With a smooth, buttery flavor and a pecan crunch, Butter Pecan Fudge melts in your mouth and is a sweet treat with just the right amount of nuttiness! If you love the flavor of butter pecan, try my Pecan Buttermilk Cake or my Ooey Gooey Pecan Pie Brownies!
Butter Pecan Fudge
With the holidays right around the corner, it’s that time of year to make as many sweets as possible to share! Fudge seems to be a hit at most holiday gatherings. And, speaking of the holidays, I also have cookies and cream fudge, eggnog fudge, and sugar cookie fudge you could share.
Butter Pecan Fudge can also be served in many shapes and sizes–don’t limit your fudge to just squares! Use cookie cutters to make a variety of fun or holiday shapes! If you need more fudge and candy recipes, be sure to check out my Candy recipes. That should keep you busy right up until the holidays😉
How to Make Butter Pecan Fudge
- The first thing you want to get made is the roasted pecans. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line an 8×8 baking dish with two sheets of parchment paper, crisscrossed, in the dish.
- Toast the pecans for about 7 minutes while you prepare the fudge.
- In a medium saucepan, over medium heat, bring the butter, heavy cream, both sugars, and salt to a boil. Once at a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for about 5 minutes, constantly stirring. (Fudge should be heated to around 236° to 239°F and not go over 244°F.)
- Remove the pan from the heat and add most of the pecans (leave a few for the top) and vanilla.
- Finally, add the sifted confectioners’ sugar to the mixture, stirring until it is smooth.
- Pour the mixture into the baking dish, sprinkle the remaining pecans on top, and let it chill for about an hour or so. I actually popped mine in the refrigerator to speed up the process a bit, but if you have more patience than me, just let it sit out at room temperature until it hardens.
How Do You Harden Fudge?
Allowing fudge to come to room temperature will solidify it and make it easy to handle. 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.
How to Store Fudge
If you are planning on eating it within 2 weeks, you can store the fudge in an airtight container at room temperature. (I like to separate the layers with parchment or wax paper.) You can also store fudge in the refrigerator for a few weeks. If you need longer storage, like months, the freezer is the best option. I like to tightly wrap the fudge with plastic wrap and then place it in an airtight container or freezer-safe plastic bag. Be sure to label and date. It should last 3 months.
More Fudge Recipes
Butter Pecan Fudge
Ingredients
- ½ cup (1 stick, 113g) butter
- ½ cup (120g) heavy whipping cream
- ½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (100g) brown sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup chopped pecans, toasted (reserve a few to sprinkle on top)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups (250g) confectioners' sugar, sifted twice
Instructions
- Place two sheets of parchment paper, crisscrossed, in an 8×8 inch baking dish.
- Toast the pecans (if you have not already toasted them) for 7 minutes at 350°F on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Meanwhile, in a large saucepan over medium heat, combine the butter, heavy cream, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and salt to a boil. Stir frequently. Fudge should heat to around 236° to 239°F and not go over 244°F.
- Once the fudge reaches 236°F-239°F, remove from heat.
- Add the pecans and the vanilla to the hot fudge in the pan. Stir to just combine.
- Stir in the sifted confectioners' sugar until it is well combined.
- Pour the mixture into the lined baking dish, and add a few more pecans on top.
- Cool for at least 60 minutes before cutting and serving. Store in an airtight container.
Did you make this recipe?
Thank you for making my recipe! You took pictures, right? Well go ahead and post them on Instagram! Be sure to mention me @iambaker and use the hashtag #YouAreBaker.
I MADE THIS YESTERDAY WHEN I RECEIVED IT. THIS AWESOME AND PECANS ARE MY FAVORITE.TRYING YOUR CHOCOLETE CAKE NEXT
can you use canned milk in place of the heavy cream?
Could I double this recipe? Maybe use a 13×9 pan?
Yes, I think you could.
This was easy and delicious. Toasting the pecans is a must to bring out their flavor.
I love the flavor of this and toasting the pecans is a must!! I’m sure it was my goof-up but, although the fudge solidified, it softened up a TON the minute I took it out of the fridge. Maybe I will try adding more powdered sugar next time to help it set up a bit more?
Oh no! So sorry. The common reason that fudge is too soft is that it never got hot enough or wasn’t mixed enough. You can try reheating the fudge in a saucepan to get it to harden. 🙂
Hi there, I made this butter pecan fudge exactly as the recipe said to make it. The fudge did not harden even when I put it in the fridge overnight. Is there possibly a step left out? Should it have boiled for more than 5 min? Your fudge looks terrific and it’s a shame I had to waste all those ingredients, especially the pecans. Thank you for your input. Leona Shepherd
Sorry to hear that Leona! You can recover soft fudge, simply reheat to 238°F. 🙂
Very good fudge recipe and so easy. A new addition to my Christmas goodies list. Thanks
Hello can I make the Butter pecan fudge
In a 9×13 pan I thought I’d just double the recipe?
Yes, you can double and use a large pan. 🙂
I have a diabetic spouse so I tried it with spend a. My experience is that you have to add more liquid normally. I didn’t do that so it didn’t work quite right. Can you help?
So sorry Linda, I am not an expert on diabetic cooking and do not use Splenda so cannot offer any advice.
Hi I’m a first time fudge maker, and this recipe seemed easy enough, but it turned out oily, dry, and crumbly!! I think the instructions are confusing, and a bit different in both parts that you put the instructions. Can I save the crumbly fudge? Thank you!
Sorry Maria! Sounds like the sugar didn’t get hot enough. I will look at the directions in the recipe and see if I can improve it.