Posted on 05/12/2023 9:32:41 AM PDT by Red Badger
(Last Updated On: May 9, 2023)
NATIONAL NUTTY FUDGE DAY
Each year on May 12th, National Nutty Fudge Day tempts you to indulge in smooth chocolate fudge filled with crunchy nuts.
#NationalNuttyFudgeDay
A Western confection, fudge is usually sweet and delicious. It consists of combining sugar, butter, and milk, heating it to the correct temperature, and then mixing it while it cools to a smooth, creamy consistency. There are many varieties and flavors of fudge, with chocolate being the most popular.
In 1886, a letter was found written by Emelyn Bettersby Hartridge a Vassar College student in Poughkeepsie, NY about her Baltimore, MD cousin. It referred to a fudge her cousin had made and sold for 40 cents per pound. Hartridge obtained the recipe, and in 1888, she made 30 pounds of fudge for the Vassar College Senior Auction.
Late in the 19th century, some shops on Mackinac Island, Michigan, began to produce similar products as the Vassar College fudge and sold it to summer vacationers. Fudge is still made in some of the original shops there today.
Many candy makers include pecans and walnuts when they prepare their fudge. As a celebratory treat, fudge makes a delicious gift. It packages well and recipients are often overjoyed to receive homemade fudge.
HOW TO OBSERVE NATIONAL NUTTY FUDGE DAY
Make a special batch of nutty fudge to share. Keep some for later and give some as a gift. If you’re looking for a recipe, we even have a recipe to share: Chocolate Nut Fudge.
Use #NationalNuttyFudgeDay to post on social media.
NATIONAL NUTTY FUDGE DAY HISTORY
While National Day Calendar continues researching the origins of this confectionary holiday, we’ll also pursue new recipes to share, too.
Oh, FUUUUUUUUDGE!..........................
Nuts or no nuts...that is the question!!
My favorite is that old fashioned Hershey chocolate fudge using that dark chocolate. Sometimes I make it for my son..as it’s his favorite. Fortunately, he lives out of town so I have to be his stand in. :-)
I thought this related to the previous Dylan Mulvaney post.
That would be Nutty Fudge-Packer Day..................
Mayor Pete isn’t a fan of nuts in fudge, hurts his pecker.
Just another thing to add to my waistline….🙄
I love the chocolate nut fudge from See’s candy. A couple months ago I saw a fudge maker on TikTok in Michigan and asked how it compared to See’s. He replied it was better so I ordered four portions. It was horrible. Just sweet, no chocolate flavor, and a little grainy. So, I decided to make my own. Took a couple tries to get what I wanted.
My first batch I used a recipe from Martha Stewart. Pretty good but grainy. Then I searched for See’s fudge recipe and found a forum with comments from people claiming to be former See’s employees, saying See’s uses marshmallow crème. They may have before the war, but another comment said not now, the secret ingredient is gelatin. So I searched for gelatin fudge and found a recipe that used powdered gelatin. Having no powdered gelatin, I used Tara gum, left over from when I made gelato last year.
Here is my version:
3 cups sugar
One and a half cups of half and half
1 teaspoon Tara gum (original recipe was 3 teaspoons powdered gelatin)
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/4 cup Karo syrup
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Stir together in a 3qt stock pot, then bring to boil on medium heat, stirring constantly. Avoid letting sugar crystals form on inside of pot.
Continue cooking to 235F.
Remove from heat and add 4 Tablespoons butter (half a stick) and a teaspoon of vanilla.
DO NOT STIR
Let sit about an hour until it has cooled to 110F, then stir, incorporating the butter and vanilla.
How long to stir? Most recipes say stir until the mixture just starts to change from shiny to not so shiny. Mine stayed shiny so I stopped stirring after about 7 or 8 minutes. Then I added about 6 ounces of chopped walnuts and stirred until combined, then I poured (or spooned) the candy mixture into a 9x9 pan lined with foil. I put it in the fridge for about 30 minutes. I ate the whole batch.
I think the reason it didn’t change from shiny to not shiny is I may have used too much butter or Karo syrup. Next time I will reduce the butter and Karo syrup to 3 Tablespoons each.
TYVM
YW.......................😎
I was at a social event last night. The hostess made some homemade fudge brownie dessert with cherries and walnuts in it. Sounded great, looked great, but unfortunately was NOT great. I could hardly finish it, but I did my best Joe Biden impression and lied through my teeth. I do not want her recipe!
I don’t much care for cherries................
And I hate walnuts. Pecans, almonds, macadamias, peanuts, and hazelnuts are all fine. But walnuts are gross.
Cherries? They’re ok. Now if I have a homemade from scratch cherry pie, that’s pretty cool. I can dig those.
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