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What Is No-Bake Fudge?

By Jeremy Laukkonen
Updated: May 17, 2024
Views: 6,799
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No-bake fudge is a variant of traditional fudge that uses similar ingredients, but does not require the use of an oven or stove. There are a number of different ways to make no-bake fudge, though some of the common ingredients include butter or margarine, sugar, and milk. Semi-sweet or baker's chocolate is often used to make chocolate fudge, and a variety of fruits and nuts can be added as well. The consistency and flavor of no-bake fudge can be different than regular fudge, since the sugar is not heated and never enters the soft ball stage during the process of preparation. This type of fudge is typically easier and quicker to make than traditional fudge.

One of the general concepts behind the making of confectioneries is that heating sugar to different temperatures affects the consistency of the final product. Low heat results in a syrupy consistency, while high temperatures create the hard crack stage seen in toffee, and the brown liquid stage found in caramels. The making of traditional fudge involves the application of enough heat for the sugar to reach the soft ball stage, which is at roughly 240°F (115°C). No-bake, or no-cook, fudge is a similar product that achieves a roughly comparable flavor and texture without the application of any heat.

The basic components of no-bake fudge are sugar and condensed milk. Some recipes call for sweetened condensed milk, while others require condensed skim milk and other similar products. This is the other difference between no-bake fudge and regular fudge, since fudge traditionally uses milk that has not been condensed. In order to make no-bake fudge, butter or margarine is typically added to this mixture. Since there is no baking involved, the ingredients are simply mixed together, poured into a pan, and then placed in a fridge to solidify.

It is also possible to create chocolate no-bake fudge, which does not typically make use of butter or margarine. This type of fudge can use any type of chocolate, from unsweetened baker's chocolate to sweet chocolate chips. In either case, the chocolate needs to be melted before it can be added to the condensed milk. That requires either a microwave or a double boiler, which can make this type of fudge more time consuming to make than butter-based versions. If baker's chocolate is used, then sugar is typically also added to this type of fudge in order to sweeten it.

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Discussion Comments
By AnswerMan — On Jan 16, 2015

I love no-bake fudge cookies, especially when oatmeal, peanut butter and/or nuts are added. Some people add coconut flakes or crushed cereal to the no-bake mix, which is pretty good, too.

By Ruggercat68 — On Jan 15, 2015

My wife makes a really good no-bake fudge using semi-sweet chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk and mini-marshmallows. She mixes all of these ingredients in a medium pot over a burner until they are thoroughly melted and then puts the mix in a pan to cool. The marshmallows apparently keep the fudge from becoming grainy. I don't believe she actually uses any regular sugar in the recipe, since the chocolate chips are sweet and the sweetened condensed milk contains dissolved sugar.

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