Grandma’s Old-Fashioned Fudge

This old fashioned fudge recipe is super easy to make and was shared by my grandma on her farmhouse table for many years.

Simple ingredients mix up to make every bite of grandma’s Old-Fashioned Farmhouse Fudge smooth, rich and delicious. Anyone can follow the instructions and make this easy chocolate fudge recipe at home!

Old Fashioned Fudge Recipe

A cross between frosting and fudge this old-fashioned dessert recipe is rich and sweet! This fudge is just like our Peanut Butter Chocolate Fudge, which is perfect when cut into small almost bite-sized squares.

Our family’s homemade fudge only requires six simple ingredients. I love that a candy thermometer or any other special tools are not required to make this easy fudge.

My grandma made this fudge recipe every year around Christmas to share with her friends, the ladies at the post office, bank, card club and beauty shop.

She taught me how to make this old fashioned marshmallow fudge. Grandma would always pick up a few fun Christmas tins or festive containers to package the fudge in and we would spend time together making the deliveries.

My grandma always made her fudge with semi-sweet chocolate chips, but sometimes I like to use a mixture of semi-sweet and milk chocolate chips. Dark chocolate chips would work too.

Ingredients Needed To Make Grandma’s Fudge Recipe

• Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips – We like to get Nestle or Ghirardelli chips for a higher quality than some of the value brands.
• Butter – Use real butter for full flavor, skip margarine in this recipe.
• Granulated Sugar
• Evaporated Milk – Any brand is fine.
• Mini Marshmallows – Mini marshmallows are easiest to melt into the chocolate.
• Vanilla – Real vanilla extract will enhance all of the other flavors.

Recipe Tips

• Follow the steps in the recipe very closely
• A metal pan with square edges will make more uniform pieces
• Using parchment paper makes the fudge much easier to remove from the pan
• Fudge will set-up quickest in a cool spot like the refrigerator, garage or an enclosed porch
• Use a bench scraper to cut uniform pieces as easily as possible
• 1/2 to 1 cup of chopped nuts can be stirred in and/or sprinkled on top of the fudge just before pouring it into the pan if desired

How To Make Old Fashioned Fudge

Be sure to read through all of the steps and understand the flow of the recipe before beginning.

Line a 9×13 pan with parchment paper and set aside.

Set a heavy pan on the stove on medium heat.

Turn the heat down to medium low and continue to stir often.

Be sure to stay close by the stove and attend to this mixture the entire time the heat is on. This is not a great time to get distracted.

Make sure your chocolate chips, vanilla and mini-marshmallows are next to the stove and ready to stir in after this step.

Once the mixture has boiled for 7 minutes remove from the heat.

The sugar mixture in fudge needs to boil to melt the sugar and make a smoother consistency.

Immediately add chocolate chips, mini marshmallows and vanilla. Stir continuously and stir well until the chocolate and marshmallows have melted.

As soon as the color of the fudge is consistent and the texture is smooth poor into a 9 x 13 pan.

Tap the pan several times on a firm, flat surface until the fudge is smooth on top.

Can Marshmallows be Substituted for Marshmallow Fluff

Yes! A 7 ounce container of marshmallow fluff or marshmallow creme can be substituted for a 10 ounce bag of mini-marshmallows.

How to Make Smooth Fudge

The key to making smooth fudge is to understand that once the sugar mixture is removed from the heat and the additional ingredients are added the fudge will begin to set-up VERY quickly.

Knowing that the mixture will set-up very quickly be sure to plan ahead. Have the bag of marshmallows cut open, the chocolate chips measured out and the vanilla measured out or at minimum next to the stove with a measuring spoon ready.

Also be sure that a pan or multiple pans are ready to pour the warm fudge into IMMEDIATELY after the marshmallows and chocolate chips have melted.

Once the fudge is poured tap the pan several times quickly and firmly until the fudge looks smooth on top.

Do NOT use a utensil to try and smooth out the fudge on top.

I stopped too many times to take pictures and this fudge set up quickly. Continue tapping until the fudge is smooth or will no longer move in the pan.

How Do You Know When Fudge is Done Without A Thermometer?

Follow the directions closely and boil this recipe for 7 minutes over medium low heat.

Since sugar can burn, stir often to prevent the fudge from burning or sticking to the bottom.

How to Cut Farmhouse Fudge

Using a bench scraper is the easiest way to cut fudge. This Amazon scraper has measurements on it that can help when cutting small, uniform squares of fudge.

If you don’t have a bench scraper or chopper, a long, thick knife can be used. One hand will stay on the handle of the knife and the other hand will help put pressure on top of the knife to make a more even cut.

Other Easy Holiday Dessert Recipes:

• Classic Peanut Butter Balls are coated in chocolate and filled with crispy rice cereal.
• Chocolate Pizza is easy to make at home but tastes like it came from a candy store.
• Christmas Chex Mix or reindeer chow is a fun and easy dessert to make during the holidays.
• Cherry Bread stands out as a unique pink gift that tastes delicious!
• Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies are one of the best cookies to make all year round!
• Cookie Dough Truffles are amazing chocolate covered balls of cookie dough
• Homemade Cake Bites taste like birthday cake batter dipped in chocolate.

Originally shared on December 6, 2020 with updates made on December 1, 2023.