Cheap, Easy Nutella Fudge

Growing up, I had it in my head that fudge was difficult to make. It was always an expensive dessert in childhood fundraising catalogs, and I remembered my mother's comments about it not being a dessert she enjoyed preparing.

In reality, it is easy and inexpensive to make. It takes less than 45 minutes, including the time to pull out the ingredients, measure them, and prepare the tray for when the mixture is ready to pour and cool.

This realization has made fudge one of my go-to holiday treats, and my Nutella fudge recipe has been in high demand whenever I have brought fudge squares into work to share with my colleagues since I perfected it this time last year.

Ingredients

Sugar

Margarine

Evaporated milk

Marshmallow fluff (I recommend Jet-Puffed specifically, but generic will do in a pinch)

Vanilla extract (imitation vanilla extract works equally well)

Nutella (or similar chocolate and hazelnut spread)

Process

For approximately one cookie sheet worth of fudge, I measure out 3 cups of sugar, 3/4 cups of margarine, and 3/4 cups of evaporated milk into a pot. It should be tall enough to allow for boiling, stirring, and additional ingredients later on. My rule of thumb is that if I could not reasonably boil a full box of pasta in a pot, it is not big enough for making fudge.

Before turning on the heat, I line a standard cookie sheet (one with sides that go up at least half an inch) with parchment paper and lightly spray the parchment paper with non-stick cooking spray.

I prepare the rest of my ingredients ahead of time as well. The mixture in the pot will need to retain heat while the later ingredients are mixed in, and having everything pre-measured makes this process much easier than trying to rush before the pot cools down.

In a bowl, I measure out 1 teaspoon of vanilla and 6 ounces of marshmallow fluff. Jet-Puffed marshmallow fluff comes in 7-ounce jars, so I usually use the majority of one jar, letting the measurement be an estimate rather than an exact amount.

In a separate bowl, I measure out 1.25 cups of Nutella.

With everything measured and ready to go, I turn the stove to medium heat, stirring the sugar, margarine, and evaporated milk mixture constantly. Once the mixture begins to boil, I set a timer for 5 minutes and continue to stir constantly to avoid any burning or overflow as it bubbles.

After the 5 minutes of boiling, I remove the pot from the heat and mix in the marshmallow fluff and vanilla. Once the marshmallow fluff has melted and mixed in thoroughly, I mix in the Nutella. This needs to be done somewhat quickly before the mixture can begin to cool. Fudge starts to set quickly once it comes off the heat.

Once the mixture has a consistent color throughout, it can be poured onto the parchment paper-lined cookie tray.

I typically let the fudge set for a moment at room temperature before placing the tray flat in the fridge to cool completely. This helps keep the fudge from sliding too much as it is placed in the fridge, which may cause cracking along the top if it slides too much.

To get a solid texture, I let my fudge cool overnight, carefully lift the parchment paper off of the cookie sheet, and cut the fudge into squares.

It should refrigerated and layered between wax paper in a sealed container for the best storage life, but it will hold up well for several hours while actively being served or transported.