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Butter pecan fudge is a decadent fusion of rich buttery goodness, toasted pecans, and creamy sweetness that melts seamlessly on the palate. This easy fudge recipe perfectly marries the deep, nutty flavor of roasted pecans with the velvety texture of classic fudge. Whether you’re relishing it during the holidays, gifting it to a loved one, or simply satisfying a sweet craving, this fudge promises a luxurious treat bound to become a favorite.
Butter Pecan Fudge Recipe
Homemade fudge offers a taste authenticity store-bought versions often lack, letting you truly appreciate the quality of ingredients and the magic of handcrafted confections. It’s an ideal way to make special occasions even more memorable or lend an ordinary day a sweetness.
Despite its gourmet feel, this butter pecan fudge is easy to prepare. Even novice bakers can achieve perfection with just a handful of ingredients and minimal equipment. The result is consistently divine, ensuring every bite offers a melt-in-the-mouth experience worth savoring.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place pecans in a single layer on a baking sheet. Toast in the oven for about 5 minutes or until you can smell the pecans. You can also toast them in a frying pan over medium heat.
While the pecans toast, grease an8 x 8 baking panwith butter and set aside. You can line it with parchment if you like.
Combine butter, white sugar, brown sugar, whipping cream, and salt in a medium size pot. Heat the mixture over medium heat until it begins to boil, and the bubbles do not disappear when you mix them. It will only take a few minutes to come to a full boil.
Set a time for 5 minutes and stir the mixture constantly while it boils. Once the 5 minutes are up, remove the pan from the heat. Stir in powdered sugar and vanilla. Stir in pecans.
Pour the fudge into your prepared pan. Allow fudge to cool until room temperature before cutting, but preferably 24 hours.
The fudge will be set once it is cooled to room temperature, but I like to give it 24 hours to firm up.
Yield: 1 8x8 pan of fudge
Butter pecan fudge is a decadent fusion of rich buttery goodness, toasted pecans, and creamy sweetness that melts seamlessly on the palate.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time15 minutes
Ingredients
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
Dash of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup of pecans
Instructions
Pace the pecans in a single layer on a baking sheet in a 350-degree oven for about 5 minutes or until you can smell the pecans. You can also toast them in a frying pan over medium heat.
Measure out powdered sugar into a medium bowl and set aside.
Combine butter, white sugar, brown sugar, whipping cream, and salt in a medium-sized pot. Heat the mixture over medium heat until it begins to boil, and the bubbles do not disappear when you mix them. It will only take a few minutes to come to a full boil.
Set a time for 5 minutes and stir the mixture constantly while it boils.
Once the 5 minutes are up, remove the pan from the heat. Stir in powdered sugar and vanilla. Stir in pecans.
Pour the fudge into your prepared pan. Allow fudge to cool until room temperature before cutting, but preferably 24 hours.
Cream of tartar is used in caramel sauces and fudge to help prevent the sugar from crystallizing while cooking. It also prevents cooling sugars from forming brittle crystals, this is why it's the secret ingredient in snickerdoodles!
Undercooked. This fudge was cooked until the temperature reached only108 °C (226 °F). At this temperature, the sugar is not concentrated enough... there is too much leftover water in the syrup and the resulting fudge is soft.
The amount of time you cook fudge directly affects its firmness. Too little time and the water won't evaporate, causing the fudge to be soft. Conversely, cook it too long and fudge won't contain enough water, making it hard with a dry, crumbly texture.
Once a seed crystal forms, it grows bigger and bigger as the fudge cools. A lot of big crystals in fudge makes it grainy. By letting the fudge cool without stirring, you avoid creating seed crystals.
Never stir the mixture during cooking or sugar could crystallize again. The mixture may seize and become grainy. Use a candy thermometer or conduct a cold water test to check if the fudge is done.
Fudge usually behaves this way when it's not cooked to a high enough temperature (due to oversight or a faulty candy thermometer). If your fudge is tough, hard, or grainy, then you may have made one of several mistakes: You may have overcooked it, beaten it too long, or neglected to cool it to the proper temperature.
Candy that isn't cooked long enough will end up too soft; overcooking makes fudge crumbly or hard. High-quality fudge has many small crystals. If the process of crystallization begins too early, fewer crystals form and they become much larger.
So, the key to smooth yet firm fudge, pralines, and fondant is to first bring the mixture to a high enough concentration and then let it cool off somewhat before starting to stir. And once you do start to stir, stir fanatically and without stopping for the finest, creamiest texture.
If your fudge is soft or runny, it probably didn't come up to a high enough temperature while it was cooking. Put it back into the saucepan and add 1–2 US tbsp (15–30 ml) of 35% fat whipping cream.Stir the fudge as it heats, but only until the sugar in the chocolate is completely melted again.
Stir the ingredients to dissolve the sugar until the mixture comes to a boil. If your recipe uses milk, stirring will keep the mixture from curdling. But once it reaches about 236–238 degrees F/113–114 degrees C (the "soft-ball" stage), do not stir it or even shake the pan.
OPTION 3) Sieve together some powdered sugar and cocoa powder, and gradually work this into your unset fudge until it reaches the consistency of dough, then roll out and cut into squares, or shape into balls and then roll in powdered sugar (roll the balls in icing sugar, not yourself).
Why has my Fudge not set? The main reason is that your Fudge has not reached the optimum temperature. If your mixture only reaches 110 or 112 degrees Celsius it will always be soft.
The key to creamy, luscious fudge is controlling crystal formation. If the sucrose (table sugar) crystals are small, the fudge will feel creamy and smooth on your tongue. But if the crystals are large, the fudge develops a crumbly, dry, or even coarse texture.
Beating the mixture encourages the formation of small sugar crystals, which leads to the crumbly texture. The crystals may not be noticeable in themselves but the fudge mixture will thicken and turn from shiny to matte in appearance.
The main reason is that your Fudge has not reached the optimum temperature. If your mixture only reaches 110 or 112 degrees Celsius it will always be soft. That's why we recommend investing in a sugar thermometer. Another reason your Fudge is not setting is that the ratio of liquid to sugar is too high.
Introduction: My name is Carlyn Walter, I am a lively, glamorous, healthy, clean, powerful, calm, combative person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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