This is where it all started. On my other blog, I wrote a post entitled ‘What DO you do about fudge that hasn’t set?’. That post ended up having the highest number of views out of all my posts. Months after I posted it, visitors were finding their way to that post every day in search of solutions to their fudge setting problems, and thus the idea for this site was born. These were the tips I gave on that post…
Options for what you can do with your unset fudge:
OPTION 1) Depending on how runny it is, you can either use it as a frosting for cakes, or a sauce for ice-cream.
OPTION 2) Freeze it overnight. Cut it into squares. Cover eachsquare thickly in melted chocolate, ensuring no part of the fudge is exposed. Cross your fingers and hope that the chocolate sets firmly before the fudge starts to thaw, and later impress your friends as you present them with your soft-centred chocolates.
OPTION 3) Sieve together somepowdered sugar and cocoa powder, and gradually work this into your unset fudge until it reachesthe consistency of dough, then roll out and cut into squares, or shape into balls and then roll inpowdered sugar (roll the balls in icing sugar, not yourself).
OPTION 4) If you think the reason it didn’t set was because you didn’t heat it to the right temperature, you could try putting it back into the pan and re-cooking.
How to make sure you get it right next time:
– Follow the recipe exactly. Cooked fudge, like any candy-making, is a pretty exact science, so ensure you measure ingredients carefully, add them in the right order, and heat to the right temperature (don’t guess, use a candy thermometer).
– Use a heavy based pan to prevent it burning on the bottom, and heat the mixture up to the required temperature nice and slowly.
– Once it has reached the required temperature, keep it on a rolling boil until it reaches the soft ball stage (a small amount dropped into cold water turns into a pliable ball).
– When you remove it from the heat, leave it in the pan to cool by a couple of degrees before stirring it or pouring it out.
If everything fails:
Give up on making cooked fudge, and search online for the many delicious recipes for no-cook fudge available. Yes, I could have posted some of those here, but I’m not going to do ALL the work for you.
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PHOTO CREDIT:
Kasey Albano –http://superfloss.deviantart.com/
Sourced from –http://www.sxc.hu/
FAQs
OPTION 1) Depending on how runny it is, you can either use it as a frosting for cakes, or a sauce for ice-cream. OPTION 2) Freeze it overnight. Cut it into squares. Cover each square thickly in melted chocolate, ensuring no part of the fudge is exposed.
How can I fix runny fudge? ›
If your fudge is soft or runny, it probably didn't come up to a high enough temperature while it was cooking. Put it back into the saucepan and add 1–2 US tbsp (15–30 ml) of 35% fat whipping cream. Stir the fudge as it heats, but only until the sugar in the chocolate is completely melted again.
How to soften fudge that is hard? ›
Keep a bowl of water inside the microwave along with the fudge to create moisture for the pieces to inhale. Next, microwave the fudge pieces for just 10 seconds. So it will become soft but it won't have the correct consistency as before.
Why did my fudge stay soft? ›
If there is too much evaporation, when the cooking time is too long, there will not be enough water left in the fudge and it will be too hard. Conversely, if the cooking time is too brief and there is not enough evaporation, too much water will remain and the fudge will be too soft.
Can fudge be melted and reset? ›
In principle for traditional fudge you could re-heat it by adding more liquid so that the sugars dissolve. You would then need to evaporate the excess liquid (but don't exceed the soft-ball stage at 237 F/114 C) to recreate your supersaturated solution.
Can you save fudge that didn't set? ›
Options for what you can do with your unset fudge:
OPTION 1) Depending on how runny it is, you can either use it as a frosting for cakes, or a sauce for ice-cream. OPTION 2) Freeze it overnight. Cut it into squares.
Why isn't my fudge setting? ›
The main reason is that your Fudge has not reached the optimum temperature. If your mixture only reaches 110 or 112 degrees Celsius it will always be soft. That's why we recommend investing in a sugar thermometer. Another reason your Fudge is not setting is that the ratio of liquid to sugar is too high.
How do you salvage hard fudge? ›
Grab the saucepan that you initially used to cook the fudge and toss the fudge back in along with 1 ½ cups of water and a splash of cream. Adding some cream of tartar is a helpful way to keep the sugar crystals at bay as well — it's not essential, but if you have some, definitely pour a little in.
Can you save crumbly fudge? ›
The solution? A fudge do-over. Even though it set up properly, I threw it back into a saucepan with about 1 1/2 cups of water and gently heated the mixture to dissolve the fudge into the water. From there, I pretty much re-did the whole cooking process.
Do you put fudge in the fridge to set? ›
Let the fudge rest at room temperature for 15 minutes before placing in the refrigerator, uncovered. Refrigerate until the fudge is firm, about 2-3 hours (or overnight), before slicing and serving.
We like to set this fudge in the freezer to make it quicker! Once you add the fudge to your pan it will need just 30 minutes in the freezer to set.
How long does it take for fudge to set? ›
Proper fudge will set after sitting at room temperature for about 4 hours. Understand that cooking the fudge properly is the skirmish before the war.
How do you rescue unset fudge? ›
To fix oily, hard or grainy fudge, scoop the fudge back into a pot with about a cup of water. Cook it over low heat until the fudge dissolves. Then bring the fudge back up to the temperature specified in the recipe and follow the remaining steps. The flavor may be slightly diluted, but the texture will be improved.
How to get fudge to harden? ›
Harden the fudge: Place your container or tins in the fridge for 2 hours, which is the time it takes for the fudge to set. Once it's hardened, cut the fudge into 12 pieces or remove it from the muffin tins. Store in the fridge or the freezer (if you don't devour it right away).
What is the secret to good fudge? ›
Don't stir!
Once the fudge reaches soft-ball stage on the candy thermometer, remove from the heat and let the temperature drop to 110°F. Keep that spoon or spatula out of the pot until this happens. If you stir too early in the process, you'll make the sugar crystals too big and end up with grainy fudge.
Can I reboil my fudge? ›
OMG My fudge is grainy, what do I do? -
Pop the grainy fudge back into the pan along with some water and a little cream and melt the fudge back down to a liquid and re-boil it to temperature. Heat slowly to begin with and make sure the mixture goes completely smooth before bringing it to the boil.
How long does it take for fudge to thicken? ›
Beat the mixture until it just loses it's shine and becomes very thick (this should take about 5-10 minutes). The longer you beat once it starts to thicken then the more crumbly the final fudge will be. If you like it smooth - beat it only until comes away from the sides of the pan and sticks well to the spoon.
How do you thicken hot fudge? ›
Cornflour/Cornstarch: Mix a small amount with cold milk or water to create a smooth paste. Whisk this into your hot chocolate towards the end of the cooking process until it thickens.
