On the third day of Christmas The Pink Whisk sent to me…..Christmas Pudding Fudge
Of course you can make any flavour you like and I’ll show you how!
Just a word of warning – it’s hot, very very hot please don’t burn yourself and keep the kids well out of the way.
Ingredients:
1 x 397g tin of condensed milk
150ml milk
450g Demerara sugar
115g butter
100g Christmas Pudding
To start you need a big pan, bigger than you think, and a sugar thermometer.
You also need these at the ready
A stand or electric hand mixer, an 8″ square tin or similar lined with greaseproof paper, a bowl with your christmas pudding in, a cup of tea (there’s a lot of standing about and boring stirring going on), a pink kettle – no you don’t need a pink kettle, that’s just me!
Place the condensed milk, milk, sugar and butter in the pan and have your stirring implement of choice to hand.
Heat over a gentle heat whilst the butter and sugar dissolves and the mixture melts together.
Now you need to keep stirring all the time, it’s boring but get yourself into a rhythm moving continuously covering the entire base of the pan. You have to keep the mixture moving to stop it sticking and burning which it is very liable to do.
If it sticks you will end up with dark flecks in the fudge and a burny taste but it’s very easy to do – you have been warned, stir stir, stir and then stir again.
Turn the heat up a little and continue to heat the fudge until it starts bubbling, stirring all the time (am I overdoing the stirring bit? nah, thought not!)
The reason you need a big pan is that once bubbling the mixture comes well up the pan before dropping down again.
Keep an eye on the sugar thermometer and continue to simmer until the mixture gets to 116c, this will take 10-15 minutes, you can stir one handed and drink your cup of tea with the other.
Once at 116c remove from the heat and add to the bowl of your stand mixer or transfer to a large bowl – be careful the fudge is hot hot hot!
Add in the Christmas Pudding and turn on the mixer to a fairly high power. If you wanted to make any flavour fudge this is the time to add in the extras, or leave them out completely if you prefer.
The fudge needs to be whisked now for a good ten minutes, set the timer. It starts of runny but starts to thicken up as it cools and as the air is beaten in. This beating is an essential part to making fudge so you can’t skip it!
Before beating –
After beating –
After ten minutes pour the mixture into the lined tin and smooth the top.
See this bit?
That’s mine
So are these bits!
Leave overnight to set at room temperature – don’t put it in the fridge.
Once set, remove the fudge from the tin and cut into chunks.
The fudge will keep for three weeks in an airtight container and is perfect for gifts.
Variations – omit the Christmas Pudding and add the following before beating
Vanilla – add 1 tsp of vanilla extract
Chocolate – add 175g melted chocolate
Rum & Raisin – add 2tbsps rum and 115g raisins
Ruth Clemens, Baker Extraordinaire
YUm yum yum! Will definitely be trying this;)
Looks delicious but a couple of questions please. Is this a creamy, soft fudge or a more crumbly type?
Also could you do the whisking bit in a food processor rather than an electric hand whisk (I don’t have a stand mix unfortunately).
Thanks Ruth and Happy Christmas to you and yours. 🙂
It’s a creamy soft fudge, not crumbly. I’m sure the food processor will work for the beating x
I can now confirm it worked fine in the food processor, although as I went to pour it in I did have a moment of panic that it might all melt!
Definitely agree with the need for a bigger pan, I was watching carefully as it got very near the top of my biggest normal saucepan, if I make it again, I’ll use my soup pot.
Now I just have to stop hubby eating it before I can give it for gifts on Christmas Eve! Thanks again for another easy to follow recipe.
This looks lovely, cannot wait to try it out. Do you think it would work with some mincemeat, if so how much would you put in. Really love your site, keep coming back to see what I can find. Thankyou
I think it would, about 3-4 tablespoons should do it, but try to avoid too much of the liquidy syrup as it may stop it from setting x
Thank you so much for sharing, I’ve been looking for a lovely fudge recipe for a while now and this will make lovely gifts this Christmas 🙂
How long does this keep Ruth?(if not eaten!!) I’m thinking for Xmas gifts x
Three weeks in an airtight container so easy to make in advance for Christmas gifts! Xx
This looks gorgeous would it be possible to make it without using a sugar thermometer though?
There’s a useful guide here http://h2g2.com/dna/h2g2/A1090630 to making without a thermometer you’re aiming for the soft ball stage x
This looks lovely with the Christmas pudding added Ruth. Can’t wait to make it.
Anne @ Domesblissity xx
Mmmm my dad always used to make fudge at Christmas! Going to get myself a sugar thermometer and give it a go 🙂 x
My daughter has been looking for a fudge recipe to make for the Grandparents for Christmas and this one looks delicious – thanks 🙂
Hi Ruth, do you use 100g of cooked xmas pud?! x
This may be a really silly question- does the pudding need to be cooked? I mean I have a mini one that needs only heating up (it is cooked already I think- you know the little supermarket ones)- will that do? What an amazing idea anyway.
The little ones from the supermarket is perfect – no it’s already cooked so you don’t need to x
Thanks will be giving this a go pretty soon- perfect for gifts 🙂
I just tried this recipe and I am not sure what I did wrong but it def didn’t seem right. So I followed the instructions, my thermometer never got to 116 it stopped at 106 after a while it turned darker throughout and I promise I never stopped stirring at all. I poured it into a bowl and began whisking, after 5 min it turned really hard and I couldn’t whisk any more. I had to press it into my tin rather than pour it. I have ingredients to make two more batches but I don’t want it to all be wrong. What did I do wrong? Help!
It sounds like your thermometer is up the spout – test it in some boiling water. The fudge turns darker in the pan at around 110c. If its heated to too high a temperature it will be hard and crumbly when whisked which sounds as you describe. Test your thermometer and then give it another go. Make sure that the end of the thermometer sits deep enough into the mixture so its not just catching the bubbles. x
Mine tastes yummy but is very soft. The top was hard but the inside is really soft and sticky. I stirred and stirred and hit 116 and then mixed – is it supposed to be like that?
No, either it didn’t get to the right temp when cooking or it needed beating longer. You can still rescue it by melting down in a pan and heating again to 116 then the beating stage again – That’s if you’ve not eaten it as is! x It is a soft fudge and not grainy but you should be able to cut and slice it without it being difficult or losing its shape x
Thanks. We ate it all up and our guests thought it was the hit of our mulled wine party. Even better then the mince pies with the baileys – but they were a close second. thanks for the great recipes and the response.
Hi Ruth, I made these yesterday. All went well, tasted lovely and had a nice fudgey consistency to them, but they had quite a crunchy sugar crystal texture to them. Are they supposed to be completely smooth? What I’m wondering is that maybe I got it to 116 degrees too slowly and boiled out too much moisture. I’ll try a different flavour later after testing the thermo first. 🙂
It sounds like it actually got too hot, the mixture will carry on getting hotter from the heat of the pan so it’s important to take it off the heat as soon as it hits 116 and transfer straight into another bowl for mixing. Testing your thermometer is a good plan x
Thanks for the reply 🙂 I did some reading up as well and yes it does seem to be too much heat. The thermo was showing 96-97 in boiling water so I expect I boiled the fudge up to about 120 lol.
Can you use brown sugar?x
Yes, it will give the fudge a more toffee type taste x
I made this yesterday and it is amazing! Thanks so much for the fab idea 🙂
I made this yesterday using a sugar themometre and it hasn’t set, it’s all sticky and doesn’t hold shape at all! 🙁 is there anything I can do?x
Melt it back down in a pan and heat it again to 116 and then beat as before, check your thermometer is accurate first though by testing in boiling water – if it’s a few degrees out you will need to compensate for that when heating up the fudge x
Tastes nice and has a smooth texture but broke my electric whisk! Felt it only needed 5 mins whisking as was really firm (had to press it into the pan by hand!) but I kept going to get closer to your recommended 10 mins beating – then my whisk overheated and won’t work any more.
Oh yikes! sorry about your whisk x
I made it, delicious. The first fudge recipe I have got to set. Was easy to make, but the results were incredible. I made it for my homemade Christmas hampers, which have now been delivered. The In laws scoffed it straight away! Merry Christmas everyone, and thanks Ruth x x
i made a plain version of the fudge monday night and its fab i’ve now got the problem of hiding if from the rest of the family!!! as i type i’ve got the ganache for your chocolate truffles setting in the fridge. any chance of a recipe for peppermint creams i’ve tried one but they seem very grainy.xx ps am doiny your ultimate sausage rolls tomorrow. the children are enjoying helping x
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Hi Ruth, I have tried many of your recipes and they have all turned out brilliantly so thanks for your wonderful site. I was reading your recipe for fudge with a Christmas twist; it is very similar to fudge I have made in the past (without the twist!) and I wondered if you had a recipe for a more crumbly type of fudge as this is the type of fudge I prefer. I have searched the internet without success so any suggestions would be much appreciated. Keep up the good work – I love visiting The Pink Whisk
Hi Caroline – for crumbly fudge you would just heat the mixture to a higher temperature. Take it to 120c then carry on as before x
I’ve just made this and it is cooling as i type; it’s (hopefully) going to be my Mothers Day present for tomorrow. But i think its gone the same way as Dorothy’s above – after a while the quite high fudge mixture sunk right down in the pan, but the temp showing on my brand new thermometer bought to make this fudge was showing 108c. So i let it get to 116 but it was so thick before whisking that i only managed about 3 mins before pressing into my tray. I put too must trust in my new thermometer to be correct! It always amazes me how different baking can be across a sample of people. BUt it smells wonderful, and i still nabbed the fudge from the bowl and whisk and tastes good so far – so it counts as success to me :).
P.S well done for all your photos throughout, especially with this recipe i don’t know how you manage inbetween!
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Hi Ruth
Is there any chance of a book with all your recipes in it anytime, I love them all and have printed most of them off to use but thought a book would be better!
Thank you, im off to do the choc chip cookies now!
Susan :0)
I’m hoping so – i’ll keep you posted! Xx
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I’ve made this today – well vanilla flavour. Easy to follow and scraps taste yummy (whilst waiting overnight for rest)!
going to give it ago but i dont like christmas pud so going to try it with baileys but how much would you say to put in knowing me ill put to much in and it wont work lol i like my baileys xx
I’d go with 2-3 tbsps but I haven’t tried it before – I think that would be enough to taste but not too much that it affects the consistency x
Bit late now but wanted to do this myself and found a c4 recipe. Leave out the Christmas pud and replace the milk with Bailey’s. Will try it this weekend!
If it doesn’t set, you could always used it as a sauce over ice cream, fudgy baileys sauce and ice cream…yum! x
Made this over the weekend and it is really good. A practice run for presents (just as well really as I could so easily scoff the lot!). Took 30 mins to get to right temperature but kept hob low as burnt the first lot! Thanks for the recipe 🙂
Will definitely be trying this with white chocolate and raspberry or maybe cranberry!! x
Just sent his recipe and wow! I’m going to have gain a stone before Xmas with all your treats I’m loving them 🙂
What could be better fudge & xmas pud Mmmmm
Just made the vanilla version. Wow! Not only does it taste amazing but my entire house smells like a sweet shop!
I made this, with Christmas pudding in, and it turned out really really well! Thanks for a great recipe.
I made this last year and it was divine. This year when whisking it turned crumbly after a few minutes whisking So I put in the pan again and trie to melt it again but never really got liquid again -sorty of creamy and then when I got to 116 and tried to remix the same thing happened.Do I need to start again?
Generally crumbly fudge is made when the sugar gets too hot which is why I think it wouldn’t remelt for you, before you make any more just test your thermometer in boiling water and check it’s reading 100c and not below, it could be a few degrees out and will look like your mix is116 when in fact it’s hotter. once you know how far out it is you can adjust where you need to get to x
Merry Christmas and thank you. Appreciate your response. I think I will use the crumbles in ice cream or something else – too yummy to throw away!
Hi. I like to make things in advance for Christmas. I would like to make some fudge for gifts. Can I freeze it?
Me gustaría saber que es la azúcar demerara
se le puede poner pudin de Vainilla en mi país no hay pudin de navidad.
Saludos desde Chile
Do you use unsalted butter please
No I use a salted butter.
Hi. I made this fudge (-the xmas pud!) the other day. And it worked a treat. I just added some vanilla extract at the end when the mixture was in the bowl. Only had to beat it for around 3 mins though! As it lost the shiny texture and began to set. Even better was the fact that it set in no time. And l was able to flip it out of its tin and cut into squares after around 20 mins:)) Super smooth and creamy:))
I was just wondering if l added coco powder at the end of the boiling part. Would it still turn out??
I’ve not tried it with cocoa powder but have added melted chocolate – prob about 200g when it goes into the mixer add the chocolate and then beat together – works a treat x
Do you use full fat milk or semi skimmed? I’ve never made fudge before so am looking forward to trying this!
I use semi-skimmed as that’s what we have in our fridge, but either would work x
I love this recipe as do my friends and family that I make it for. I’ve also made the rum and raisin, vanilla, chocolate orange and baileys using it. All yummy. Thank you. I was wondering if you though it would work using maple syrup – would a couple of tablespoons be enough or would more be needed? And would you need to reduce amount of sugar because maple syrup is sweet also? Any thoughts please?
Hi Trudy, I think a couple of tablespoons would be enough but youd have to taste it and test. I wouldn’t reduce the amount of sugar needed though – let me know how you get on I think the flavour would be lovely! x
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Just wondering what stand mixer you use I’m thinking of getting a kitchen aid but want to see if there is a cheaper option that’s just a good (and pretty).
Thank you! x
I use a Kenwood K-Mix, which I thoroughly love! x
Hi
This looks amazing, I’ve only recently discovered I could use my kitchen aid mixer, I was whisking it all by hand before!! I just wanted to ask, what speed do you have your mixer on? Thanks
M xx
Just a speed 3 or 4, but have to admit to whacking it up to nearly full if I’m in a hurry 😉 x
Recipe is fabulous but it’s been a good 6 hours since I left it to set and it’s still sticky and not hardening. Should I try putting it in the fridge covered up? Or leave it until tomorrow now? Is this a case that I didn’t reach temperature? I don’t have thermometer and did it by sight and time. Many thanks
It’s because it wasn’t quite hot enough, setting it in the fridge probably won’t help – you need to get it back in the pan and heat it up again so it reaches the right temp and then beat it again xx
Hello. I made this the other day. ..I have never baked anything before…it turned out great. ..I don’t have a thermometer so used your time estimate..and I used icing sugar instead. .snd vanilla extract…everyone loves it. .thankyou for sharing.
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Hi, I am making fudge for Christmas but want to flavour it with lots of different flavours. I have found some flavouring oils and extracts as I want a really distinct flavour. Is it best to add whilst it is on the hob and replace some of the milk with the extract? I am worried about consistency but also I want a really strong flavour too! Many thanks in advance! Sam
Its best to add your flavourings once it has been cooked but before beating, that way they don’t evaporate or lessen as they would in the pan x
Made this fudge and added toasted coconut, got a gold medal in a locall competition. Thanks so much, will try the macaroons next with passion fruit filling as I come from a tropical island
Do you leave the thermometer in the pan whilst stirring?
yes if you have a clip on thermometer, I use a digital one now and just dip it in and out to test the temp
Oh my goodness just made this, first time at making fudge ever. I don’t think I’m sharing. The bits off the spatula were delicious. I used a digital thermometer and just kept dipping it in and out. Thank you for a lovely recipe
Hi Ruth, just wanted to say this is an absolutely fantastic recipe! I made gingerbread fudge by adding ginger cupcakes I made to the mix instead of the Christmas pudding and it honestly tastes fab. Beautiful and soft, melt in your mouth texture too. Definitely having a go at the rum and raisin this week too 🙂
Brilliant! Sounds fab x
Thank you for great explanation. I’m going to make this ASAP 🙂
Hi Ruth, Seasons greetings. This has been my go to recipe for the last 3 years. Unfortunately I have made two batches recently and with a thermapen ensured I was up to 116. At the mixing stage I have noticed the mix looking oily and when it set the set butter/oil caused a white fatty residue. The mix was salvaged by cutting the edges and bottom off the fudge and I was prepared for it with batch 2 by blotting it several times in the tin with kitchen roll. Any ideas Ruth? Thanks Caz