Everyone Loves Fudge: All Natural Fudge Recipes

Everyone loves Fudge, most likely because there's a flavor for everyone! Fudge is a firm yet smooth candy coming in many flavors. The key to successful fudge is controlling the crystallization of sugar. Getting these crystals to form at the right time is the trick.

The origins of fudge are a bit vague. The popular story is that Fudge comes from an accidentally "fudged" batch of caramels in 1886.It's believed to be one of the many accidental inventions of America. A letter written by Emelyn Battersby Hartridge was found in Vassar College archives, in which she speaks of a classmate's cousin making fudge in 1886 and selling it for 40 cents a pound in Baltimore.

I fell in love with fudge when I was a kid. My family and I used to visit my grandmother in Delaware every summer. She lived on the border of Delaware and Maryland. So it wasn't uncommon for us to drive to Ocean City Maryland and spend some time on the boardwalk. There we would stop into Candy Kitchen, a phenomenal candy store, and buy loads of fudge, peanut butter cups and peanut brittle. We stopped going to Delaware every summer and I had temporarily gotten over my fudge addiction. That was until one of my cousins brought us some homemade Rocky Road Fudge and I fell in love with it again. Since then I've been determined to learn how to make it. I've stumbled upon several recipes in that time. As I have started living a more natural lifestyle, I have adapted recipes. Check them out below.

Nothing beats an original. This is a simple recipe for basic chocolate fudge, that's sure to please any chocolate lover. It's also the best recipe to try when you're just starting out with fudge.

Servings: 60 Squares

Ingredients You'll Need

• 2 Cups of raw cane sugar, or coconut palm sugar
• 1/2 Cup of raw cacao powder or organic cocoa powder
• 1 Cup of organic whole milk or raw whole milk
• 4 Tbsp of organic butter or raw butter
• 1 Tsp of organic pure vanilla extract

Directions

1. Grease a square baking pan (8x8 In.).
2. In a medium saucepan, mix the sugar, cocoa and milk until well blended.
3. Bring to a boil and stir constantly.
4. Lower the heat and let it simmer. Don't stir again.
5. You can either put a candy thermometer in the pan and cook the fudge until it reaches 238°F, or cook it until a drop of the fudge mixed into cold water forms a soft ball able to be molded. If you can't flatten it when you press it between your fingers, then the consistency is wrong.
6. Remove the fudge from the heat and add butter and vanilla extract.
7. With a wooden spoon, beat the fudge until it loses it's sheen.
8. Pour the fudge into the greased baking pan.
9. Let it cool until firm.
10. Cut it into squares.

This recipe involves the ultimate combination of peanut butter and chocolate. Think Reese's in fudge form. It's absolutely divine!

Servings: 64

Ingredients You'll Need

• 1/2 cup of coconut oil, slightly melted
• 1/2 cup of organic cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup of organic peanut butter or homemade peanut butter
• 1/4 cup of raw honey
• 1/2 tsp of organic pure vanilla extract

Directions

1. Place 10 liners in a muffin pan.
2. Put all of your ingredients into your food processor's bowl.
3. Pulse a few times until the miture is well combined and nice and smooth. Don't overdo it with mixing.
4. Pour the fudge mixture into the 10 muffin liners.
5. Put the pan in the fridge for about 30 minutes or until the fudge is firm.
6. Remove the liners with the fudge inside and serve.

Note: You can sub the peanut butter for a nut butter like almond butter or a seed butter like pumpkin seed butter depending on your tastes or allergy concerns.

Ingredients

• 3 Cups Organic Whole Milk or Raw Whole Milk
• 1 Cup Organic Whole Cane Sugar or 3/4 Cup Raw Honey
• 2 Tbs Organic Butter or Raw Butter (Optional)
• 1 Tsp Organic Pure Vanilla Extract (Optional)

Directions

1. Pour the cold milk in a medium saucepan.
2. Set over low heat.
3. With a wooden spoon, stir in the whole cane sugar or raw honey.
4. Stir until well combined.
5. Warm the milk and sugar/honey over a low heat until steam rises. Keep the temperature low so the milk doesn't curdle.
6. Let it steam half it's volume. About 4 hours. (A skin may form on the surface but that's ok. Just skim it off if you want).
7. When your milk has reached the consistency you're looking for, remove it from heat and pour into a glass jar.
8. If you like, you can stir in vanilla extract and butter until combine.
9. Put the cap on tight and refrigerate.

Note: Your homemade condensed milke should last a few weeks in the refrigerator. You'll know when it's gone bad by the smell and consistency changes.

As a coffee addict, this recipe was a dream come true! This combines the deliciousness of coffee, chocolate and cinnamon into smooth fudge.

Servings: 16

Ingredients You'll Need

• 3 Cups of organic semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 Can of sweetened almond, cashew or homemade condensed milk (recipe to the right)
• 2 Tbsp of strong brewed organic coffee, room temperature (decaf if you're making this with children in mind)
• 1 Tsp of organic cinnamon, ground
• 1/8 Tsp of Himalayan pink (sea) salt or Celtic sea salt
• 1 Tsp of organic pure vanilla extract

Directions

1. Use organic or raw butter to grease a square pan (8 In.)
2. In a microwave safe bowl, combine the chocolate chips, condensed milk (or sub), coffee, salt and cinnamon.
3. Microwave for one minute uncovered.
4. Stir until it's smooth.
5. Stir in vanilla extract.
6. Spread into the greased pan.
7. Cover the fudge and refrigerate it until it's firm.
8. Cut into squares.

Note: I don't usually advocate for cookin in a microwave, but I don't have the cook times or temperatures for over the stove. If you try to make it over the stove, let me know in the comments how it worked for you.

Hope you enjoy these all natural fudge recipes!

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