5 Mistakes to Avoid When Making Easy Chocolate Fudge

Making chocolate fudge is perhaps the easiest dessert out there, for all you need to do is cook a few ingredients, spread them out on a pan, set it, and cut it into pieces. While that does sound easy, and it can be, the stickiness of the dessert can make you end up with a few sneaky mistakes that can mess it up if you're not careful. If you've ever ended up with fudge that's too soft, too hard, or just plain weird, you're not alone. Here are 5 common slip-ups to watch out for, especially if you're new to making fudge at home.

1. Picking the Wrong Chocolate

There is a reason why chocolate is priced differently, and not all chocolate works the same way. Some melt nicely, others turn grainy or clump up when you heat them. That’s why the kind of chocolate you use matters. If you go for cheap chocolate or something meant for snacking (especially chocolate bars with fillings), you might end up with a weird sticky mess. Stick with plain chocolate chips, baking chocolate, or quality chocolate that does not have any fillings. These will melt smoothly, which makes the whole process a lot easier. And don’t worry, you don’t need fancy brands. Just use one that tastes good on its own, and you’re off to a good start.

2. Melting Everything Too Fast

This one’s a biggie, and rushing the whole process might make your fudge not turn out great. It’s super tempting to just crank up the microwave or the stove to get things done quickly. But when it comes to fudge, slow and steady is the way to go. Melting chocolate too fast can cause it to burn or go lumpy, and once that happens, it’s hard to fix. If you’re using the microwave, set the timer for 2-3 minutes, pause every 20-30 seconds at a time, and stir between each interval. If using the stove, keep the heat low and stir until it’s all melted and smooth.

3. Forgetting to Line Your Pan

You might think, “Eh, I’ll just pour it straight into the dish. It’ll be fine.” But here’s where it gets sticky, quite literally: trying to scoop fudge out of an unlined pan is a nightmare, unless you have one of those quality pans which does not need lining or greasing. Without the lining or foil or parchment paper, the sticky fudge concoction will stick, crumble, and you’ll probably end up scraping it out in chunks. Save yourself the stress and line your dish with baking paper or foil first. Leave a bit hanging over the edges like handles so you can lift the whole thing out once it’s set. It makes cutting the fudge way easier, too.

4. Not Giving It Enough Time to Chill

This one takes patience, but it’s worth it, especially if the fudge recipe led you to believe it would be done super quickly, but left out the refrigeration part in the fine print. After you pour the fudge into the pan, it needs time to firm up in the fridge. A lot of people get excited and try to cut it after 30 minutes, but it’s usually still too soft. Give it at least 2 hours in the fridge, or better yet, leave it overnight. You want it fully chilled and firm all the way through. Cutting it too soon can leave you with gooey pieces that won’t hold their shape. Waiting is hard, but it makes a difference with the kind of fudge you’ll have in the end.

5. Trying to Get Too Creative Too Soon

Once you see how easy fudge can be, it’s tempting to start throwing in extra stuff different kinds of chocolate, nuts, cookies, even peanut butter or marshmallows. While that’s fun to do, it’s a good idea to keep things simple your first few times. Stick to the basic recipe (chocolate chips + sweetened condensed milk) until you’re confident. Once you’ve nailed the base, then start playing around. Changing the ingredients too soon can throw off the balance and make the fudge too dry, too wet, or just not set properly.