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Creamy Lemon Fudge

Change up your fudge routine with Creamy Lemon Fudge, a sweet and tangy flavor in every bite.


Creamy Lemon Fudge

Fudge. Real, homemade, use a candy thermometer fudge. I finally did it! Usually I end up cheating and let the ingredients make the fudge (otherwise known as easy fudge), but this time, I finally conquered the technique. Looks like I checked one off of my bucket list for 2013 already. What’s on your culinary bucket list?



Creamy Lemon Fudge

Fudge has always been a huge enemy of mine. I remember years ago I wanted to make pumpkin fudge. Little did I know what I was getting into to, I found a recipe and made it. After it cooled, I cried. It barely set and could only have been eaten by a spoon. That’s when I learned how precise fudge making is. That bringing it to a rolling boil wasn’t enough; it had to reach 234 degrees on a candy thermometer. And even if you do reach 234 degrees, factors you can’t control such as the weather can make or break your recipe.


Creamy Lemon Fudge

I was so nervous in making lemon fudge. What if I did all that work and it failed yet again? After I poured the mixture into my pan, I anxiously checked on it often as it cooled. Slowly, it started to harden. The fudge was turning into, well, fudge! I breathed a sigh of relief as I made a mess cutting it.

Creamy Lemon Fudge

I toyed with the idea of making rocky road fudge because it is my mom’s favorite, but with the dreary weather and chilly days ahead, I wanted to brighten it up a bit with some citrus (too bad I couldn’t lighten it up too). The texture is creamy melt-in-your-mouth goodness with a huge tang of lemon flavor. I did add some food coloring to emphasis that this is indeed lemon fudge since it’s not naturally bright yellow.

Creamy Lemon Fudge

Because candy making is very precise, I suggest leaving the Creamy Lemon Fudge recipe as is and buying lemon extract. If you try to substitute lemon juice, the extra liquid and acidity may prevent the fudge from firming up after cooling. You definitely need a candy thermometer, preferably with a digital face (I bought this one), but if you are without one, you can test the mixture using the soft ball stage test.

Creamy Lemon Fudge

Ingredients

  • 2 1/4 cups granulated sugar
  • 3/4 cup evaporated milk
  • 8 ounces white chocolate, chopped into chunks
  • 1/2 cup butter (4 ounces or 8 tablespoons), cut into 8 tablespoons
  • 4 teaspoons lemon extract
  • Zest from 1 lemon
  • Few drops of yellow food coloring (optional)

Instructions

  2. Line an 8x8 pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
  3. In a large saucepan, stir together the sugar and evaporated milk. Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly until it reaches a rolling boil. Turn the heat down slightly to medium-low and continue to stir while boiling until a candy thermometer reaches 234F degrees (roughly 5-6 minutes). If it begins to brown and/or stick to the bottom, turn the heat down, but it is important to keep it at a boil.
  4. Once the mixture reaches 234F degrees, turn off the heat and quickly beat in white chocolate, butter, lemon extract, and zest until the chocolate and butter are fully melted. The mixture should be thick and smooth. If desired, beat in the food coloring.
  5. Immediately pour into the 8x8 pan and smooth it evenly. Let cool at room temperature for at least 2 hours or until firm. Remove from the pan and cut into squares.
© Carla Cardello (www.chocolatemoosey.com)

Source: The Well Seasoned Cook

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. I always thought that fudge implied chocolate, Carla! This looks delicious and I have to say, lemon always cheers me up. Good job on conquering your nemesis. :)
    Reply

  2. Nice one. I fell in love with Fudge in my first time in the Foodie Penpals programme, and I've always had it around the house since. I'd love to try and make some - I wonder if in small doses it can act as a "limoncello replacement" for kids in the middle of a heavy meal...
    Reply

  5. Oh my goodness, I love lemon desserts. This looks divine. I thought I would go on a baking break after the holidays, but I may have to make this soon
    Reply

  6. Carla Your lemon fudge looks divine! Fudge is a fickle beast. One Christmas about 10 years ago I made about 6 batches trying to find one that had the texture and taste from a childhood memory. I never did find the right recipe!
    Reply

  7. Lemon Fudge is on my bucket list too. I've made all sorts of chocolate fudges but have never ventured out of my flavor comfort zone. You should probably send me a sample of this, just so I can see if it tastes as wonderful as it sounds ;-)
    Reply

  15. I love lemon and fudge and had no idea that lemon fudge existed. But these gorgeous photos have shown me otherwise. I love that the white balance is warm. It reminds me of lemons and sunshine (aka somewhere that is not my freezing apartment!). And much kudos and congrats to you for tackling thermometer fudge--candymaking is super tricky!
    Reply

  25. No doubt about it, I'm definitely going to have to make this. My mom loves fudge, and loves lemon-flavored things, but I don't think she's ever had lemon fudge before... plus I made some homemade lemon extract last month, so this is the perfect way to use it! :D
    Reply

  31. Oh, Carla, fudge is way too technical and fussy for me to make at home. Good on ya for conquering this! It looks absolutely perfect - so creamy, luscious and bright. I would totally welcome something refreshing like this right now - it's so dreary outside, I could use a hit of lemony fudge.
    Reply

  33. Wow these are a great idea. My mother loves lemon and fudge but I'd never had the idea to put them together. I'll have to try this for her upcoming birthday. Thanks for sharing!
    Reply

  38. WoW! is all I can say Carla! I have never made fudge and I don't know if I will ever have confidence in my baking skills to try one but this sure looks good! And I can just see the creamyness oozing!
    Reply

  40. These look fantastic! Can you store them outside the fridge and what would the shelf life be? Thank you
    Reply

    • Yes you can store it outside of the fridge. The only time I store it in the fridge is when it's super hot out during the summer and the fudge gets soft. For the shelf life, candy typically lasts longer than most desserts, so best guess is 1-2 weeks if stored properly in an airtight container.
      Reply

  41. Normally when I make fudge I aim for 114-115°C (237-239°F) and so I was doubtful about only heating to 234°F/112°C. I thought perhaps the chocolate would help it to set more easily, but it didn't, and so I ended up with a gloopy mess (albeit a delicious one)! I then had to remelt the mixture and dissolve it in some more evaporated milk and heat it to 115°C, before waiting till it cooled to 60°C/140°F before beating it and scraping it out into a tin, wasting a fair amount in the process. Aside from the issue with the temperature, the recipe is fantastic. I did add a little maple syrup for more flavour and some baking soda to get the mixture to boil up nice and high (my thermometer needs to be submerged a fair amount to get a decent reading).
    Reply

    • I'm sorry to hear the fudge didn't set up correctly for you. Candy making can be a bit fickle because there are external factors we can't control, such as weather. I would also make sure your thermometer is calibrated correctly. Being a few degrees off would make a huge difference in fudge making.
      Reply

      • Thanks for replying! I'm not sure it was the weather - I just had a look at some data online, and the air pressure over here has been pretty much average over the past few days. I don't think it was my thermometer either; I calibrated it with boiling water a few weeks ago. No other fudge recipe I've seen has asked for anything as low as 112°C. Perhaps it was the type of chocolate I used. Do you heat all your fudge mixtures to this temperature? It's not a massive deal though; I still managed to end up with a decent amount of yummy lemon fudge at the end. My sisters and I just had the last few pieces today, as a matter of fact!
        Reply

        • Most of my fudge recipes can be made without a candy thermometer due to the ingredients used (known as foolproof fudge). This one is a more traditional recipe because it's lemon, which is hard to turn into foolproof fudge.
          Reply

    • The weight varies depending on the item, like the weight of flour would differ from the weight of chocolate chips. The cup sizes are listed in the ingredient list. This is the measuring cup set I use if that helps http://amzn.to/2j1youv
      Reply

      • Thanks for your reply Carla, but that link isn't working for me... I have quite large mugs, so don't want to get the measurements wrong by putting too much in!! :)
        Reply

        • When you say mugs, are you referring to coffee mugs or actual dry ingredient measuring cups? I see you're from the UK based on your email, so I want to make sure nothing is lost in translation! You may need to copy and paste the link into your browser if it's not a clickable link. Or you can google "OXO Good Grips 6-Piece Measuring Cup Set".
          Reply

          • Oh you definitely need dry measuring cups for this. Candy making is a science, so the wrong measurements would result in a failed recipe. I don't know the weight of each item, so you'll have to do some research and converting for that.

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