Holiday Marshmallow Fudge

Notes: Fudge requires a few precautions. You need to have two heavy 3 qt. pans available and clean all the time, because the mixture scorches on the bottom very easily, and when it does, you need to pour it into a clean pot and wash the original one so it is clean for the next time it scorches (if it does). The best bet is a glass pot if you have one. Cook over medium temperature, even if you get bored waiting for it to boil. Keep stirring, and check the tip of the spoon for brown stuff. If there is any, change pots! (I have a Visions one that I use, but I made it in a metal pot for years. It's just a two-person activity, one to stir and the other to wash pots. Also to keep getting fresh bowls of cold water. Or you can take turns, of course. You can do it by yourself, but if you need to change pots, take the mixture off the heat while washing a pot.) Butter the sides of the cooking pot before you start, from the top to the bottom, and don't scrape the sides at all. Stir until it comes to a boil and all the sugar is dissolved. If you have a candy thermometer, clip it on after the mixture comes to a boil, with the bulb in the liquid, not the foam. Soft ball stage is 236 degrees. Test for soft ball stage by dropping a small amount of fudge into a small bowl of cold water. If you can form a small ball in the water, that flattens when you remove it from the water, that is the soft ball stage. If it doesn't flatten when you remove it from the water, that is firm ball stage, and is a little more than you want for this. Before soft ball stage, it just won't stick together at all, and disperses into the water.

This really isn't as bad as it sounds, but I wanted you to have all the tips I know. Anyway, here's the actual recipe.

4 C. sugar

1 C. butter (2 sticks)

1 12 oz. can evaporated (not condensed) milk

2 12 oz. packages chocolate chips

1 13-16 oz. jar marshmallow creme

2 tsps vanilla

1 C. broken walnuts if desired

Butter sides and bottom of a 13x9x2" pan, and sides of 3 qt. saucepan and set aside. In saucepan, combine sugar, butter, and milk and bring to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly and vigilantly. (Stir in the middle and around the edges, and check the spoon tip.) Once it reaches a full rolling boil, attach candy thermometer if you have one. If not, it will probably take about five minutes to reach soft ball stage, but check after about three minutes. Once it reaches soft ball stage, remove from heat and pour in chocolate chips, marshmallow creme, nuts if desired, and vanilla. Stir until everything has melted. Pour into buttered 13x9x2" pan, score, and chill until cool and firm before cutting. Store in refrigerator, covered with plastic wrap.

For peanut butter fudge, substitute 2 C. smooth or crunchy peanut butter for the chocolate chips.