By Hadley’s first week home. The Albright house in west Tulsa has been the family’s gravity-center this week. Aunt Linda is there eight AM to ten PM. Roy comes by mid-afternoon to bring lunch and to take Justin and Harper’s grocery list. Mama drove up Tuesday for the day to hold Hadley and to bring a small fried-chicken-and-mashed-potatoes dinner. Brayden is sixty-eight weeks old. We made the family Saturday visit at three PM with Brayden on my hip and a tin of whipped shortbread cookies and a small tin of butter pecan fudge.
The butter pecan fudge is a small-batch candy — brown sugar, butter, evaporated milk, vanilla, toasted pecans, cooked to soft-ball stage (235 degrees on the candy thermometer), beaten until thick and pourable, poured into a parchment-lined pan to set for two hours. The candy is the kind of small care-package item that ships well and that lasts a week in a tin.
The technique question on fudge is the candy-stage temperature. Too short of the soft-ball stage and the fudge stays grainy. Too long past it and the fudge sets up too firm. The 235-degree mark is the right point. The candy thermometer is the difference between consistent fudge and inconsistent fudge.
Sunday I made one tin of fudge for Harper and Justin (a small thank-you for letting us be at Hadley’s first-week visit), one tin for the Bryants (going in the next Memphis mail-pack), one tin for the apartment. The kitchen smelled like toasted pecans and butter for an hour.
Butter Pecan Fudge
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 15 minutes | Total Time: 2 hours 25 minutes (includes chilling) | Servings: 36 pieces
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
- 2/3 cup evaporated milk
- 1 jar (7 oz) marshmallow creme
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups white chocolate chips
- 1 cup pecans, roughly chopped and toasted
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Prepare the pan. Line a 9x9-inch baking pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil, leaving overhang on two sides for easy lifting. Lightly butter the lining and set aside.
- Toast the pecans. In a dry skillet over medium heat, toast the chopped pecans for 3—4 minutes, stirring frequently, until fragrant and lightly golden. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Cook the base. In a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan, combine the sugar, butter, evaporated milk, and salt. Stir over medium heat until the butter is melted and the sugar is dissolved. Bring to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly, and cook for exactly 5 minutes, continuing to stir the entire time.
- Add remaining ingredients. Remove the saucepan from heat. Immediately stir in the white chocolate chips and marshmallow creme until fully melted and smooth. Stir in the vanilla extract and 3/4 cup of the toasted pecans, reserving the rest for the top.
- Pour and top. Quickly pour the fudge mixture into the prepared pan and spread it evenly with a spatula. Scatter the remaining 1/4 cup pecans over the top and gently press them in.
- Chill. Allow the fudge to cool at room temperature for 30 minutes, then transfer to the refrigerator and chill for at least 2 hours, or until fully set.
- Cut and serve. Lift the fudge from the pan using the parchment overhang. Cut into 36 small squares with a sharp knife. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week, or refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 138 | Protein: 1g | Fat: 6g | Carbs: 21g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 38mg