Judy Sturgeon's Remarkable Fudge

*Yep, this photo is mine! The cookbook, however, is not... it's my mom's much-used and well-loved book of family favorites.

Judy Sturgeon's Remarkable Fudge

I'm pretty sure my mom worked with Judy Sturgeon. Then again, I don't remember her, so maybe I'm making that up. Either way, I don't like fudge. It's gluey and slimy and generally if I want to eat something super-indulgent, I can find ten things I'd prefer over fudge. 

Except this fudge. This fudge is the pinnacle of all fudges. It's sweet, it's firm, it makes a great sound when you chew it... this is top-notch fudge. My mom makes it every year at Christmastime. As soon as it's done, I'm picking at it. I will even lick the spoon, to this day, if she lets me. Tim and I brought home a plateful of this fudge after Christmas this year... it didn't even last a day. 

I strongly suggest you do not make this fudge unless you have somewhere to serve it where there will be lots of other people to keep you in check. Seriously. You've been warned. 

What you need:

Listen up! You need a candy thermometer, a  9" x 13" pan and an 8 " pan. Don't skip out on the thermometer.

4 C sugar
1 14 oz can evaporated milk
1 C butter
2 C semi-sweet chocolate chips
16 oz marshmallow cream (Jet-Puffed or Fluff... usually in the baking aisle at the grocery store)
1 tsp vanila
1 C chopped walnuts* (but seriously, why would you ruin fudge with nuts? Gross.)

What to do: 

Cook milk, sugar and butter to medium soft ball (236F). 

Beat in remaining ingredients.

Pour into pans.

Chill. 

I like to pre-cut my fudge so it gets just a bit of a crust on the edge of each piece. This, of course, is optional... I just like the different textures. 

*I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but I hate nuts in my baking. I love nuts in cooked dishes and salads, just not in baked stuff. I don't know if it's because of the stark texture difference, of the way nuts get  waxy when you bake them... I just don't like it. So for all my recipes, if you think nuts would make them more delicious for you, by all means, go nuts! ha.