Home > Cooking with Kids Recipes > Christmas Recipes > Easy and Delicious Slow Cooker Fudge
ByCerys ParkerPublished on
A little confession I have a bit of a sweet tooth, especially when it comes to chocolate and one of my favourite chocolate flavoured treats is fudge – but I’ve also been a bit terrified of making any after reading my great-grandmother’s book of everything where temperature is so important to make it successful I threw my hands up and walked away.But, I have a friend who has been making basic fudge for a while and says it is EASY – so I gave it a go and here it is Slow Cooker Fudge Recipe so easy even a 3-year-old can make it.
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Making Fudge in the Slow Cooker
Fudge as I said used to terrify me to cook. All the temperature monitoring it was likely to fail especially in a busy house like ours.
However, discovering that chocolate fudge could be made in the slow cooker and it was so simple that even our 3 year old could make it was a revelation.
It’s turned into our goto gift for teachers at Christmas time and we will either make this simple slow cooker fudge or one of our flavoured favourites. Scroll down and we have more that you can make. I’m partial to the Baileys.
The key to making it in the slow cooker is that you have to stir it every so often once it melts so that it thickens up nicely.
Ingredients for Slow Cooker Fudge
We have included affiliate links to ingredients and products to help make this recipe.
For the quantities of ingredients look at the recipe at the bottom these are links to the specific ingredients that we use for our fudge.
Start off by breaking up the chocolate into smaller pieces – you can use any mix of chocolate you want – I love a mix of plain and milk as it makes the fudge a little less sweet but for Christmas, we like to make white chocolate fudge with cranberries in which is a little bit sweeter.
The key is stirring the fudge regularly around about every 10 minutes over the course of the time in the slow cooker.
I use an 8″ square siliconetray lined with greaseproof paper for the fudge to set in. This seems to make the perfect bite-sized portions when cut up.
Watch this Chocolate Orange Fudge Recipe Video and discover the full ingredients at the end and how you can adapt it to make in the slow cooker too!
Shop the Slow Cooker Fudge Recipe
To avoid your meals tasting of the last thing that you cooked I find it really useful to use Slow Cooker Liners – these can be used and then disposed of – reducing washing-up and also meaning that flavours don’t mingle.
I have a large selection of cake tins and baking trays for the slow cooker fudge I like using my Silicone 8inch square tray. As it is much easier to clean up – don’t forget to line it though – although not necessary to stop the fudge sticking this makes it easier to remove the fudge and cut it up without damaging your baking tray.
Slow Cooker Fudge
Cerys Parker
A delicious chocolate fudge made in the slow cooker which is so easy to make.
Cerys is a marine biologist, environmental educator, teacher, mum, and home educator from the UK. She loves getting creative, whether it is with simple and easy crafts and ideas, activities to make learning fun, or delicious recipes that you and your kids can cook together you'll find them all shared here on Rainy Day Mum.
Monitor the Temperature with a Candy Thermometer. If you end up with soft fudge that turns into a puddle in your hands or hard fudge that is a bit reminiscent of a crunchy candy, improper temperature is likely to blame. ...
Avoid Stirring Once the Mixture Comes to a Simmer. ...
You have lots of options here when it comes to making slow cooker fudge - milk chocolate, white chocolate or dark chocolate. The only thing we wouldn't recommend using is cooking chocolate as it has different fat and cocoa solid, so ends up producing an oil, which isn't what you want.
The key to successful, nongrainy fudge is in the cooling, not the cooking. The recipe calls for heating the ingredients to the soft-ball stage, or 234° F, then allowing it to cool undisturbed to approximately 110° F.
You have to control two temperatures to make successful fudge: the cooking temperature AND the temperature at which the mixture cools before stirring to make it crystallize. Confectionery experiments have shown that the ideal cooking temperature for fudge is around 114 to 115 °C (237 to 239 °F).
To avoid this issue, swirl the pan instead of stirring it with a spoon. You can use a wet pastry brush to wipe down any sugar that sticks to the sides of the pot.
If you didn't reach the correct temperature during the cooking process, it might not set properly. Use a candy thermometer to ensure that you reach the recommended temperature. Overcooking or Undercooking:Solution: Cooking the fudge for too long or too short a time can affect its texture.
Candy that isn't cooked long enough will end up too soft; overcooking makes fudge crumbly or hard. High-quality fudge has many small crystals. If the process of crystallization begins too early, fewer crystals form and they become much larger.
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.
Cream of tartar is used in caramel sauces and fudge to help prevent the sugar from crystallizing while cooking. It also prevents cooling sugars from forming brittle crystals, this is why it's the secret ingredient in snickerdoodles!
Stir the ingredients to dissolve the sugar until the mixture comes to a boil. If your recipe uses milk, stirring will keep the mixture from curdling. But once it reaches about 236–238 degrees F/113–114 degrees C (the "soft-ball" stage), do not stir it or even shake the pan.
If it's overcooked (resulting in grainy fudge) or undercooked (resulting in poor setting) all you really need to do is add a bit of cream, reheat the fudge to the target temperature, and let it set again.
termed in kitchen parlance the soft ball stage, that point between 234 and 240 °F (112 and 115 °C) at which a small ball of the candy dropped in ice water neither disintegrates nor flattens when picked up with the fingers.
Overcooking or Undercooking:Solution: Cooking the fudge for too long or too short a time can affect its texture. Follow the recipe instructions closely and use a timer to avoid overcooking.
Stir Constantly: Stir the fudge mixture continuously, especially during the melting process, to prevent burning and ensure even cooking. Use Sweetened Condensed Milk: Sweetened condensed milk adds sweetness and creaminess to fudge, creating a smooth texture.
How do you fix fudge that is too soft? Bring the fudge back to a boil with 1–2 US tbsp (15–30 ml) of cream. 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.
If the sugar crystals are not properly dissolved before cooling, they can create a gritty texture. To avoid this, ensure that you stir the fudge mixture consistently and remove any sugar crystals that form on the sides of the pan using a wet pastry brush.
Introduction: My name is The Hon. Margery Christiansen, I am a bright, adorable, precious, inexpensive, gorgeous, comfortable, happy person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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