Recently I saw a listing for Butterbeer Fudge on Etsy and I just knew I had to try making some myself. In an effort to "get it right the first time", I decided to do several different variations all at once, then have friends taste test them all and report back on the findings. Below is each of the recipes, and some opinions on flavors.
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| Batch #1 on the left, and #3 on the right. Sadly #3 was gone! |
Batch #1
Prof. Pinkleo's Butterbeeriest Fudge
Ingredients
1-3/4 cups sugar
1 jar (7 oz.) marshmallow creme
3/4 cup evaporated milk
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1 ½ cups butterscotch Chips
¼ cup white chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts
½ teaspoon vanilla nut & butter extract
½ teaspoon rum extract
Directions
1. Line an 8-inch square pan with foil, extending foil over edges of pan.
2. Combine sugar, marshmallow creme, evaporated milk and butter in heavy 3-quart saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to full boil; boil and stir 5 minutes.
3. Remove from heat; gradually add the butterscotch and white chocolate chips, ¼ cup at a time, stirring until the chips are completely melted. Stir in nuts and vanilla. Pour into prepared pan; cool.
4. Refrigerate 2 to 3 hours. Remove from pan; place on cutting board. Peel off foil. Cut into squares. Store tightly covered in refrigerator. About 5 dozen pieces or about 2-1/4 pounds candy.
Verdict: This fudge has the most intense butterscotch flavor, and is definitely the softest of the 3 batches. I personally found the butterscotch flavor a bit too strong when I first tried the fudge. (I've always pictured Butterbeer as being essentially an ale, with a butterscotch note to it, rather than reminiscent of sundae topping syrup.) After sitting in the fridge for a few days however, I found the flavor had mellowed considerably. This was the hands down favorite amongst Pinkleo and her kiddos, and has therefore been named in her honor. Also important to note that this one melted the most in transit. So if you are planning on shipping some to a friend, I recommend using one of the next two recipes.
Batch #2
Jennie's Favorite Butterbeer Fudge
Ingredients
1-3/4 cups sugar
1 jar (7 oz.) marshmallow creme
3/4 cup evaporated milk
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup cutterscotch chips
1 cup chopped macadamia nuts
¾ teaspoon vanilla nut butter extract
¾ teaspoon rum extract
Directions
1. Line 8-inch square pan with foil, extending foil over edges of pan.
2. Combine sugar, marshmallow creme, evaporated milk and butter in heavy 3-quart saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a full boil; boil and stir 5 minutes.
3. Remove from heat. Gradually stir in white chocolate and butterscotch chips, ¼ cup at a time, stirring until the chips are completely melted. Stir in the macadamia nuts. Stir in the vanilla nut butter and rum extracts. Pour into prepared pan; cool until set.
4. Remove from pan; place on cutting board. Peel off foil. Cut into squares. Store tightly covered in cool, dry place. About 5 dozen pieces or 2-1/4 pounds candy.
Verdict: This is my personal favorite of the three recipes. It has a milder butterscotch flavor than batch one, due to the inclusion of a higher ratio of white chocolate chips. It is sweet and mild, with a vanilla-nut-butter topnote, and a butterscotch finish. This is also a firmer fudge, which feels almost "al dente" when you bite into it. The macadamia nuts are definitely great in this. Their mild flavor doesn't compete with the butterscotch the same way the walnuts did in batch #1, but their crunch is lovely. It held it's shape better in shipping than batch #1, but if you are thinking of mailing it, I'd either wait till cooler weather or go for batch #3.
Batch #3
Gratia's Grownup Butterbeer Fudge
Ingredients
Fudge
1 cup Butterscotch Chips
1 cup White Chocolate Chips
2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk)
1 cup chopped walnuts
½ teaspoon vanilla nut butter extract
½ tsp rum extract
Topping
1 cup White Chocolate Chips
⅓ cup sweetened condensed milk
½ tsp vanilla nut butter extract
Directions
1. Line 8-inch square pan with foil, extending foil over edges of pan.
2. Melt white chocolate and butterscotch chips with sweetened condensed milk in medium saucepan over very low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is smooth. (If doing this with children, you can also do this step in the microwave. Set it to medium and start with a 30 second heating. Then do 10 or 15 second bursts, stopping to stir each time.)
3. Remove from heat. Stir in walnuts, as well as vanilla nut butter & rum extracts. Spread into prepared pan.
4. Meanwhile, place 1 cup white chocolate chips and ⅓ cup condensed milk in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on MEDIUM for 30 seconds, stir. Continue microwaving at 10 second intervals, stirring between each, until chips are completely melted. Stir in vanilla nut butter extract.
5. Pour mixture over fudge, in light ribbons, trying to spread it out as evenly as possible. You want a thin and even top layer that covers the whole pan.
6. Cover; refrigerate 2 hours or until firm. Use foil to lift fudge out of pan; peel off foil. Cut fudge into squares. About 3 dozen pieces or 1-1/2 pounds fudge.
Verdict: This batch is the firmest of the three, and held it's shape in shipment surprisingly well. The top layer of white chocolate looks like the foamy head on the top of a glass of freshly poured butterbeer, which is a definite plus. It also has the added benefit of being able to be made totally in the microwave, and therefore safer for kids & teens to make on their own. The cute top layer however made this batch a little to heavily vanilla for me. If I were to repeat this recipe, I would probably tweak it so as to add more butterscotch chips and less vanilla in the main portion of the fudge (maybe 1 1/2 cups butterscotch & 1/2 cup white chocolate) so that the vanilla on top would be more of a contrast. That however, would probably also make the fudge itself softer, and more melty when shipping.
Finally a note about batch #3's name: Good friend, former student, and swap co-organizer Ex_Gratia has just graduated and gotten her first full-time professional job working at Louisville Ballet! Since the top layer of the fudge made it resemble a real beer, I thought it appropriate to name it after my now "grownup" friend.
NOTE: For best results, do not double ANY of these recipes.
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