Recipe: Golden Fudge with Variations

recipelink.com Chat Room Recipe Swap - 2001-08-25
From: recipelink.com

Golden Fudge with Variations
From: Linda Magee
Newsgroup: rec.food.recipes
Makes 64 pieces

1 cup WHIPPING CREAM or EVAPORATED MILK (not
sweetened evap. milk)
1/2 cup WATER
1/4 cup LIGHT CORN SYRUP
3 TBS BUTTER
3 cups GRANULATED SUGAR
1/2 tsp SALT
1 tsp VANILLA

Butter an 8-inch square baking pan; set aside.

In a 4-quart saucepan, combine milk, water, corn syrup, butter, sugar and salt. Place over medium-high heat and stir with a wooden spoon until mixture comes to a boil. If sugar crystals are present, wash down sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush.

Clip on candy thermometer. Stirring constantly, cook to 238F (115C) or soft-ball stage. Remove from heat. Without stirring, pour vanilla over mixture. Leaving thermometer in the pan, cool mixture to 110F (45C). Remove thermometer. Using wooden spoon, stir mixture for several minutes until it starts to thicken and lose its gloss. Scrape into prepared pan.

Refrigerate 4 hours or until firm.

Cut into 1-inch squares.

VARIATIONS:

CHERRY FUDGE - Cut 32 candied cherries in half. Mark fudge into 1-inch pieces. While still warm, place 1 cherry half on top of each piece.

NUT FUDGE - Stir in 1 cup walnuts, pecans or peanuts before pouring fudge into pan.

CHERRY-NUT FUDGE - Stir in 1/2 cup chopped candied cherries and 1/2 cup unsalted nuts before pouring into pan.

COCONUT FUDGE - Stir in 3/4 cup coconut before pouring into pan.

PINEAPPLE-COCONUT FUDGE - Stir in 1/3 cup chopped candied pineapple, 1/2 tsp pineapple extract and 1/2 cup coconut before pouring fudge into pan.

LEMON or ORANGE FUDGE - Stir in 1 teaspoon lemon or orange extract and 4 drops food color before pouring fudge into pan.