Recipe: Fudge Recipes: Penuche-Brown Sugar, Macadamia-Orange, Marshmallow, Pistachio Swirl and Chocolate Butterscotch

Dear Anne: One of my clearest memories is a wonderful visit that some girls in our grade school made to Nancy Brown (a little girls from Atlanta)who studied at the Liceo Ponce o with us, at la Rambla, in Ponce, Puerto Rico. Our mothers were invited and Nancy's mother prepared so many wonderful things that during the afternoon we mostly ate all the typical North American delicacies with admiration and gratitude. That was my first experience with North American cooking and it was great! The fudge was the best part of the Menu and even today I love fudge.

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PENUCHE-BROWN SUGAR FUDGE
Makes 1 pound of fudge

1 cup white granulated sugar
1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 cup heavy (whipping) cream
3 tbsp molasses*
2 squares (1 oz each) unsweetened chocolate
4 tbsp butter (1/2 stick)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

STEP 1: PREPARE: Prewarm the thermometer in hot water; use a 2-quart saucepan; butter the upper sides (inside) of the saucepan; measure all ingredients except the vanilla and optionals, and dump into the saucepan. Grease and if necessary, line a 5x10-inch pan. Fill glass with ice cubes and water and the sink with 1/2 inch of cold water.

STEP 2: Dissolve the sugar, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, over low heat until the butter melts, the gritty sounds cease, and the spoon glides smoothly over the bottom of the pan. Increase the heat to medium and bring to a boil.

STEP 3: Boil, after washing down any crystals that may have formed, with a pastry brush dipped in hot water from the thermometer bath, using as little water as possible. Introduce the prewarmed thermometer. Reduce the heat while keeping the fudge at a boil. Stir no more than necessary.

STEP 4: Test the fudge mixture in the ice-cold water when the mixture thickens and bubbles become noisy. Ball, formed in ice water, should hold its shape until the heat from your had begins to flatten it and should be al dente slightly chewy - between 230 and 240 degrees F. Because of the molasses and brown sugar, it can ball at a lower temperature than some other fudges.

STEP 5: Shock by placing the saucepan in the cold water in the sink.

STEP 6: Seed by adding, without stirring, the vanilla. Then allow to cool.

STEP 7: Stir when luke warm and "skin" forms on the top (110 degrees F). Return the thermometer to its hot water bath to soak clean. Stir the fudge thoroughly but not vigorously by hand, with an electric mixer, or with a food processor. Pause frequently to allow the fudge to react.

STEP 8: Watch for the fudge to thicken, lose its sheen, and become lighter in color or streaked with lighter shade, give off some heat, suddenly stiffen. If mixing by had, the fudge will "snap" with each stroke; by mixer, mixer waves will become very distinct, by food processor, fudge will flow sluggishly back to the center when the processor is stopped.

STEP 9: Add the optionals (1/2 cup chopped nuts (walnuts, pecans, or hazelnuts (filberts) before the fudge totally candies.

STEP 10: Pour, score, and store when cool in an airtight container in the refrigerator or at room temperature.

Recipe is easily doubled and can be frozen.

*This is to taste. The original recipe called for 4 tablespoons molasses.

VARIATIONS:

HONEY BROWN SUGAR FUDGE:
In Step 1, eleminate the unsweetened chocolate and replace the molasses with 1/4 cup of honey. The honey causes the fudge to ball at a higher temperature.

CHOCOLATE HONEY BROWN SUGAR FUDGE:
In Step 1, replace the heavy cream with light cream or evaporated milk and replace the molasses with 1/4 cup of honey.

ORANGE BROWN SUGAR FUDGE:
In Step 1, eleminate molasses, chocolate but add 1 Tbl corn syrup. In Step 6, add 1 Tbl grated orange zest, plus if you can get it, 1 tsp of pure orange extract.

PEANUT BUTTER BROWN SUGAR FUDGE:
In Step 1, eliminate the molasses and chocolate, replace the heavy cream with 1/4 cup of milk and 1/4 cup of creamy peanut butter. To intensify the peanut butter flavor, add 1/3 of a cup of salted peanuts in Step 9.

PRALINE BROWN SUGAR FUDGE:
In Step 1, eliminating the molasses is optional -- you'ss get a more Southern praline with it, a milder one without it--or compromise and use only 1 Tbls. Eliminate the chocolate. In Step 3, when the mixture begins to thicken, add 1 1/2 cups of pecan halves slowly so as not to break the boil or cool the mixture too quickly.

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MACADAMIA-ORANGE FUDGE (microwave)
Source: McCall's magazine, January 1990 )
Makes 2 pounds

1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 (5 oz) can evaporated milk (2/3 cup)
2 cups miniature marshmallows
1 (6 ounce) pkg. semisweet chocolate pieces
3/4 cup macadamia nuts, chopped
1 tbsp orange-flavored liqueur (Grand Manier or Quantr )

Line an 8-inch square pan with foil.

Melt butter in a glass bowl in microwave on HIGH, 1 minute.

Stir in sugar and milk. Microwave on HIGH for 8 minutes, stirring every 3 minutes.

Add marshmallows and chocolate; stir and reheat until smooth.

Stir in nuts and liqueur. Pour into prepared pan. Chill until firm, then cut into pieces.

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MARSHMALLOW FUDGE

1 cup milk
2 1/2 cups sugar
2 tbsp light corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla
2 squares (1 oz each) unsweetened chocolate*
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp butter or margarine
12 marshmallows

Heat milk and chocolate together in heavy saucepan over low heat until chocolate is melted. Add sugar, salt and corn syrup. Cook, stirring until boiling starts. Cover and boil 3 minutes to wash down sugar crystals from pan sides. Uncover. Cook without stirring until thermometer reaches 232 degrees F. Remove from heat and cool without stirring to lukewarm.

Add vanilla and beat until fudge thickens and looses it's gloss.

Cut each marshmallow into 8 pieces and stir into fudge. Turn into greased pan. Cut into squares when firm.

*6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder may be substituted for the unsweetened chocolate squares.

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PISTACHIO SWIRL FUDGE
Source: 1,001 Home Ideas magazine, February 1990
Makes 50

1 (3 oz.) pkg. cream cheese
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk, divided use
1/2 tsp vanilla
3 pkg. (6 oz. each) semisweet chocolate pieces
1 tbsp unsalted butter or margarine
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pistachio nuts

Place cream cheese in small glass bowl of electric mixer or in a 1-quart microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on HIGH (100%) 15 to 25 seconds or until cream cheese has softened.

Add 2 tablespoons of the sweetened condensed milk and the vanilla to the cream cheese. Beat on low speed just until mixture is smooth; set aside.

Place remaining sweetened condensed milk, semisweet chocolate and butter in a 2 1/2-quart microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on medium (50%) 2 to 3 1/2 minutes or until mixture can be stirred smooth and is glossy, stirring twice.

Stir in pistachio nuts. Spread chocolate mixture evenly into prepared pan. Drop cream cheese mixture, by spoonfuls, over chocolate; swirl lightly over chocolate. Let stand until firm or place in refrigerator.

Cut into 25 even squares by making 4 lengthwise and 4 crosswise cuts equidistant from each other, then cut each square diagonally in half.

Store in airtight container with waxed paper between layers. Keeps best if refrigerated.

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CHOCOLATE BUTTERSCOTCH FUDGE
Source: Farm Journal's Choice Chocolate Recipes, 1979
Makes 36 pieces

"An original recipe from a Georgia homemaker. She combined three different fudge recipes and came up with this fast fix fudge that doesn't require refrigeration."

1 cup sugar
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup water
1 (6 oz) pkg semisweet chocolate pieces
1 (6 oz) butterscotch flavored pieces
1/4 cup butter or regular margarine
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup chopped walnuts

Combine sugar, sweetened condensed milk, 1/2 cup water, chocolate and butterscotch pieces in 3-quart heavy saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, to soft ball stage (234 degrees F). Remove from heat.

Combine butter and vanilla in mixing bowl. Pour hot mixture into bowl. Beat with electric mixer at high speed until mixture starts to thicken.

Stir in walnuts. Spread into greased 9-inch square baking pan. Cool and cut in 1 1/2-inch squares.