Brown Butter Vanilla Fudge

Brown Butter Vanilla Fudge is another way to prove that brown (or browned) butter really is here to stay and is not only great in cookies and cakes, but also dishes like fudge. Friends, I’m not sure about you, but fudge is one of those oft not eaten and even less made sweets in my kitchen. The amount of sugar in a piece is enough to put those conscious eaters off and to be fair, who could eat all the fudge they make themselves? I know I couldn’t! Even though this Brown Butter Vanilla Fudge is damn delicious!

So how did we get here? A recipe of morsels that have flecks of brown in them and a bloom of vanilla flavor? Well, Mr Brooks bought me a small packet of fudge recently and then when he tasted a small morsel, quickly declared he “hadn’t had fudge much” in his life. That had to be changed!

I had to make him a batch and see his face light up as quickly as fudge always makes mine. While handing this finished batch to him for his taste testing, I recounted the same story about Russian fudge to him as found on this previous post and we both agreed, this brown butter vanilla fudge was something we both adored from the first taste.

So some plans had to be made, a fudge neither of us had tried should be made and somehow this recipe was what came out of it. I don’t know what black magic brown butter gives to everything I’ve ever put it in, but it add’s a great nutty flavor to this whilst not overwhelming the delicious vanilla that is weaved throughout this.

At times I’m a very nostalgic person and fudge reminds me so much of that experience as a child with my brother and father, probably the only time we ever stood in a kitchen making anything together and a fudge store in a beach town in North Carolina. Fudge makes you think of the 50s because often it’s something found in general stores or places where you go to spend your downtime.

Brown Butter Vanilla Fudge
Adapted from Chelsea
Makes 40 pieces

Ingredients:
3 1/2 cups white sugar
125 grams/4.4 ounces brown butter
1/2 cup milk
Pinch of salt
200 milliliters sweetened condensed milk
1 tablespoon vanilla seeds
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:
Prepare a tin with greaseproof paper and set aside.

Place the sugar, butter, milk, salt and sweetened condensed milk into a saucepan on medium heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved.

Allow to simmer on low to medium heat for approximately 13 minutes or until it has reached the soft ball stage (this is easiest with a candy thermometer).

Remove from the heat, add in the vanilla seeds and extract and allow to sit for 5 minutes.

Beat on medium for 10 minutes until the fudge has lost its gloss and is creamy and lighter. It might seem like it’s not coming together, but will do so right at the end.

Pour into the prepared tin and allow to set for an hour or overnight.

Slice into cubes and serve.

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