Browned butter fudge is a delectable and rich confection that combines the nutty, caramel-like flavor of browned butter with the traditional sweetness of fudge. With a unique blend of flavors and textures, it is a sweet treat that is sure to be a crowd-pleaser! If you are ever intimidated by Browned Butter I have a great step-by-step recipe and tutorial that will turn you into a brown butter pro!
Ingredients and Substitutions
Browned Butter: Browned Butter is the process of cooking unsalted butter until the water has been cooked out and it has a nutty and toasty taste. It is delicious from everything sweet to savory! I’ve used it for sweet treats like Browned Butter Toffee Cookies and Pumpkin Sandwich Cookies with Browned Butter Buttercream. And then, it’s perfect for savory recipes like Ravioli with Garlic Browned Butter Garlic Sauce and Browned Butter Pork Chops, just to name a few.
Evaporated Milk: Evaporated milk is milk that has had 60% of the water removed. It can be called ‘unsweetened condensed milk’ (as opposed to sweetened condensed milk, which has added sugar). It is perfect for fudge recipes because it withstands the heat without curdling.
White Chocolate Chips: In this fudge recipe, you could use ‘real’ white chocolate (at least 20% cocoa butter), white chips, or morsels.
Marshmallow Fluff: Marshmallow fluff, or marshmallow creme, is a sweet, ooey-gooey concoction that tastes like marshmallows. You can buy it at the store or make homemade marshmallow fluff.
Can I Substitute Sweetened Condensed Milk for Evaporated Milk?
No! Evaporated milk is unsweetened, so in this fudge recipe, it is combined with granulated sugar and other ingredients for the fudge. Do not substitute sweetened condensed milk for evaporated milk; they are not interchangeable. Keep in mind that there are fudge recipes that use sweetened condensed milk (like my Cookie Dough Fudge and Fluffernutter Fudge, just to name a few). But, in those recipes, the same rule applies–do not substitute evaporated milk for sweetened condensed milk.
How to Harden Fudge
Allowing browned butter fudge to come to room temperature will solidify it and make it easy to handle. This takes a couple of hours. You can also pop it into the refrigerator for a couple of hours or even the freezer for about 30 minutes. Fudge is best consumed at room temperature though, so be sure to take it out a few minutes before you want to eat it.
Can I Make Fudge Without a Candy Thermometer?
If you are going to be making more fudge or sugary recipes, a candy thermometer can really save you from your fudge failing. However, you can still get this recipe made without one. After you have browned the butter, here are some tips and tricks if you are planning to make browned butter fudge without a candy thermometer:
- Add the sugar and evaporated milk to the browned butter. While the mixture is coming to a boil, set a medium-sized bowl of ice water and a small metal spoon (your everyday silverware spoon) next to the stove. When the mixture has been bubbling for a few minutes, do your first test.
- Dip the spoon into the mixture and coat the tip. With one hand, dip the coated spoon immediately into the ice water and then grab the cooling sugar mixture with your other hand. Remove from the water and roll it around between your fingers and thumb and see what it feels like. If you’re looking for the “soft-ball” stage, it should form a ball that holds together but still feels a little squishy and can be flattened when you press on it (like a gooey caramel).
This process will take a few tries at least, but you can see (and feel!) it moving through the stages to give you an indicator of how close you are. This is just a really fun science experiment in your kitchen!
How To Store Browned Butter Fudge
If you are planning on eating it within a week or two, you can store the browned butter fudge in an airtight container. I like to separate the layers with parchment or wax paper. You can also store fudge in the refrigerator for a few weeks. Again, an airtight container with separated layers is best. But, before serving, let the fudge come to room temperature to soften it. If you need longer storage, like a few months, the freezer is the best option. First, tightly wrap the fudge with plastic wrap. Then, place it in an airtight container or freezer-safe plastic bag. Be sure to write the date on it!
Browned Butter Fudge
Ingredients
- ¾ cup (1 ½ sticks / 170 g) unsalted butter
- 3 cups (600 g) granulated sugar
- ⅔ cup (168 g) evaporated milk
- 2 cups (364 g) white chocolate chips
- 1 jar (7 ounces) marshmallow fluff
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Line an 8×8-inch baking dish with parchment paper.
- To a large, heavy saucepan over medium-high heat, add butter.
- Melt the butter and continue to cook it until it is a rich, golden brown. Keep a close eye as it cooks, stirring it every few minutes so that it does not scorch the bottom. The butter should smell toasty and have a beautiful nutty color.
- Reduce heat to medium. To the browned butter, add the sugar and evaporated milk.
- Bring the mixture to a boil. Leave on the heat until the mixture reads 234°F-238°F on a candy thermometer (about 10 minutes).
- Once the temperature reaches 234°F, remove from heat. Stir in the white chocolate chips until mostly combined.
- Fold in the marshmallow fluff and vanilla.
- Transfer the fudge to the prepared pan. Let it cool for at least 2 hours before cutting and serving.
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What the Test Kitchen had to say about this recipe:
Autumn
The browned butter adds some amazing flavor to this fudge. It is sweet, creamy, and completely indulgent, just like a good fudge should be!
Elizabeth
Browned butter adds some nuttiness to this sweet fudge. If you have a sweet tooth, this is your kind of treat!
Rachael
Browned butter makes everything better, it adds such a depth of flavor to this lovely fudge. Must try!
Bella
If you're a fan of fudge, you are going to like this recipe. The browned butter adds a depth of flavor and it is so noticeable!
Annabelle
This fudge is perfect for anyone who loves sweets! It has a good texture, the flavor of the browned butter, and the sweetness you look for in a good fudge!
Bella
If you're a fan of fudge, you are going to like this recipe. The browned butter adds a depth of flavor and it is so noticeable!
Selena
This fudge does not disappoint. Super sweet but the flavor of the perfectly browned butter shines through!
Oh my word, I have to have this!
Hope you do! So yummy. 🙂
You need to come to Scotland and try Tablet. It sounds very similar to the old type of fudge your great grandma used to make.
I just might have to take you up on that! 🙂
My heart skipped a beat when I read the title. Mmmm.
1)Kinda sounds like you’re talking about candy made when there’s a lot of moisture in the air. It’s kind of crumbly and the sugar particles are a little bigger. 2) Is your room temperature 45′? 3)Browned butter, oh my…
Mmmm…..brown butter.
Yup. 🙂
Oh, I love the dry fudge too! I always try to make mine come out that way. I think it needs to be slightly overcooked, but obviously not too overcooked…it’s a fine line!
This looks delicious!
In Scotland, the creamy stuff is called fudge – the dry crumbly stuff is “tablet”. Maybe you could try browning the butter in this recipe -> http://www.carnation.co.uk/recipes/71/Milk-Tablet to get the texture and flavour you want? I might just have to try it for christmas!
I like it grainy too! I went to the UK Carnation link. Lots of good advice in the comment section from the Carnation folks. I also found a blog from a gal in Seattle -> http://notsohumblepie.blogspot.com/2010/06/scottish-tablet.html. Seems as if the secret is in the last step of beating the mixture after it’s come to temperature. Hope it’s okay to reference another blog!! I will definitely be trying this. Makes me feel all international!! Maybe we’ll develop a good Scottish brogue!!
For my fudge I didn’t wait for it to cool. I immediately transfered it from the pan to a large glass bowl and another bowl full of ice to use as a cooler as necessary and just got the old hand mixer out and ran it on medium high and beat the dickens out of it. I beat for about 10 minutes constantly turning the bowl and stirring stirring stirring, sitting it on the ice occasionally til the shine went and it became almost like a fondant. Did I spell that right? Lol. When I dumped it in the pan it was almost like dough. I smoothed it out with a small rolling pin. When I went back to get the beaters to clean, u know what I mean, the stuff on them was flaky dry and creamy. Delicious! Now how the stuff in the pan will turn out is yet to be determined but the stuff that went into the pan was the exact same stuff that was on the beaters with a 30 second difference. Its been in the fridge about 15 minutes. Its cooling and I nicked off a little corner and things are looking very promising… for now.. Tomorrow it could be a brick…Lol
What a great alternative Penny… I will try it your way! Thank you!
UPDATE! The fudged is delicious! Whether or not the flaky factor is to your liking is up to you but it turned out really great to my taste. Also wanted you to know I really did beat it for 10 full minutes. I set a timer so I could see where I was at when it went off. And I only used the ice maybe 4 times and only for 30 seconds or so at a time. Good luck… and Merry Christmas…and Happy New Year… :~)