This Creamy Chocolate Fudge has always been one of my favorite holiday treats. Its rich, silky, and packed with deep chocolate flavor in every bite. It’s quick to make, foolproof, and turns out perfectly smooth every time. The marshmallows give it that classic creamy texture, and it sets up beautifully for slicing and sharing. It is so dang easy, not like that temperamental toffee that I can only get to work 1/3 of the time, or time-consuming like wrapping caramels. You can make it in less than a half hour, let it chill in the fridge for up to a couple of days, then cut it into squares and deliver it. Or eat it all yourself.
Ingredients Needed
- evaporated milk
- granulated sugar
- mini marshmallows
- milk chocolate chips
- semi-sweet chocolate chips
- butter
- vanilla
How to Make Creamy Chocolate Fudge
- Cook milk, sugar, and marshmallows in a saucepan over medium heat until the mixture reaches 240°F, stirring often.
- Line a 9×13 pan with foil, spray with nonstick spray, and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine butter, chocolate chips, and vanilla.
- Pour hot marshmallow mixture over the chocolate mixture and beat until smooth, less glossy, and slightly thickened.
- Spread into the prepared pan, chill until firm, and cut into squares.
Storage & Other Tips
- Remember to calibrate your candy thermometer before beginning. There are people in the comments who had a tough time getting this to set up. The person we got the recipe from chimed in and said she just boils it for ten minutes, and does not use a candy thermometer. Some say they had best luck cooking to 235°F, others needed it to go to 240°F. There are a lot of factors that come into play with any candy recipe, like humidity, sea level, and calibration of your candy thermometer.
- Want to make a double batch? Listen closely. This recipe does not double well. We can’t pinpoint exactly why, but it doesn’t seem to set up quite right when I’ve tried it. We recommend making one batch at a time.
- Marshmallow cream: several people in the comments say they make this exact recipe, but it uses marshmallow cream instead of fresh marshmallows. We aren’t sure of how much cream to add instead of marshmallows, but if you know, let us know in the comments!
- Set it evenly: use high-quality chocolate and don’t rush the mixing step. The mixture should just be starting to lose it’s sheen.
- Line your pan: line your pan with foil overhang and non-stick spray so you can lift the fudge easily and cut clean squares.
- To cut: pull the fudge from the fridge 10 – 15 minutes before serving so it isn’t too hard, making it easier to cut and eat. Use a knife warmed under hot water and wiped dry between cuts for cleaner slices.
- Mix-Ins: For variety, feel free to add mix-ins: chopped nuts, peppermint marshmallows and candy cane chips, swirls of peanut butter, or flavored marshmallows before chilling.
- Storage: store the fudge in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. Keep it in the coolest part of the fridge for best texture, and away from other smelly foods, as chocolate tends to absorb odors easily.
- Freezing: you can freeze it for longer storage. Wrap squares between layers of wax or parchment paper so they don’t stick together, and thaw in the fridge before serving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use a different size pan, or make half the batch?
Yes, you can use a smaller or larger pan (adjusting thickness accordingly), or halve the ingredients. The key is mixing well, and set the fudge fully.
How do I get clean, neat squares when cutting?
Use foil or parchment with overhang so you can lift the fudge out of the pan. Chill fully, and use a sharp knife (warming the blade under hot water, drying it) for clean cuts.
Will this fudge melt or become too soft at room temperature?
Since the mixture uses marshmallows and chilled thoroughly, it holds it’s shape pretty well. But if your environment is warm, store it in the fridge until serving for best texture.
Can I freeze leftover fudge?
Yes. Wrap squares between parchment or wax paper, then place in an airtight container and freeze. Thaw in the fridge before serving.
Creamy Chocolate Fudge
This fudge is quick, easy, and so so good. It makes a lot too, which means a lot of happy people with very little effort on your part.
Servings 1″ squares
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 12-ounce can evaporated milk
- 4 cups granulated sugar
- 2 ¼ cups mini marshmallows
- 1 12-ounce bag milk chocolate chips
- ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup butter 2 sticks
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Prepare the butter, chocolate chips, and vanilla in a large glass or metal bowl, or the bowl of your stand mixer. Set aside. (You want this done first, as they need to be added quickly later on.)
- Line a 9×13″ pan with foil and spray it with non-stick cooking spray and set it aside.
- In a large heavy saucepan, combine the milk, sugar, and marshmallows and insert a candy thermometer into the mixture. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently (constantly at the end) until the temperature reaches 240℉, boiling it for 10 minutes. It should be a nice caramel color and be getting pretty thick. Also be sure to scrape the sides of the pan and remove the residue where the sugar builds up to avoid getting sugar crystals in the mixture.The original creator of this recipe chimed in in our comments. She doesn't use a thermometer, she just boils it for ten minutes. Some readers have had better luck cooking to 235°F, some say they needed it to go to 240°F. There are a lot of factors. Watch the consistency and color if in doubt.
- When the marshmallow mixture is cooked, pour it over the chocolate chip mixture. Beat the mixture with a hand-held electric mixer, your stand mixer, or a hand-held whisk on low speed until the mixture is well-combined, smooth, and just starting to lose its sheen. Pour it into the prepared pan.
- Chill completely in the refrigerator before cutting into 1″ squares.
Notes
A Note About Temperatures:
- If your fudge turns out too runny, it could be due to all sorts of factors like elevation, humidity, your candy thermometer being even a few degrees off (I would venture to say that most of them are). If you make it again, I would try cooking it to 240.
- Many comments said this recipe has been a family staple for a long time, but they use marshmallow cream instead of fresh marshmallows. I’m not sure of how much cream to put in, but feel free to give it a try! If you do, let us know how it went!
- Use peppermint marshmallows and top with chopped Andes mints for peppermint fudge.
- Use 1/2 chocolate chips and 1/2 peanut butter chips (in 2 separate bowls) and then swirl the two mixtures together for peanut butter fudge.
- Add 1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts or pecans.
- Top with chopped walnuts or pecans and marshmallows for rocky road fudge.
Nutrition
Calories: 48kcal, Carbohydrates: 8g, Protein: 0.1g, Fat: 2g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 0.5g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 4mg, Sodium: 13mg, Potassium: 5mg, Fiber: 0.1g, Sugar: 8g, Vitamin A: 49IU, Calcium: 1mg, Iron: 0.1mg
Calories: 48kcal
Cost: $7
Did You Make This Recipe?Snap a picture, and hashtag it #ourbestbites. We love to see your creations on our Instagram @ourbestbites!
Questions & Reviews
YUM! I made the peppermint version (using the peppermint marshmallows, milk and semi sweet chocolate chips and then sprinkled the Andes chips on top after) but I must have done something wrong! It was so soft (even though it was sooo delicious) it didn’t ever feel like my grandma’s fudge or other people’s that I have tried. Do you think that my thermometer was just off? How long does it usually take to get to 230 degrees? And I wasn’t sure how long to mix it to “lose the sheen”. I have bad lighting in my kitchen and I mixed it for a while (like 10 minutes?) but I want to make it again since it was sooo good but want it to be more firm! Help Kate!!
Thank you Kate for giving me my first positive fudge experience ever! I’ve always failed with it before, but this was so easy and perfect and delicious!
Confession, in case it helps anyone else: I didn’t have a candy thermometer and it still turned out! I always break them, but I bought a new one just for this but it was too cheap and unreliable to use. 🙁 So someone had mentioned another website with a similar recipe. That one said to boil for 10 minutes. That’s what I did (without a thermometer) and it turned out great. I know there was a lot of luck involved, but it really was my first fudge success ever after many attempts over the years!
Whoa–in the text, you said to cook the marshmallow mixture to 230 degrees, but the printed copy says 240. Could that be my problem? It was kind of hard to get it higher than 230. Which is right?
I changed it to 240 because technically, that’s the proper fudge temp, but every time I’ve cooked it to 240, it dries out very quickly and is pretty crumbly. So I originally had it at 230, but everyone was saying their fudge was too soft. If you cook it for a good 5-10 minutes at 230 and it won’t go higher, you’re probably good to go.
I made this fudge and have to say that it is THE BEST fudge recipe I have ever made!!! Oh my, soooo creamy. I have been on the search for years for the perfect recipe and thanks to you beautiful ladies I now have found it.
One thing I did, is I made some for a gift and it wasn’t set up in time, so I poured it into a cute little jar, put a cute lid on, and tied a spoon onto the jar with some nice ribbon, and called it “Jar of Fudge”. It worked well, because the fudge turned out soft anyway, so it was easy to eat it with a spoon! Your own little treat to keep stashed away. I think I got the idea from how you put your hot fudge sauce in a jar and gave it away like that. Thanks!
aww, bummer. Mine did not set up right. It’s soft, more like thick frosting. It’s yummy off the spoon though.
Never mind I just read comments above and found my answer- sorry to repost!
Congrats on the baby! I am excited to make this for our neighbor treats. thanks for sharing!
Oh my goodness, this is the best fudge ever! Thank you so much!
I prefer to use marshmallow fluff as opposed to the actual marshmallow.
You can use any flavor of chips with this, I do it with peanut butter.
I made this today and it was delicious! I’ve tried making my mom’s traditional fudge about half a dozen times, and I’ve never gotten it to turn out right. It’s either gritty or too soft, but this was just right. I used semi-sweet chocolate chips instead of milk chocolate, but next time I think I might use a mix of dark chocolate chips and semi-sweet. Mmm! Oh, and I just generously greased a glass 9×13 dish with butter instead of dealing with foil and cooking spray, and it worked out just fine.