Spoon Fudge Recipes

Steps:

• Butter an 8-inch square baking pan; line with parchment paper, allowing a 1-inch overhang. Butter parchment paper, and set aside. Check the calibration of the candy thermometer. Put butter into a large bowl, and set over a wire rack; set aside. Put cream, sugar, corn syrup, and salt into a medium heavy saucepan.
• Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until sugar has dissolved, about 10 minutes. Raise heat to medium. Bring mixture to a boil, washing down sides of pan with a wet pastry brush to preventsugar crystals from forming. Attach warm thermometer to pan; continue to cook, without stirring, until mixture registers 238 degrees (soft-ball stage), 10 to 15 minutes.
• Immediately pour mixture into bowl with butter (do not scrape out the bottom of the pan). Attach thermometer to bowl. Let mixture cool, undisturbed, until it registers 110 degrees, about 1 1/2 hours.
• Remove thermometer. Transfer bowl to a work surface and addvanilla extract. Using a wooden spoon, begin to gently stir mixture until it thickens, lightens in color, and loses its sheen,about 6 minutes.
• Pour into prepared pan. Using a small offset spatula, quickly spread fudge to sides of pan, and smooth top. Let fudge cool in pan on a wire rack, about 1 hour. Cover with plastic, and refrigerate untilcompletely set, about 8 hours. Run a sharp knife around nonparchment sides to loosen; lift fudge out. Cut into 64 one-inch pieces.

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients except nuts and vanilla in a saucepan.
• Stir over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved and the chocolate is melted.
• Continue cooking until it reaches the soft ball stage (236 degrees) stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.
• Remove from heat and let stand, without stirring, until the bottom of the pan is lukewarm.
• Beat until the candy loses its gloss, then quickly stir in nuts and vanilla.
• Pour into buttered 8" or 9" pan.
• When cool, eat by the spoonful!

Steps:

• Spray the bottom of an 8-by-8-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Line the baking pan with overlapping pieces of parchment, leaving enough to hang over the sides of the pan; this will help you remove the fudge from the pan. Spray the pieces of parchment with cooking spray.
• Combine the corn syrup, sugar, whole milk, cocoa powder and butter in a heavy-bottom saucepan fitted with a candy thermometer over medium heat. Stir until the sugar and butter melt. Stop stirring and let the mixture continue to cook until the thermometer reaches 238 degrees F, 7 to 10 minutes. Once the mixture reaches 238 degrees F, stir in the vanilla extract and turn off the heat immediately. Pour the spoon fudge into the prepared 8-by-8-inch baking pan, tapping gently so the fudge is evenly distributed. Cool to room temperature, and then place in the refrigerator to set until firm enough to cut, about 1 hour.
• Once the fudge is set, use the parchment to lift the candy out of the baking pan onto a cutting board. Peel off the parchment. Cut the fudge into 1-by-2-inch pieces and wrap each with waxed paper. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve or up to 1 week.
• Split the vanilla beans lengthwise, leaving them attached at one end. Place them in a 10- to 12-ounce bottle and cover with the liquor. Put on the top and shake vigorously. Store at room temperature for 4 weeks to let the flavor develop and mature, shaking the bottle once a week. The extract will keep at room temperature in a dark place (like your cabinet) for up to 6 months.