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Butter pecan fudge is a decadent fusion of rich buttery goodness, toasted pecans, and creamy sweetness that melts seamlessly on the palate. This easy fudge recipe perfectly marries the deep, nutty flavor of roasted pecans with the velvety texture of classic fudge. Whether you’re relishing it during the holidays, gifting it to a loved one, or simply satisfying a sweet craving, this fudge promises a luxurious treat bound to become a favorite.
Butter Pecan Fudge Recipe
Homemade fudge offers a taste authenticity store-bought versions often lack, letting you truly appreciate the quality of ingredients and the magic of handcrafted confections. It’s an ideal way to make special occasions even more memorable or lend an ordinary day a sweetness.
Despite its gourmet feel, this butter pecan fudge is easy to prepare. Even novice bakers can achieve perfection with just a handful of ingredients and minimal equipment. The result is consistently divine, ensuring every bite offers a melt-in-the-mouth experience worth savoring.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place pecans in a single layer on a baking sheet. Toast in the oven for about 5 minutes or until you can smell the pecans. You can also toast them in a frying pan over medium heat.
While the pecans toast, grease an8 x 8 baking panwith butter and set aside. You can line it with parchment if you like.
Combine butter, white sugar, brown sugar, whipping cream, and salt in a medium size pot. Heat the mixture over medium heat until it begins to boil, and the bubbles do not disappear when you mix them. It will only take a few minutes to come to a full boil.
Set a time for 5 minutes and stir the mixture constantly while it boils. Once the 5 minutes are up, remove the pan from the heat. Stir in powdered sugar and vanilla. Stir in pecans.
Pour the fudge into your prepared pan. Allow fudge to cool until room temperature before cutting, but preferably 24 hours.
The fudge will be set once it is cooled to room temperature, but I like to give it 24 hours to firm up.
Yield: 1 8x8 pan of fudge
Butter pecan fudge is a decadent fusion of rich buttery goodness, toasted pecans, and creamy sweetness that melts seamlessly on the palate.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time15 minutes
Ingredients
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
Dash of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup of pecans
Instructions
Pace the pecans in a single layer on a baking sheet in a 350-degree oven for about 5 minutes or until you can smell the pecans. You can also toast them in a frying pan over medium heat.
Measure out powdered sugar into a medium bowl and set aside.
Combine butter, white sugar, brown sugar, whipping cream, and salt in a medium-sized pot. Heat the mixture over medium heat until it begins to boil, and the bubbles do not disappear when you mix them. It will only take a few minutes to come to a full boil.
Set a time for 5 minutes and stir the mixture constantly while it boils.
Once the 5 minutes are up, remove the pan from the heat. Stir in powdered sugar and vanilla. Stir in pecans.
Pour the fudge into your prepared pan. Allow fudge to cool until room temperature before cutting, but preferably 24 hours.
Monitor the Temperature with a Candy Thermometer. If you end up with soft fudge that turns into a puddle in your hands or hard fudge that is a bit reminiscent of a crunchy candy, improper temperature is likely to blame. ...
Avoid Stirring Once the Mixture Comes to a Simmer. ...
Cream of tartar is used in caramel sauces and fudge to help prevent the sugar from crystallizing while cooking. It also prevents cooling sugars from forming brittle crystals, this is why it's the secret ingredient in snickerdoodles!
Undercooked. This fudge was cooked until the temperature reached only108 °C (226 °F). At this temperature, the sugar is not concentrated enough... there is too much leftover water in the syrup and the resulting fudge is soft.
The amount of time you cook fudge directly affects its firmness. Too little time and the water won't evaporate, causing the fudge to be soft. Conversely, cook it too long and fudge won't contain enough water, making it hard with a dry, crumbly texture.
Once a seed crystal forms, it grows bigger and bigger as the fudge cools. A lot of big crystals in fudge makes it grainy. By letting the fudge cool without stirring, you avoid creating seed crystals.
It's the size of sugar crystals that makes the knees of fudge lovers buckle…the smaller the crystals, the less they are perceived on the tongue and the more the fudge tastes smooth and creamy. Cooking, and beating after cooking, is the key to successful fudge.
Once the fudge reaches soft-ball stage on the candy thermometer, remove from the heat and let the temperature drop to 110°F. Keep that spoon or spatula out of the pot until this happens. If you stir too early in the process, you'll make the sugar crystals too big and end up with grainy fudge.
Fudge usually behaves this way when it's not cooked to a high enough temperature (due to oversight or a faulty candy thermometer). If your fudge is tough, hard, or grainy, then you may have made one of several mistakes: You may have overcooked it, beaten it too long, or neglected to cool it to the proper temperature.
Stir the ingredients to dissolve the sugar until the mixture comes to a boil. If your recipe uses milk, stirring will keep the mixture from curdling. But once it reaches about 236–238 degrees F/113–114 degrees C (the "soft-ball" stage), do not stir it or even shake the pan.
If your fudge is soft or runny, it probably didn't come up to a high enough temperature while it was cooking. Put it back into the saucepan and add 1–2 US tbsp (15–30 ml) of 35% fat whipping cream.Stir the fudge as it heats, but only until the sugar in the chocolate is completely melted again.
If the temperature is too low, the fudge will be too soft and sticky, and if it's too high, it will turn into a hard, crumbly mess. The ideal temperature to cook fudge is between 232-234 degrees F (111-112 degrees C).
The main reason is that your Fudge has not reached the optimum temperature. If your mixture only reaches 110 or 112 degrees Celsius it will always be soft. That's why we recommend investing in a sugar thermometer. Another reason your Fudge is not setting is that the ratio of liquid to sugar is too high.
OPTION 3) Sieve together some powdered sugar and cocoa powder, and gradually work this into your unset fudge until it reaches the consistency of dough, then roll out and cut into squares, or shape into balls and then roll in powdered sugar (roll the balls in icing sugar, not yourself).
How can you fix soft fudge? Put it in a microwave safe bowl that is large enough that it won't boil over. Reheat it to the boiling point and cook for about 3 more minutes. Then you can beat some powdered sugar into it if this doesn't make it set.
The ingredients for fudge are combined and cooked to 234 degrees, cooled to 110 degrees without stirring, then beaten until creamy. Candy that isn't cooked long enough will end up too soft; overcooking makes fudge crumbly or hard.
termed in kitchen parlance the soft ball stage, that point between 234 and 240 °F (112 and 115 °C) at which a small ball of the candy dropped in ice water neither disintegrates nor flattens when picked up with the fingers.
So, the key to smooth yet firm fudge, pralines, and fondant is to first bring the mixture to a high enough concentration and then let it cool off somewhat before starting to stir. And once you do start to stir, stir fanatically and without stopping for the finest, creamiest texture.
Introduction: My name is Trent Wehner, I am a talented, brainy, zealous, light, funny, gleaming, attractive person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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