Grandma Forlow’s Simple Fudge

This is my grandmother’s fudge recipe. She used to mail us a jar whenever someone had a birthday, and if the fudge got a little melty and strangely shaped in the mail, it was still delicious and made with love. I still have the copy of the recipe that she wrote down for me when I was ten. The first line was written by me, but then you can tell my grandma got a little impatient slowly dictating the recipe to me and took over. To this day, she still has a bit too much of a sweet tooth, much to her children and grandchildren’s chagrin.

The fudge is rich and perfectly sweet and creamy. I enjoy topping it with delicate sea salt flakes to add an extra bit of salt, but it doesn’t really need it. They’re perfect for dessert, a mid-day snack, or really any other time you have an excuse.

I will be completely honest with you, despite the fact that I’ve been making this recipe with my grandma since I was old enough to hold a spoon, when I went to make it for this blog post, I very confidently misremembered the recipe and added an extra 12 ounces of chocolate chips. As I was melting the chocolate together with the sweetened condensed milk on the stovetop, I thought to myself well this seems a bit too thick, maybe I should check the recipe…

Luckily, I had some extra sweetened condensed milk on hand and I was able to add another nine-ish ounces. Everything evened out just fine and I ended up with a bit more fudge than I planned for. A truly horrible fate, as I’m sure we can all agree.

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Ingredients and Substitutions

There aren’t too many ingredients to substitute in this recipe. Dairy-free sweetened condensed milk is available (see here and here) and will work just as well. If you have a dairy sensitivity, make sure to also get dairy free chocolate chips! I like these ones from Guittard.

There’s so much room for improvisation in this recipe! I’ve added flaky sea salt and rose petals on top of these, but you can mix in or top the fudge with any number of things! Mixing in chopped nuts is a classic. As I was making these I was struck by how delicious freeze dried raspberries would be crushed up and sprinkled on top. The vanilla extract can also be replaced by any other extract that’s desired.

Required Equipment

• 8×8 pan
• Parchment paper
• A can opener

This is a very simple recipe, nothing fancy required!

Detailed Instructions

Line a 8 inch by 8 inch pan with parchment paper.

In a heavy bottom saucepan, melt together the chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk, and salt over medium-low heat, stirring constantly.

When the chocolate is completely melted and the mixture is smooth, remove from the heat. Add the vanilla extract and stir thoroughly. Add in any stir-ins here. Pour the fudge into the prepared pan and smooth out.

Sprinkle any toppings over the top of the fudge. Gently press the toppings into the soft top of the fudge to secure them. Place the pan of fudge in the fridge and allow to set for at least an hour or until completely cool.

Remove from the pan and chop into cubes. Place in an airtight container. Enjoy!

Storage

Store in a sealed container in the fridge for up to a month (and maybe longer, if it lasts that long).