The fudge tastes great but the consistency is very granular & not creamy. I would not give this fudge in its present condition as gifts. I'm not a beginner fudge maker so I want to ask you: How long & to what temperature did you cool the fudge? How long did you beat it after it cooled? This must be where I went wrong & I'd like to try it again.

Hi Shannon,

Boil fudge to a temperature of 234-240°F. To achieve a fine-grained, creamy texture, don't beat the fudge until it has cooled to under 110°F. If the fudge is beaten above 150°F it will become sugary instead of smooth - a texture that some people prefer. Beat the fudge until it loses its gloss and is thick and creamy.

Happy Holidays!

-- CM

Just made a batch, it turned out fantastic! Thanks for the great recipe. If you find it going to sugar, you can recook it and try again.

Thanks to Shannon & CM for the great question and equally excellent answer. I learned something new about fudge & I'm truly grateful. I wanted to add that sugaring of fudge can be caused by one granule of sugar left undissolved, if it touches the cooling mixture & sets off a chain reaction. But as Amy said, you can reheat & try again. Now I can make this delectable confection for my dad for Father's Day. Thanks so much! :)

I've made fudge for sometime now and would like to say that when beating it, it always comes out smooth if you put the fudge straight into a bowl/pan of ice-cold water and beat at the same time, it cools it down rapidly, stops over cooking and you don't have to beat it until your arm is about to drop off!! Happy fudge making!

Thanks to all the tips my first ever fudge attempt turned out amazing! Great recipe. I can't wait to share my creation :)

I was a little anxious about making this one because I've never tried maple fudge, and real maple syrup is a little pricey to experiment with. I am an old pro at good old fashioned chocolate fudge though. I made this vegan so my finace could eat it. I used soymilk and dairy free margarine, and it turned out awesome. I did cook it at the soft ball stage for a smidge longer than I usually do because I was afraid it was too thin to set up. I also added the salt and margarine to the mixture before cooking. The only thing I added after cooking was the vanilla. After cooling enough to touch the pan, I stirred and it set up just a minute or two after it changed from syrup looking to creamy like a maple stir. Once it started setting, it firmed up really quick, so have your plate or pan ready! Thanks for the recipe. YUM!!

To avoid the tendancy to crystalize (go to sugar), you can add a tablespoon of corn syrup. This changes the chemistry, but not the taste: From a chemical standpoint, when intermixed with standard sugar the corn syrup will interrupt the re-crystalization process. (Thanks, Alton Brown)

Wow, this turned out amazing!! I am a first timer but read all the comments and followed this process: put syrup, sugar, cream in small sauce pan, stirred to combine. I ADDED THE CORN SYRUP and I actually think that probably made the difference in texture. Put on med hi heat with lid on (great aunt says the steam can wash crystals down the side of pan) for maybe 5 min until it is boiling rapidly. Put in candy therm and cooked to 235°F (10 more min?). Then, I poured into a bowl, not scraping the pan out at all. I let cool to about 175°F and put the butter, vanilla and salt on top (so I wouldn't have to do later) and let cool to just below 150°F. I started to beat at that point and it was great. That took less than 5 min and I prob waited 10 seconds too long to put in pan. When it's ready, it's ready!

My first attempt at maple fudge and it came out excellent! For a twist, I added 7-8 pieces of cooked bacon broken into small pieces when I added the vanilla, butter and salt. It is awesome!