
- 1/2 cup almonds , chopped
- 1 cup candied fruit
Instructions
- Line an 8×8 baking pan with foil.
- Add the semi-sweet chocolate chips and condensed milk to a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 1 minute.
- Stir well.
- Add in cognac (optional), vanilla extract, and butterscotch chips, and stir well until creamy.
- Microwave for 30 seconds more until smooth (if needed.)
- Stir in chopped almonds and ¾ cups of the walnuts.
- Pour mixture quickly (while hot) into the baking dish.
- Top with the remaining walnut halves and candied fruits.
- Chill 2 hours until firm before slicing.
Nutrition
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Christmas Fudge Variations
White Chocolate Fudge: If you prefer a white fudge mixture, you can just use white chocolate chips in place of the semisweet chips. Or, for an eye-catching Christmas Swirl Fudge, divide the recipe in half, using white chocolate chips for one half and semisweet chocolate for the other. Pour the white chocolate fudge layer over the semisweet, and use a butter knife to marble or swirl the layers together.
Peppermint Fudge: Easily turn this into a nutty chocolate peppermint flavored fudge instead of fruitcake. Mix in 1 teaspoon of peppermint extract, either with or without the cognac. Finally, trade the candied fruit pieces for candy cane pieces.
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