How to Make Traditional Fudge from 1890 aka Vassar Fudge

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To say I am a fudgeaholic is an understatement; it is one of my favorite types of candy. In this post, I will show you how to make traditional fudge from 1890, also known as Vassar Fudge. This is one of the oldest known American Fudge recipes. It is after Vassar College, where a Student, Emelyn Battersby Hartridge, Class of 1892, is attributed to making it, although she admitted she got the recipe from a classmate’s cousin. You don’t get more classic and traditional than this homemade fudge recipe.

Vassar Fudge Ingredients

To make this traditional fudge at home, you need just 4 simple ingredients:

• Cream – Use light cream or heavy cream. If you don’t have any cream, you can use evaporated milk, but the original recipe uses cream.
• Sugar – Use standard white granulated sugar.
• Butter – Salted or unsalted butter is fine. But I always use unsalted butter.
• Chocolate – The original uses unsweetened chocolate. I usually use a Baker’s unsweetened chocolate, but you can also use something like a 70% Dark chocolate Lindt bar. You can also use chocolate chips if needed, although those were not used in the original recipe.

Optional Ingredients that you can add, which aren’t a part of the original recipe:

• Vanilla extract
• Walnuts

Tools:

• Thermometer – highly recommended to use some sort of food thermometer or candy thermometer. I shared the one I use and like.
• Medium Pot – It helps if it has a heavy bottom.
• Wooden Spoon or Silicone Spoon
• 8×8-inch pan
• Parchment paper, aluminum foil, or just butter the pan. If you use foil, butter the foil.

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How to Make Really Old Traditional Fudge At Home From Scratch

Start by adding the cream, sugar, and chocolate into a medium pot. I like to use a stainless steel heavy-bottom pot.

Set the burner to medium-low heat, and gently heat and stir the ingredients until everything dissolves. Once it all dissolves, turn the heat up to medium heat.

Keep heating and stirring until the mixture starts to boil. Once it starts to boil, don’t stir it anymore! This is very important.

Check the fudge with a thermometer; once it reaches 235°F or 112°C, add the butter, but don’t stir, let it melt on its own.

Then keep heating the fudge until it reaches 238°F or 114°C. 235F to 240F is known as the soft ball stage. Once it gets to that temperature, remove it from the heat. At this point, you can add the walnuts and vanilla extract if desired. 1 cup of chopped walnuts and 1 tsp of vanilla extract.

Allow the fudge to cool WITHOUT STIRRING until the temperature reaches 110°F or 43°C. This step is very important to getting a smooth and creamy fudge.

Once it reaches that temperature, stir and beat the fudge for 2 to 3 minutes until it loses some of its shine. But don’t over-stir it.

Add the fudge to an 8×8-inch (20×20 cm) pan lined with parchment paper or just butter the pan, and make sure to spread the fudge out evenly. You can use a prepared pan with foil that has been buttered as well.

Allow the fudge to cool completely to set.

Now remove the fudge from the pan and slice it into squares using a pizza roller, knife, etc. Sometimes a little oil on the knife will help it from sticking. Enjoy!

This makes an excellent gift for friends and neighbors, and family.

How to store homemade fudge and how long does it last?

Store the fudge in an airtight container at room temperature. Place it in the pantry or somewhere like that. It should last a few weeks, if not longer. You can also freeze it. Sometimes I just put the fudge back in the pan and cover it with plastic wrap, but that really isn’t ideal.

Troubleshooting Your Traditional Fudge and Common Things that Can Go Wrong

When making traditional fudge, there are several things that can go wrong. The fudge may be grainy; this is very common with this kind of fudge, or the fudge may be hard and crumbly. Here is how to avoid and a way to fix the fudge if those things happen.

Why is my fudge grainy? Can I fix it?

Fudge gets grainy because of sugar crystals that develop during the fudge-making process. Sometimes they are from the sides of the bowl, sometimes they form when the fudge isn’t properly made or cooled, or because the fudge was stirred when it wasn’t supposed to be stirred.

All is not lost if you have grainy fudge. Some people actually like grainy fudge because it is nostalgia for them and how their mom’s and grandma’s made it.

Here is how to fix it if desired:

1. Place the fudge back in the pot and add 1/2 cup of water or milk.
2. On low heat, stir and melt the fudge until completely melted.
3. Turn the heat up to medium and heat it to the correct temperature (235 to 238°F). Remember NOT to stir after it starts to boil.
4. Follow the recipe from there, remove it from the heat, and allow it to cool to 110°F. Don’t stir until then, and then beat the fudge for a few minutes.

If you really love smooth, creamy fudge and don’t want to fuss with this traditional fudge recipe, then follow this 3-ingredient fudge recipe, which is basically foolproof for getting creamy fudge.

Why is my fudge hard and cumbly?

Hard and crumbly fudge is usually due to overheating the fudge, causing too much moisture to be evaporated. Make sure to use a food thermometer and make sure your thermometer is reading temperatures accurately. To fix crumbly hard fudge, just follow the same steps above for fixing grainy fudge.

Do you like this old fashioned fudge recipe? If so, let me know in the comments!