Mawmaw’s Fudge

This time of year always brings back some of my fondest childhood memories of making Christmas candy with my Mawmaw. The candy recipes that we used have been passed down through the family for years. I started helping Mawmaw make candy when I was around 5 years old and it quickly became our special Christmas tradition. I still remember standing on a stool pushed up to the kitchen counter helping to measure ingredients and stirring pots of delicious smelling chocolaty fudge. We would start early in the morning and spend the entire day making batch after batch of candy and taste testing each batch until we could no longer take another bite of anything sweet.

Those early years went by and as I got older I was tasked with more responsibilities until I was able to make the batches of candy all on my own. Mawmaw was always there supervising making sure that everything would come out perfectly and giving me little reminders of when to add each ingredient and how to know when the batch was ready to be taken off of the stove. I still remember her telling me “Never just go by what the candy thermometer says. Always test your candy to be sure it’s ready to be taken off of the stove.” Now that I live 12 hours away we don’t get to make candy together every year unless she comes to Tennessee for a visit around the holidays. Thankfully she passed the recipes along to me and all those years of teaching paid off because I am able to make it all on my own for my family and friends.

Today I spent the afternoon making a few batches of Mawmaw’s fudge. A little for my family and some to package up and give as a sweet little Merry Christmas gift to neighbors and friends. I thought I would share the recipe here just in case you need a little something sweet to make for Christmas dinner or to give as a last minute gift.

You can find the full printable recipe at the bottom of this post. 

Step one of the recipe is measuring out the sugar and cocoa.

Mawmaw always said that your sugar and cocoa needed to be mixed together well before you added any other ingredients.

After the sugar and cocoa is mixed well then you have to stir in the cream. Now you have a nice chocolatey soup!

Next it’s time to add in the margarine. I always cut my stick up into chunks so it melts faster. Don’t forget to insert your candy thermometer before you turn on the heat!

You should cook the mixture on medium heat until the candy thermometer reaches the soft ball stage. Mawmaw always said that you should never go by the thermometer to tell you that it’s done. Put a small cup or bowl of cold water next to your pot and once the thermometer shows the soft ball stage drop some of the mixture into the water. If you can reach into the water and pick up the mixture and it sticks together enough to roll it into a ball then it’s ready!

Turn off the heat and add in the vanilla.

And then stir in the chopped pecans.

Continue to stir the mixture until it begins to thicken. Mawmaw always said you beat it until the shine is gone. You’ll notice that the mixture is really shiny when you first start to stir it and it will begin to dull as it cools down. Be careful not to let it get too thick before you pour it out or you won’t be able to spread it on the plate.

Spread it onto a buttered plate and allow it to completely cool before you try to cut it into pieces.

If you are giving it as a gift it’s a great idea to put it on a Christmas plate so the recipient will have something to enjoy after the fudge is all gone.

Since I will be giving this today, I chose to wrap it in cellophane tied with a ribbon. If you are planning to make the fudge a few days before you will be gifting it, I suggest storing it in a tightly sealed container to keep it from drying out.

Let me know in the comments below if you try the recipe out. Have a very Merry Christmas!

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