Fudge Is The Original Old Time Family Favorite Chocolate Sweet Treat

By Author: Anna McAnthony
Total Articles: 15
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Everybody enjoys flavorful, rich fudge, but people think of it as a hassle to make themselves. The original recipes for fudge were very difficult and often vague. Difficulty depended on how good the equipment was, the ingredients, which recipe was used and patience . Also, being aware of the cooking time, accurate measurements and nonstop stirring were critical for perfect fudge. Bringing the ingredients to the right temperature, and stirring at the proper time are also important to make the fudge smooth and creamy and not gritty. It can also be quite easy to under or over cook this sweet confectionery treat, which often results in the candy not setting up or the unsatisfying taste of scorched ingredients.

According to legend, (although uncertain) fudge was accidentally developed by a batch of failed candy; likely caramels, around the year 1886. From this flawed candy batch came the exclamation of or the phrase 'oh, fudge!' The very first written documentation of fudge was in a letter from New York. Emelyn Battersby Hartidge, a student from Vassar College, stated that the cousin of a classmate made fudge. In Baltimore ...
... in 1886, the confectionery cost 40 cents a pound. Emelyn procured the recipe two years later and made 30 pounds for the Senior Auction. Other colleges (Smith and Wellesley) then made their own fudge recipes.

Compared to other sweets and candies dating back a thousand years or more, fudge is relatively young. Some of the earliest fudge flavors included vanilla, chocolate and brown sugar penuche. Mackinac Island, Michigan has become the fudge capital of America. And nowadays the fudge flavors or mixtures of ingredients are almost endless. A few of them are: vanilla cherry chocolate chip, raspberry coffee, lemon butter, vanilla caramel, chocolate cappuccino, maple walnut, dark chocolate, peanut butter, chocolate caramel pecan and chocolate cheesecake.

While the word fudge has other meanings, none are synonymous with the traditional, family favorite, premium chocolate fudge. In America, almost always, the word fudge means the wonderful, rich and creamy chocolate candy. Sometimes you will see the word fudge is used on packaging of cakes and brownies, but this simply means they've got some additional chocolate flavor.

When it is defined, fudge is a confectionery treat that is creamy and rich. A soft confection, usually extremely smooth and made using sweet cream, sugar, corn syrup, fresh butter and sometimes different sensational flavorings. Flavorings could be vanilla, butterscotch, chocolate, white chocolate, Kahlua, buttermilk, kool aid, peanut butter, flavored gelatin, bourbon, maple, mint or even pumpkin. Fudge may have various nuts, including pecans, hazelnuts, pistachios, walnuts, roasted macadamia nuts, and almonds. Other ingredients that can be found in some of the more uncommon or decadent fudge could be: crackers, popcorn, crushed candy canes, cheese, lime peel, pineapple chunks, candy bars, coconut, espresso beans, caramel, cookies, chocolate chips, marshmallows, chocolate chunks, or cherries and other dried or candied fruit.

Author's Bio: Anna McAnthony is a staff writer for http://www.chocolategourmetcandy.com, and has been writing articles and researching chocolate for a number of years. Visit http://www.chocolategourmetcandy.com for more information.