When oldest grandson J. J. DUBIN (Nashville, Tennessee) was about eighteen months old, his grandma, GERI WASKIEWICZ (Spring Hill, Tennessee), shared a piece of her homemade fudge with him at Christmastime. Minutes later J. J. raced into the kitchen, frantically reaching up to the counter, demanding more of her delicious “pudge.” To this day, he stills refers to Grandma’s homemade fudge as “pudge,” and it tickles her every time she hears it.
Cooking spray
4 ½ cups sugar
1 (14.5 ounce) can evaporated milk (unsweetened)
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
4 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 (7 ounce) jar marshmallow cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 ½ cups chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
1 Lightly spray a 9 × 13-inch pan.
2 In a large pot add the sugar and milk and stir over medium heat. Bring to a boil and stir constantly until the mixture reaches 240 degrees on a candy thermometer.
3 Place the butter in a large bowl and pour the hot mixture over it. Add the chocolate chips and marshmallow cream and beat on low speed for 5 minutes. Add the vanilla and nuts and mix well.
4 Pour into the pan. When cooled to room temperature, cut into bite-size pieces. Keep leftovers tightly covered; it does not need to be refrigerated.
MAKES 5 POUNDS; APPROXIMATELY 72 BITE-SIZE PIECES.