Homemade fudge is a favorite food to gift for the holidays, as it's something that most people recognize as a labor of love. It takes time and patience, and one small error can ruin the whole effort. Anyone can make mistakes making homemade fudge, but luckily there's usually a fix that will get it back on the track towards perfection. If you discover that your mixture is grainy, some quick thinking will save the entire batch.
Pour the fudge back into your pan, and add about a cup of water to it, along with a tablespoon or two of evaporated milk, whipping cream, or whatever cream you're using. Some people skip the water and just add cream to the mixture to reheat. Start cooking it at a lower temperature, and make sure it is smooth before bringing it back up to the required 234 to 240 degrees.
While the solution to fix grainy fudge is simple, there are steps you can take -- and even ingredients you can add -- that will help ensure your fudge stays smooth during the whole fudge-making process.
When making fudge, our goal is to change the sugar into a smoother, softer, and more even texture. The most common reason for graininess is because you began beating or stirring it while the fudge was still cooling. It's best to wait until it's cooled to somewhere around 110 to 113 degrees to begin stirring.
When you finally begin mixing the fudge, be careful not to splash it on the sides of the saucepan, which can cause the sugar to recrystallize. To counteract this, cover the pan for a couple of minutes after the fudge begins to boil, causing steam to form to help rinse the chocolate from the sides. Or, you can swirl instead of stir, and use something like a wet brush or paper towel to push the sugar along the inside of the pan back down into the mixture. When your fudge is ready to pour, don't scrape the pan too thoroughly, or you'll add any grain bits from the pan sides to your fudge.
Lastly, you could always add a tiny amount of an additional ingredient that will help prevent crystals from forming. This could be a teaspoon of cream of tartar, which helps break up the sucrose, or more commonly, adding corn syrup, which uses glucose to stop the sucrose in the fudge from crystallizing. Or, avoid dealing with grainy fudge at all. By simply using condensed milk, you cut out all the stirring and waiting, and you still have a delicious fudge recipe.
To fix oily, hard or grainy fudge, scoop the fudge back into a pot with about a cup of water. Cook it over low heat until the fudge dissolves. Then bring the fudge back up to the temperature specified in the recipe and follow the remaining steps. The flavor may be slightly diluted, but the texture will be improved.
Brush the sides of the pan with a wet brush at the beginning of cooking to dissolve sugar crystals stuck to the sides. 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.
When making fudge, you are actually creating very tiny sugar crystals that feel velvety on the palate. The issue arises when large crystals form, which in essence create that grainy texture. This can happen from stirring the sugar mixture after it starts to boil, or from stirring it once it is already starting to cool.
You can start by gently reheating it and boiling or cooking it again, aiming to reach the correct temperature. Alternatively, using short bursts in the microwave and stirring between intervals until it thickens can also be an effective method to restore its texture.
Once the fudge reaches soft-ball stage on the candy thermometer, remove from the heat and let the temperature drop to 110°F. Keep that spoon or spatula out of the pot until this happens. If you stir too early in the process, you'll make the sugar crystals too big and end up with grainy fudge.
Options for what you can do with your unset fudge:
OPTION 1) Depending on how runny it is, you can either use it as a frosting for cakes, or a sauce for ice-cream. OPTION 2) Freeze it overnight. Cut it into squares. Cover each square thickly in melted chocolate, ensuring no part of the fudge is exposed.
Let the fudge rest at room temperature for 15 minutes before placing in the refrigerator, uncovered. Refrigerate until the fudge is firm, about 2-3 hours (or overnight), before slicing and serving.
Don't panic if your fudge is grainy, nothing is lost it just requires some more work. Pop the grainy fudge back into the pan along with some water and a little cream and melt the fudge back down to a liquid and re-boil it to temperature.
You have one option to make it soft, which is you have to put the fudge pieces in a plastic bag along with the paper towel or a bread slice.Secure the bag and leave it overnight, next day you will get a softened fudge.
How to thicken your fudge? If your fudge it noticeably thin, you may want to add more chocolate. If you are out of chocolate, you can also add 1/4-1/2 cup of powdered sugar. This, however, can make the fudge very sweet.
Cut the fudge into small pieces around one inch and put it on the plate and place each fudge with the distance in between. Keep a bowl of water inside the microwave along with the fudge to create moisture for the pieces to inhale. Next, microwave the fudge pieces for just 10 seconds.
If you let your fudge get too hot, the sugars will start to concentrate and the fudge will be crumbly, dull, and hard. To fix it, put it back into the saucepan and add about 3–4 US tbsp (44–59 ml) of 35% fat whipping cream. Stir the mixture as you heat it until the sugar in the fudge is melted.
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