Easy Salted Caramel Fudge is a Foodie with Family classic and an excellent way to kick off our Saturday Sweets feature. Each Saturday we’ll feature a sweet or dessert recipe; some new and some classic, but all delicious.

My eldest son is about to turn 20 (TWENTY!) and my youngest is about to be 12. I find it absolutely incomprehensible that those babies I held in my arms just twenty and twelve years ago are as big as they are and that my eldest (MY BAYBAY) has completed his first year of college. I’m feeling a little old and weepy.

This is a time for self-medication with food, friends.

That’s right. When I’m feeling like time is slipping away from me too quickly, there’s nothing that stops the clock for just a moment or two like a small square of something sweet and ridiculously indulgent. Case in point? Easy Salted Caramel Fudge.

It’s a little dangerous just how simple this Easy Salted Caramel Fudge is to make; it only takes 5 ingredients (six if you’d like to add a little bourbon to the mix, as I most often do) and none of them are tough to find. Well, they’re not hard to find unless you live in a dry town, then you just have to drive a little further if you want that little kiss of bourbon in there.

Don’t worry if you are not a fan of alcohol or using it in cooking, the fudge is also delicious made without it! And as for the actual process of making the fudge, I’m telling you it’s about as easy as aging.

Sigh.

Are you wondering why I’d bother putting bourbon in my fudge? There’s something about the slight smoky caramel notes of bourbon that matches ever so perfectly with the gooey, creamy, salted caramel and dark chocolate.

The bourbon also has a way of giving the Easy Salted Caramel Fudge a little something something most fudges don’t have; complexity and sophistication. Like things that come with age.

DANGIT. How about a video to prove how easy this Easy Salted Caramel Fudge really is?

Okay. So I’m going to eat a couple of squares of Easy Salted Caramel Fudge and have a bourbon on the side. (Which would be a pretty spectacular holiday party dessert combo now that I think of it.)

Cook’s Notes

• When I make candies or confections, I like to have a little insurance policy in place that will guarantee my ability to remove the goodies from the pan or vessel in which they were made. I’m a control freak like that. My method is a simple one. I spray the pan with my favourite non-stick cooking spray, press a piece of parchment in place that comes up the sides of the pan (so it can act as a sling by being grabbed on both sides if need be) and spray the parchment, too. Overkill? Perhaps, but my stuff doesn’t stick, and I’m not left to weep salty tears as my fudge needs to be chiseled out of the pan.
• I know someone out there is wondering whether the recipe for Easy Salted Caramel Fudge can be doubled, after all, ’tis the season for candy making! Yes. Double away! Triple it even! You’re limited only by the size of the bowl for your double boiler and the pan in which you plan to set your fudge.
• Yep. I said double boiler. It doesn’t need to be a fancy, expensive, dedicated contraption. Any old stainless steel bowl perched over a saucepan of simmering water will do the trick. The only limitation here is that you don’t want the bottom of the bowl sitting down in the water. It needs to be a bit above it so the steam from the water is heating the bowl, not the sides of the pan or the simmering water. The goal with a double boiler is a gentle, controlled heat that prevents the chocolate from seizing (in other words, hardening in unpleasant ways!)  Seized chocolate is sad.
• This is my favourite heat-proof spatula and it does an amazing job stirring the chocolate and other goodies down into fudge as it melts.
• The bourbon is absolutely strictly optional. If you are opposed to using alcohol or sensitive to its presence, you can substitute additional vanilla extract for the bourbon specified in the recipe. It will still be delicious.
• If you go with the bourbon, which bourbon should you use? You don’t need the fanciest bourbon here, but it should be one that’s pleasant for sipping. Benchmark is an inexpensive (yet still award winning) brand that is great for the job.
• For the salted caramel portion of the Easy Salted Caramel Fudge, I’m partial to using my homemade Slow Cooker No-Stir Dulce de Leche {in jars} , but you can oh-so-definitely use purchased dulce de leche (commonly available at Walmarts, better stocked grocery stores, and ethnic markets). I’d avoid caramel sauce in squeeze bottles or jars of caramel sundae toppings, though, as they don’t behave quite the same way as dulce de leche.
• Salt? Yeah, man. If you are here often, you probably know where I’m going with this. I adore Maldon Sea Salt Flakes for sprinkling over sweets because I love the crunch and the translucent, jewel-like, irregular pyramid shapes. If you can’t lay your hands on it or can’t justify the cost (but the salt is PRETTY! Who doesn’t love pretty salt?) you can use any coarse flake sea salt and it will still be tasty!
• I’m going to advise you to cut very small cubes of the fudge (about 1/2-inch or 1-inch square) This stuff is RICH, friends.
• When it comes to slicing the fudge, it’s easiest if you heat your knife up with a hair dryer between slices. Alternatively, you can run extremely hot tap water over your knife and then wipe it dry before attempting to cut down into the fudge. I find my favourite knife for the job is a big, sturdy, good old fashioned chef’s knife or meat carving knife.
• If you’re looking for a super fun, super easy, super popular hostess gift or homemade food gift for the holidays, you can buy an inexpensive 8-inch by 8-inch pan and prepare the fudge in it as directed. Wrap the pan in pretty plastic wrap, add a ribbon, bow or other frou-frou loveliness, and gift a giant slab o’fudge to the people you love most.

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Prep Tips (Use these to make Easy Salted Caramel Fudge)

• 8-inch by 8-inch baking pan
• parchment paper
• Maldon sea salt flakes

Easy Salted Caramel Fudge

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Rebecca Lindamood

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 4 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

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This fudge combines semi-bitter chocolate with superlative salt and dreamy, creamy caramel for a full-array bite of decadence. 

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 can sweetened condensed milk 14 ounces
• 1 pound chopped bittersweet or semi sweet chocolate or the equivalent weight in chocolate chips of the same varieties
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon bourbon
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract or use 3 teaspoons vanilla if omitting the bourbon
• 1/4 cup dulce de leche
• coarse sea salt flakes preferably Maldon Sea Salt

Also needed:

• an 8-inch by 8-inch square pan
• non-stick cooking spray
• parchment paper

Instructions

 

• Lightly spray an 8-inch by 8-inch pan with non-stick cooking spray. Press a piece of parchment in that rises up the sides of the pan on at least 2 sides. Lightly spray the parchment with non-stick cooking spray and set it aside.
• Add the sweetened condensed milk, chopped chocolate or chocolate chips, unsalted butter, bourbon, and vanilla to a stainless steel bowl and place it over a saucepan that has 2 inches of boiling water in it. Drop the heat on the burner to low, and stir gently, but constantly until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth. Pour into the prepared pan.
• Gently heat up the dulce de leche until it can be poured. I use the microwave for this because it's done very quickly. Drizzle over the top of the fudge and use a butterknife or skewer to swirl the fudge and dulce de leche together. Sprinkle coarse sea salt flakes over the top. Place the pan (uncovered) in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight before removing from the pan and slicing into small cubes. Store leftover fudge in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Nutrition

Calories: 98kcalCarbohydrates: 7gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 4mgSodium: 1mgPotassium: 81mgFiber: 1gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 50IUCalcium: 9mgIron: 0.9mg

Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.

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Not Your Mama’s Canning Book: Modern Canned Goods and What to Make with Them is available to order through these fine retailers!

This post was originally published November 19th, 2014. Updated December 2, 2015 and November 10, 2017.

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