Chocolate Pecan Fudge

There’s a line from the movie, “You’ve Got Mail” when Kathleen is decorating her tree and reflects as she is “unwrapping funky ornaments made of Popsicle sticks… and missing my Mother so much I almost couldn’t breathe”. Like so many, I always miss my Mother at Christmas, but some years I miss her more than others. One year, some years back, I pulled out the recipe she always used for making fudge. I had never made it, Mom always did. But that year, and as I’ve come to believe, every year we need Mom’s fudge.

This fudge is creamy and undeniably chocolate. Loaded with toasted pecans and a delicious depth from pure vanilla. It’s certainly not a secret recipe. You can find the basis of this recipe on the back of any jar of marshmallow crème. Except she always added chopped pecans – never walnuts – and a tad more vanilla extract.

Sugar melted into a generous amount of butter along with evaporated milk creates the base for this luscious fudge. Loads of rich semi-sweet chocolate is stir in followed by fluffy marshmallow crème, toasted pecans and a nice splash of pure vanilla extract.

Afterwards you’re left with dozens of bites of fudge, layered with crunch from the pecans hidden in that creamy chocolate.

The holidays, especially this holiday season we need fudge. Not a lot, just a bite or two will do it!

Chocolate Pecan Fudge

3 cups sugar

¾ cup butter

⅔ cup evaporated milk

3 packages semi-sweet chocolate, 4-ounces each, broken into pieces

1 small jar marshmallow crème, 7-ounces

1 cup toasted chopped pecans

1-½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Line a 9” square heatproof baking dish with a sheet of parchment paper, leaving a length of paper on each end to lift out the fudge after it sets up. Lightly butter the parchment paper. Combine the sugar with the butter and evaporated milk in a saucepan.

Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar has dissolved, about 8 to 10 minutes. Raise the heat to medium and bring the sugar and butter mixture to a boil. Insert a candy thermometer and continue cooking, stirring almost constantly until the mixture reaches a temperature of 234-degrees.

Remove the pan from the heat, add the chocolate and stir until the chocolate is completely melted into the fudge base.

Add the marshmallow crème and blend it into the fudge.

Stir in the chopped pecans and the vanilla extract. Pour the fudge into the prepared baking pan and spread to smooth it out.

Let the fudge cool and set up for several hours or overnight, covered after it has cooled completely. Cut the fudge into small squares, about 1” each.

Makes 64 squares of chocolate pecan fudge.

This luscious fudge is made with a generous splash of pure vanilla extract. Nielsen-Massey never disappoints! https://amzn.to/3D91hkp And Ghiradelli’s Premium Baking Chocolate is divine! https://amzn.to/4iifOul