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Candies and Candy Making: Fudge

Recipes giving the number of minutes to boil fudge are suggestive but require the use of good judgment. Fudge should always be boiled to the soft ball degree, which may be tested by dropping half a teaspoonful into cold water. If this can be rolled into a soft ball with the fingers without sticking, the fudge is done. It should then be removed from the fire to a cool place, allowed to stand until it becomes lukewarm and then stirred or beaten until the mixture sets. Some actual experience and observation is necessary to know just when to remove the fudge from the fire and also when to cease stirring and pour it into the pan, but with ordinary pains anyone can make good fudge from the following recipes.

A great variety of excellent candies may be made by adding to plain fudge nut meats and other toothsome dainties of different kinds. Several of the best known and most popular recipes for fudge are as follows, but if the directions given for plain fudge are closely followed, these may be altered or modified by experiment in other particulars almost at will.

Smith College Fudge. -Boil for about five minutes or to the soft ball degree, three cups granulated sugar, 3/4 cup milk, and two squares chocolate. Remove from the fire, let cool until lukewarm, and beat in a piece of butter the size of an egg and one teaspoon vanilla.

Nut Fudge. - Use either of the foregoing recipes, but when stirring in the flavoring add also one cup of any kind or assortment of nut meats.

Marshmallow Fudge. - Follow either of the foregoing recipes with or without the nut meats and beat in also one cup of marshmallows cut fine. Scatter evenly over a buttered tin in which the fudge is poured out to cool, another cup of chopped marshmallows. Cut into squares to serve. Fudge Nougat.-Boil together to the soft ball degree, 2 cups granulated sugar, 1 cup milk, 1 tablespoon butter, and a pinch of salt. Remove from the fire, add the juice of half an orange, beat one minute and add one cup raisins, figs, and chopped nuts mixed together. Pour out to cool into a buttered pan, and cut into squares to serve.

Lemon Cocoanut Fudge.-Boil together for 12 minutes 1 lb. granulated sugar, juice of 2 lemons, grated rind of 1 lemon, 1/2 cup cocoanut and a piece of butter the size of an English walnut. Remove from the fire and beat to the consistency of cream.

Pour to cool on buttered tins and cut into squares to serve.

Sultana Fudge.-Boil together to the soft ball degree 3 cups granulated sugar, 1½ cup milk, 2 cups molasses, and 2 squares chocolate. Remove from the fire and thoroughly beat in 1/2 cup nut meats and 1/2 cup Sultana raisins. When the mixture thickens, turn out into a buttered pan and cut into squares to serve.