The Best Chocolate Marshmallow Fudge
This is the easiest and very Best Chocolate Marshmallow Fudge, ever! Made with marshmallows and dark chocolate, this melt-in-your-mouth fudge is my family’s favourite and will be the star of your cookie box!
When we were growing up, my sister and I had a specific Christmas baking duty: Stir the fudge pot.
We had a special pot for it and everything: The Fudge Pot. An ancient, heavy-bottomed stock pot — whose bakelite handles had long-since shattered and flaked away; ancient burnt sugar stains flecked the pitted bottom. And a special Fudge Spoon — a warped but very sturdy wooden spoon.
We would stand on chairs, stirring and stirring, while the fudge got thicker and thicker, until our tiny arms were burning. It was only six minutes, but it seemed to take forever. Time stood still and it was the NOWness of the bubbling sugar, and the endless, endless, stirring, that filled my whole frontal lobe.
“Is it time yet?” we would call. “No, four minutes left,” Mom would say patiently.
The sugary mixture got darker and darker. Bubbles blatted their way to the surface, one after the other.
Three minutes, two minutes, one minute left. Sweat on our brows, we would whine, “I can’t do it!” and suddenly the fudge would be done. Quickly! Quickly! Throw in the marshmallows, chocolate and vanilla. Quickly! Stir, stir, stir. Quickly! Pour that fudgy wonderfulness into the pan. It smelled like some kind of heaven.
The best part? We always got to lick the spoon. Always.
How long does the Best Chocolate Marshmallow Fudge take to make?
Less than 10 minutes to make, plus chilling time in the refrigerator.
Let’s talk about the ingredients for The Best Chocolate Marshmallow Fudge
Mini Marshmallows – The mini marshmallows melt into the fudge mixture faster than the larger marshmallows. If you need to substitute large marshmallows, cut them into small pieces first. I have made these so many times over the years, I can say for certain that FRESH marshmallows are the best to use. Old marshmallows from an opened package that have been around for awhile don’t seem to melt properly.
Dark Chocolate – Sometimes known as Bittersweet chocolate, this chocolate has a higher percentage of cocoa and tastes best in this recipe. If you can’t find it, you can use semi-sweet chocolate.
Evaporated Milk – Don’t be tempted to substitute sweetened condensed milk, it is not the same.
Can I Make Substitutions?
Chocolate – For best results, use dark or bittersweet chocolate. You can also use semi-sweet chocolate. Milk chocolate is much lighter in flavour and tastes a bit sweeter, but you can use it if you like it! White chocolate is good, too. You can use the equivalent amount of chocolate chips. Avoid candy melts, they are made with different ingredients and the fudge doesn’t set properly.
Marshmallows – use mini marshmallows (not the multi-coloured, fruit-flavour ones). You can substitute regular size marshmallows, but cut them into pieces first. Using scissors is the easiest and fastest way to cut up the large marshmallows.
Vanilla Extract – Substitute the same amount of other extract. These extracts are delicious with chocolate: peppermint, almond, orange, hazelnut, coconut, or rum.
Nuts – I love chopped walnuts in this fudge, but you could substitute chopped almonds, hazelnuts, peanuts, coconut, or pecans.
Variations for the Best Chocolate Marshmallow Fudge
Make your own flavour combination by combining chocolate + extract + nuts together. Here are some ideas:
- Dark chocolate + orange extract + orange zest
- Dark chocolate + peppermint extract + crushed candy canes
- Milk chocolate + rum extract + coconut
- White chocolate + maple extract + chopped pecans
- Butterscotch-flavoured chips + rum extract + chopped almonds
The Best Chocolate Marshmallow Fudge
Equipment
- 1 Large pot
- 2 8×8 cake pan or 1-9×13 cake pan
- Aluminum foil or parchment paper
Ingredients
- 3 cups sugar
- 1 can evaporated milk 12 fl oz or 354 ml
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 cups mini marshmallows
- 24 oz dark chocolate (or 680g) chopped
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup chopped nuts optional
Instructions
- Prepare pans by lining with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large pot, stir together sugar, evaporated milk, butter, and salt over medium heat. Bring to a full boil, stirring constantly, and boil for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Immediately stir in mini marshmallows, chopped chocolate, vanilla extract, and nuts (if using). Stir until marshmallows are melted.
- Pour into prepared pans and refrigerate until firm.
- Lift fudge out of pans, remove foil or parchment paper, and cut into squares. Store in a sealed container in the fridge. Best eaten at room temperature.
Notes
