Fudge Is The Original Old Time Family Favorite Chocolate Sweet Treat
By Anna McAnthony
Compared to favorite sweets that go back a thousand years and more, fudge is relatively young. Earlier flavors of fudge included chocolate, vanilla and brown sugar penuche. Mackinac Island, Michigan is the fudge capital of the U.S. Nowadays, the mixtures of fudge ingredients or fudge flavors are nearly endless. Some of them are: raspberry coffee, cappuccino, maple walnut, vanilla cherry chip, lemon butter, vanilla caramel, dark chocolate, caramel pecan, peanut butter and cheesecake.
Everybody likes eating rich, flavorful fudge, but people think of it as a hassle to make themselves. The original fudge recipes were somewhat vague and really difficult. Difficulty largely depended on the recipe used, how good the equipment was, the ingredients and the patience taken in order to make it right. Also, being certain of the exact measurements, cooking time and continual stirring were critical in order to get the perfect fudge candy. Bringing the ingredients to the appropriate temperature, and stirring at the right time are both needed for the fudge to be smooth, creamy and not grainy. Moreover it is very easy to under cook or over cook this sweet confectionery, which often can result in the candy not setting up or scorching.
If you were to define it, fudge is a creamy and rich confectionery treat. It is a softer candy, usually very smooth and made using fresh butter, corn syrup, sugar, sweet cream and sometimes different scrumptious flavorings. Flavorings may be butterscotch, vanilla, chocolate, white chocolate, kool aid, buttermilk, peanut butter, flavored gelatin, Kahlua, maple, mint, pumpkin or even bourbon. Fudge can contain various nuts, such as hazelnuts, walnuts, pecans, pistachios, roasted macadamia nuts, or almonds. Other ingredients that can be used in decadent or unusual fudge may be: candy canes, crackers, cheese, popcorn, coconut, pineapple chunks, candy
bars, lime peel, espresso beans, chips, cookie wafers, caramel, marshmallows, cherries and other candied or dried fruit, or chunks of chocolate.
Historically, (although disputed) fudge was invented accidentally by a failed batch of candy; most likely caramels, sometime around 1886. From this messed up batch of candy came the phrase or the cooks' exclamation of 'oh, fudge!' The very first written indication of fudge was in a letter from New York. Emelyn Battersby Hartidge, a Vassar College student, wrote that a schoolmate's cousin made fudge. In Baltimore in 1886, the confection was sold for 40 cents per pound. Emelyn got the recipe in 1888 and made 30 pounds for a Senior Auction at Vassar. Other colleges (Wellesley and Smith) then developed fudge recipes of their own.
Although the word fudge has multiple meanings, none of those meanings are synonymous with the family favorite, premium fudge. Nearly always in America, the word fudge means a wonderful, rich, creamy confectionery. At times you can find the word fudge printed on the boxes of brownies or cakes, but this only means that they have got some additional flavoring in the mix.
Author's Bio: Anna McAnthony is a staff and content writer for Gourmet Candy, and has been writing articles and researching and candy for several years. Visit http://www.chocolategourmetcandy.com for more information.Anna McAnthony is a content writer at http://www.chocolategourmetcandy.com", and has been doing research on and writing about ( http://www.chocolategourmetcandy.com/Caramel-Apples-orderby0-p-1-c-2.html ) caramels and candy for several years.
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