Full question
The Vanilla Fudge is the best-tasting fudge ever. But I have made it twice and both times it doesn't want to set. When I take it out of the fridge it's still mushy. I can cut it in blocks and take it out of the container but it squishes. What am I doing wrong? Stove is on medium and it cooks for 22 minutes.
Our answer
Nigella's Vanilla Fudge is a traditional fudge recipe made by boiling butter, two types of milk, syrup and sugar together. The temperature that this mixture is cooked to will determine how firm or soft the fudge is. From the description it sounds as if the fudge is removed from the heat before it gets to the "soft ball stage". As Nigella mentions in the introduction, the cooking time can vary a lot depending on the size of the saucepan, and also how strong the heat under the pan is.
The fudge needs to be cooked at a vigorous boil and needs to get to a minimum of 116C/240F, so you may need to increase the heat slightly. This is the soft ball stage and if you drop a little of the mixture into a glass of cold water then it should form a firm ball that you can still squeeze between your fingers. So you do need to check the mixture, either using a sugar (candy) thermometer or the cold water test described, to make sure that it has reached the correct stage before beating the fudge and transferring it to a container. For a no-boil fudge you may like to try Nigella's Chocolate Pistachio Fudge.
Asked and Answered
Freezing Vanilla Fudge
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