Brown Sugar Fudge

Fudge

This isn’t your typical rich chocolaty fudge either. There’s no chocolate to be found in this fairly easy recipe.

And, the texture of this sweet confection is so velvety and amazing; you may not be able to stop eating it.

If you’re looking for a more traditional, easy to make fudge, be sure to check out my 2 Ingredient Caramel Fudge Recipe.

Penuche

This creamy brown sugar fudge is also called penuche (“puh-noo-chee”). Which is derived from panocha, a Mexican raw sugar.

This is a recipe I found years ago (back in 2005 to be exact) when I was doing some testing of candy recipes, and learning all I could about how to make candy.

I think candy making is really my favorite. More than baking cookies or cakes, I truly love making candy.

And, I think it’s so special when you make candy for people. It’s so unusual that people simply love it.

So, keep it in mind for those holiday cookie and gift exchanges. This recipe is fairly easy and will be a big hit!

Candy thermometer

I love having a candy thermometer for making all kinds of fudge and candy.

You can also make lemon curd and preserves more easily when using a candy thermometer.

Yes, you can make this fudge without a candy thermometer. It wouldn’t be my recommendation.

But, if you simply can’t buy a candy thermometer, here’s how you can test the fudge for the right temperature.

Take a teaspoon of the cooked fudge mixture, and drop it into a small bowl of cold water. If it holds a soft ball when pressed between your fingers, it has reached the correct temperature.

Want more tips and tricks about making fudge?

I have a great post chock full of information to get you the perfect fudge! Read more here on my Mocha Fudge Recipe.

Other recipes to use your candy thermometer

I use the candy thermometer fairly regularly. It makes things nice and easy to measure. Savory recipes to sweet recipes. Here are some of my recipes that use the kitchen tool: Chocolate S’more Pie, Coconut Gumdrops, Zucchini Jam, Caramel Ice Cream with Beer Brittle, and Eggnog Cake.

Do I need to use evaporated milk?

Yes, the evaporated milk helps this recipe to cook properly.

Please do not substitute regular milk in this candy.

Evaporated milk has been cooked to reduce the water content of the milk.

It’s called the cooking milk for this very reason: It’s more stable than regular milk, and it can used for cooking at high temperatures, because it will not curdle like regular milk will.

Also, be sure you do not confuse evaporated milk and sweetened condensed milk.

Sweetened condensed milk is sugary sweet and is not what you want for this recipe.

Can I add nuts to this recipe?

Yes, of course you can.

I prefer my fudge to be smooth throughout, and contain no nuts.

But, if you love the crunchy chunky addition that nuts bring to the confection, by all means, please feel free to add them.

You’ll want ¾ cup of nuts. I’d recommend walnuts, pecans, or salted peanuts for this fudge.

Simply toast the nuts by placing them on a flat baking sheet (I love those air insulted ones), and bake in a 350° F oven for about 10 minutes, or until the nuts are fragrant and golden brown.

Allow the nuts to cool, and chop them coarsely. Stir the nuts into the fudge before spreading it into the pan.

What kind of brown sugar can I use?

This recipe is traditionally made with light brown sugar, so that’s what I recommend for this.

However, I have heard from readers that half light and half dark brown sugar has worked well for them.

Also, I’m typically a fan of dark brown sugar, and think it would work really well in this fudge, though I haven’t tried it. I usually swap dark brown for light in any cookie recipe and it works great. If you try dark or even a mixture, let me know how it goes.