How to make fudge with condensed milk

Fudge is sugar, butter and milk boiled together, then beaten until it thickens and sets. Using condensed milk, which is milk with much of its water removed and sugar added, gives a rich, creamy result: see how is fudge made?

A word on safety

Boiling fudge is far hotter than boiling water, so keep children back from the pan, use a long handled spoon, and let it cool before tasting.

What you need

This follows Carnation's ultimate fudge recipe, which makes 36 pieces:

• 397 g tin of condensed milk
• 150 ml milk
• 450 g demerara sugar
• 115 g butter

You will also need a heavy, non stick saucepan, a sugar thermometer, a wooden spoon and a 20 cm square tin lined with baking parchment.

Method

1. Dissolve. Put everything in the pan over a low heat and stir until the sugar has completely dissolved.
2. Boil. Turn up the heat to a rolling boil and keep stirring, scraping the bottom of the pan, for about 10 to 15 minutes, until the thermometer reads 113 to 115°C, the soft ball stage.
3. Cool a little. Take the pan off the heat and let it cool briefly. This is when you could stir in extras such as nuts or chocolate chips.
4. Beat. Beat hard for about 5 to 10 minutes, until the fudge thickens and loses its gloss.
5. Set and cut. Pour into the tin, leave it to set, then cut into 36 squares.

Why each step matters

• Dissolving first. Undissolved sugar grains can start crystals growing, which makes fudge grainy: see why is my fudge grainy?
• The temperature. As the fudge boils, water evaporates and the sugar becomes more concentrated. Stop short of the soft ball stage and the fudge may not set: see why is my fudge not setting?
• Stirring. Stirring stops the mixture catching and burning on the bottom of the pan, which is why Carnation's method keeps it moving and scrapes the base throughout.
• Beating. Beating as it cools makes the sugar form lots of tiny crystals, which give fudge its smooth, firm texture. Carnation notes that how long you beat it affects the final texture.

Without a thermometer

Drop a little of the mixture into a bowl of iced water. At the soft ball stage, it forms a soft ball you can pick up.

Keeping it

Carnation says the fudge keeps for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container at room temperature: see how long does fudge last?

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