Pecan Fudge


It sounded perfect. The recipe looked so easy._Best part? I had all of the ingredients at home and I didn’t have to go shopping. Everything was going just fine, I even thanked my food_processor_again for saving me from chopping pecans. I had everything in the pot when I came up to a part in the recipe that I didn’t understand. It was handwritten by my grandmother. It wasn’t messy, but it was in script and some of the letters were difficult to see. I couldn’t tell if it said “soft balls stage” or “soft boil stage”. I had to google “making fudge” to discover that it said “soft balls stage.” I had a few giggles because of the soft balls, then I learned what it meant. In order to tell if your fudge is ready to come out of the pot and into your platter is to fill a cup with cold water & drop a ball ball of fudge into it. If you can roll it into a ball under the water, it is ready for transfer. I tested my fudge & it rolled into a slimy gross ball. I assumed it was ready (I had also been standing over the stove for a looong time, & I was ready to finish. We had company! Give me a break!), and I poured it out into my platter. I went into the other room to visit with our guests while the fudge cooled. I came back much later and it was still liquidy! It was supposed to become solid as it cooled. I checked back even later, and it was still not fudge-like. I figured it needed to be cooler. I put it in the fridge over-night. When I woke up the next day, it was much more solid. I cut it into squares & brought it to work. By the time I got there, it was already very slushy. You couldn’t pick up a square without it slipping through your fingers. One coworker said “What is this? Salami?” He was seriously asking. A customer asked me if it was tripe. I don’t even know what tripe looks like, but I am pretty sure that fudge isn’t supposed to look like it. Everyone who tried it said that it tasted wonderful, it just wasn’t fudgy.


Later in the day, we had a customer who was an older woman. She pointed at my plate and said “Was that supposed to be fudge?” I told her yes, and she explained that I hadn’t cooked it long enough and she told me the correct way to do the soft balls test (giggle). The ball has to feel the way that fudge feels. Firm. Not slippery and slimy like mine was. I’m so glad that she explained it to me. I have several other fudge recipes to try._


I knew I would have some mess-ups, I was just hoping that it wouldn’t have been so soon in my blog! I guess it happens. I hope that you can enjoy this recipe, and I hope that it turns out properly for you!


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1 can condensed milk, 1_1/4 cup sugar, 1 stick of butter, 1 tbs vanilla, 1_1/2 cups of chopped pecans.


Put sugar, condensed milk, and butter into pot and mix well over low fire. Stir constantly until mixture reaches soft balls stage (heehee). Add pecans and vanilla. Mix well. Pour onto a buttered platter. Let cool.



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