• 6 C granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 C butter
• 1 1/3 C evaporated milk
• 1 13oz jar marshmallow
• 2 C chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts preferred - I like a rough chop)
• 2 t pure vanilla extract
• 2 12oz semi-sweet chocolate pieces (24oz total)

1. Before starting, grease a 13"x9" pan with butter, line with parchment, then butter the parchment for easiest removal of fudge.
2. Combine sugar, margarine and evaporated milk in a large sauce pan (5 quarts or more).
3. Stir constantly and bring to a rolling boil. Continue stirring constantly for 5 minutes, maintaining a rolling boil.
4. Remove from heat, and stir in chocolate pieces until completely melted.
5. Add marshmallow and vanilla - stir until all marshmallow is incorporated and mixture has no marshmallow streaks. Stir in nuts.
6. Pour into prepared 13"x9" pan and let cool.
7. 1. Easily Remove the Fudge - When lining the baking pan with parchment paper, be sure to leave two to three inches of paper hanging over the edges. This will act as "handles" which come in very handy when removing the fudge from the baking pan that it cools in.
8. 2. Candy Cane Fudge - to make Candy Cane Fudge, just break up a bunch of candy canes into tiny chards and pour them on top of the hot fudge immediately after pouring the fudge into the baking pan to cool. I like to break some of the candy canes in a plastic bag, and then others I like to put in a food processor to get smaller pieces. Use a wooden spoon to press the candy cane pieces deep enough into the chocolate fudge so that they stay in place.
9. 3. Orange Chocolate Fudge - I LOVE the flavors of orange and chocolate together. To prepare the oranges to be incorporated into the chocolate fudge, do the following:
10. 1. In a saucepan, make a simple syrup by mixing two cups of granulated sugar with 2 cups of water. Stir constantly until sugar has been incorporated into the water, and the water appears clear. Bring to a boil, and stir frequently.
11. 2. Cut a couple of navel oranges into very thin slices, and add them to the boiling simple syrup. Once all orange slices are added, let boil for about 5 minutes - stirring frequently.
12. 3. Turn off the heat, and let oranges sit in simple syrup for a few hours until cooled.
13. 4. I have used both the orange wheels and rough chopped oranges to line the bottom of the baking pan before pouring the chocolate fudge into the baking pan. I like the look of the wheels, if I'm going to ultimately display the fudge before cutting it. Otherwise, I like to have the rough chopped oranges, because they are easier to cut and the flavor more readily absorbs into the chocolate fudge. Try both ways, and led me know what you think.
14. 5. After pouring the chocolate fudge into the baking pan, put orange wheels or rough chopped orange pieces on top and cut into small squares.

I grew up in a family that loved to send out treat tins every Christmas. Without fail, we had to include our chocolate fudge! We originally made it with nuts, but over the years I’ve taken artistic license and added candy canes or sugared oranges! --Todd T.