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Living Well Mom

I help moms with simple, natural ways to look after their families. Find recipes, fun stuff for kids, and simple DIY ideas. Plus natural solutions made easy peasy!

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Easy Fantasy Fudge Recipe {with Marshmallow Cream!}

By Erika in Christmas

Christmas Christmas Cookies Christmas recipesThis post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

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Large cubes of fantasy fudge

Sink your teeth into the velvety texture and indulge your senses with that rich chocolatey smell and taste. Yum! It doesn’t get easier (or more delicious) than this aptly named fantasy fudge recipe!

I guarantee you this recipe will make the best fudge you have ever tried…and it only takes about 15 minutes of hands-on time.

This is the PERFECT recipe for those who are new to making fudge. If you know the very basics of baking, you can absolutely make this!

You know those recipes you reach for year after year during the holiday season? This fantasy fudge recipe is definitely one of them. Fudge is a must-have on my Christmas baking list (although, to be fair, it’s perfect for any time of the year!).

I’ve tried different varieties in the past, but this original fantasy fudge recipe is the one I come back to time and time again.

super easy chocolate fudge cut into squares this idea now...

15-minute easy fudge recipe

If you have never made fudge from scratch before, you may be feeling slightly trepidatious. However, you’ll be pleasantly surprised at just how easy it is to make this recipe.

You don’t need to be an expert candy maker to make this recipe; it doesn’t even require a candy thermometer.

Even better? It takes about five minutes of hands-on prep time and about ten minutes of cook time. That means you can have this fantasy fudge made in 15 minutes or less. It doesn’t get much easier than that.

platter of fantasy fudge

Marshmallow cream fluff

If you haven’t heard of fantasy fudge before, you may be slightly confused by the ingredient list. Yes, this is a fudge recipe with marshmallow fluff – but that’s what makes it so good!

If you haven’t had it before, marshmallow fluff is a light, airy, whipped good. Its taste is very similar to marshmallows, but as the name suggests, it’s fluffier! This is because the fluff doesn’t contain gelatin or cornstarch, like the common marshmallow does. The two are not interchangeable, particularly in recipes like this.

See that lovely, airy texture? That’s why you want to make this fudge recipe with marshmallow fluff, not marshmallows. You won’t get the same result. Trust me on this one!

fudge made with marshmallow cream

Ingredients

This fantasy fudge recipe is out of this world. It’s my favorite fudge, hands down – I just can’t get enough of that springy, chewy texture! Thankfully, the ingredient list is short and sweet for this one. Here’s what you’ll need to whip up a batch:

  • Sugar
  • Butter
  • Evaporated milk
  • Semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • Marshmallow fluff or creme
  • Vanilla
  • Chopped walnuts (optional – I personally choose to omit walnuts because my kids don’t love them, but if you want to add a little something, go for it!)
ingredients for fantasy fudge

How to make easy fantasy fudge

Now, let’s get down to the good part and make a batch of super indulgent fudge. You will be shocked at how easy this is!

First things first…before we get started, take out a 9″ pan and line it with foil. Don’t put this off until later, as you’ll need to pour your fudge in quickly before it sets at the end. Set this aside.

Make the fudge

Next, melt the butter in a large 3-quart saucepan over medium heat. Don’t use margarine; sometimes you just need that good, real butter taste, and this is definitely one of those times.

Once that’s melted, add the sugar and evaporated milk. Double-check and make sure you didn’t accidentally grab sweetened condensed milk. You would think we’d want the sweet stuff, but nope. This fantasy fudge needs basic evaporated milk.

butter, sugar, and evaporated milk melting together

Next, heat over medium heat. Bring this mixture to a full rolling boil over medium heat, stirring constantly.
This will take a few minutes, but don’t be tempted to turn the heat up – keep it on medium. You don’t want it to burn.

Here’s what your rolling boil should look like:

fantasy fudge base before adding chocolate

Once it reaches this full rolling boil, set your timer for 4 minutes and keep it at the boil, stirring constantly, for the entire 4 minutes. If you have a candy thermometer, you can pull it out now and boil the mixture until it reaches 234°.

Truth be told, I never use a candy thermometer for this recipe. I just follow the timer.

layout of printable recipe binder pages

Once it reaches the 4-minute mark, remove the pan from the heat.

Pour in your bag of chocolate chips and stir until melted.

chocolate chips melting in fantasy fudge recipe

Next, add in the marshmallow cream.

Adding marshmallow fluff to a pot of melted fudge

It’s easier to melt the chocolate first and then add marshmallow fluff.

There have been some times when I forget my own tip and add both at once. If you do this, it won’t mess up your fudge, but you might need to use your whisk to remove any lumps from not-quite-melted chocolate chips.

It’s just easier to do chocolate first, then marshmallow cream!

fudge with marshmallow cream

Once the chocolate and marshmallow fluff is fully mixed in, add vanilla extract.

If you want to add nuts, now is when you’ll stir them in. I’m not a big nutty fudge person, so I didn’t add any.

Pour fudge into the pan

Next, pour the fudge (it will still be pourable but getting thicker quickly) into your foil-lined pan.

Melted fudge mixture poured into pan

Smooth it out, then set your pan aside to cool. This is the hardest part – you’ll need to give it about four hours to cool completely. Resist the temptation to dig in – the end result of this fantasy fudge is well worth it!

Fudge cooling in a pan

Then there’s the fudge pan – that’s my favorite part, “licking” the pan! Of course, I don’t really lick it, but a spoonful of this is so yummy! {Come on, you know you want to!}

Cut and enjoy!

Now, you’ll want to cut your fudge into squares. The best way to do this is to use a heavy knife and press down firmly rather than saw back and forth.

You also want to make absolutely sure that the fudge is cool – hence why we did that hard work of waiting four hours!

You can make your marshmallow cream fudge pieces whatever size you’d like, but I tend to make mine about 1-2″. The perfect snacking size!

cut fudge squares

How to store this fantasy fudge recipe

The best way to keep this fresh is to store it in a sealed container on the countertop. It will last for about a week this way.

It may seem counterintuitive, but you do not want to refrigerate your fudge – it will become hard and crumbly if you do.

If, by some miracle, it’s been several days and you haven’t devoured the batch yet, you can freeze the fudge. It will keep nicely there for 2-3 months. When you are ready to enjoy, pull a square or two out and let it come to room temperature.

easy fantasy fudge recipe

See how easy this fantasy fudge recipe is?! And thank goodness, because this fudge disappears quickly!

More holiday baking ideas:

  • Eggnog Log Cookies
  • The Best Buckeye Recipe
  • White Chocolate Popcorn
  • Magic Cookie Seven-Layer Bars

Pin the image below to save the recipe for later!

Fantasy fudge recipe step by step
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Easy Fantasy Fudge

Fudge
Print Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 1 review

You may want to keep ingredients on hand throughout the holiday season because this crowd-pleasing, melt-in-your mouth easy fudge recipe won’t last long!

  • Author: Erika Bragdon
  • Prep Time: 5 mins
  • Cook Time: 10 mins
  • Total Time: 15 mins
  • Yield: 24 1x
  • Category: dessert
  • Method: stovetop
  • Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale
  • 3 cups sugar
  • 1 cup butter
  • 5 oz evaporated milk (2/3 cup)
  • 1 12 oz bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 7 oz marshmallow creme
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)

Instructions

  1. Heat sugar, butter, & evaporated milk in a 3 quart saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly. Boil on medium heat for 4 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in chocolate chips until melted. Add marshmallow creme and stir until melted. Stir in vanilla & walnuts (if desired.)
  2. Spread immediately into a foil-lined 9″ square pan.
  3. Cool at room temperature for at least 4 hours.

Notes

Prepare your foil-lined pan ahead of time!

*Recipe credit goes to Kraft

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    Filed Under: Christmas, Desserts, Recipes, Seasonal Tagged With: Christmas, Christmas Cookies, Christmas recipesPublished on November 6, 2024

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    About Erika

    Erika Bragdon is a flower essence practitioner and a second-generation homeschooling mom with 3 kids at home and 1 in college. She enjoys her chickens, goats, and gardening on a small farm in New Hampshire, and is passionate about sharing flower essences and more ways to renew body, mind, and soul with moms.

    Comments

    1. close to home says

      December 19, 2011 at 4:46 pm

      wow what a decadent recipe, love how high it gets.

      Reply
    2. jessica Hennings says

      December 19, 2011 at 7:37 pm

      sounds awesome

      Reply
    3. Allison B says

      December 19, 2011 at 8:40 pm

      oh my my…it looks amazing and I’m sure it tastes like heavenly.

      Reply
    4. hannah says

      December 22, 2011 at 9:01 pm

      I made this today, using the same recipe but from a different site. This is the second time I’ve made it, and it tastes perfect every time. I love that it doesn’t require a candy thermometer, and is truly easy.

      Reply
    5. Deb says

      February 29, 2012 at 5:08 pm

      I have made this recipe for many years – always turns out great! Several years ago, I saw Rachel Ray on Oprah and she made her fudge in the microwave. I tried her fudge and did not like it near as much as this recipe, but thought if she can make her fudge in the microwave, why can’t I make my fudge that way. I always butter or Pam my fudge dish first. Then I melted the butter in a large wide bottom bowl in the microwave. Next I melted the chocolate chips in a mid-size wide bottom bowl in the microwave almost completely, then placed this bowl over low boiling water on the stove like a double boiler. I then added the sugar and evaporated milk in with the melted butter in the microwave, setting it at 10 minutes to be sure there was enough continuous time, and watching the microwave. When the fudge started the hard rolling boil, I then timed the 4 minutes, removed it from the microwave, added the softened chocolate chips, stirred well, then added the marshmallow creme, stirred well until continuous color, next added the vanilla and nuts, and the final mixing of the ingredients. Pour the fudge into the pre-buttered/oiled bowl and let it set up. No difference in the taste to my husband and me. Now I can make fudge in about 15-20 minutes which can be dangerous in my house. I hope if you try this way out, it works for you as well.

      Reply
      • Erika says

        February 29, 2012 at 7:41 pm

        Thanks for the tip, Deb! I’m not sure I’d be brave enough for that, but it’s great to know that option can work!

        Reply
    6. Kelsey Apley says

      August 3, 2012 at 10:47 pm

      Looks delicious!!

      Reply
    7. CinnyBBS says

      August 21, 2012 at 10:45 pm

      Looks amazing! And drool-worthy!

      Reply
    8. Kathie says

      September 7, 2012 at 4:10 pm

      Thank you so much for the link-up. This fudge looks fabulous, I’m going to try it soon!

      Reply
    9. Lillea says

      September 23, 2012 at 9:16 am

      That looks so good! I think I will try this sometime with homemade marshmallow fluff.

      Reply
    10. Lindsey says

      November 10, 2012 at 7:48 pm

      I love this! I accidentally added the whole can of evaporated milk, so my fudge has to stay in the freezer, but it tastes wonderful. I also used mini marshmallows instead of the cream. yummy! plus I added walnuts at the end. thanks for the recipe!

      Reply
    11. Mary Lyman says

      November 21, 2012 at 10:16 am

      Hi Erika! I just came across your site last night while searching for a really good deviled egg recipe! I am so happy to have found you. I too am a lover of Miracle Whip in all things, although I do use regular Lite Mayo here and there. I am excited because you use it in your potato salad as well AND you make Fantasy Fudge! Fantasy Fudge is my childhood fudge recipe that I grew up with in California. I love it and will be making it again this year for Thanksgiving. I now live in Colorado at high altitude (6,400 ft) so I have had to make adjustments and use a candy thermometer in order to get that smooth and creamy Fantasy Fudge that I adore. When I first made my favorite fudge here in CO, I followed my directions like I always have, and I got a grainy, crumbly fudge that we had to throw away because it was that bad. I thought I had done something wrong, and tried again with the same results. Then it hit me! Altitude! So I went online and found out how to adjust for the altitude..I believe I have to bring my temp to 235 degrees which is lower than at sea level and then I get perfect fudge!! Have a Happy Thanksgiving!!

      Reply
      • Erika says

        December 24, 2012 at 2:02 pm

        It’s great to “meet” you Mary! I love hearing stories of favorite childhood recipes. And yay for being a Miracle Whip fan! Heehee.
        I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and have a VERY Merry Christmas!

        Reply
    12. Mary Lyman says

      November 21, 2012 at 10:24 am

      Here is a good rule of thumb for those High-Altitude fudge and candy lovers. You can check to see the altitude where you live on the internet for your city stats. Hope this helps 🙂

      “In candy, syrup and jams/jellies the lower boiling point results in sugar crystal formation. This results in candy that has a “gritty” appearance and taste. When making candy, jellies, syrup or other high sugar foods at high altitudes, it is important to use a thermometer. You should lower the cooking temperature given in the recipe by approximately 2 degrees for every 1,000 foot of elevation.”

      Have a great day!

      Reply
    13. Nikki says

      November 27, 2012 at 9:41 am

      Any idea what this recipe yields? I need to make 2 pounds of fudge for an event and need to know if I should double this recipe. THANKS IN ADVANCE!!!

      Reply
      • Nikki says

        December 4, 2012 at 1:59 pm

        Anyone?

        Reply
        • Brandie says

          December 22, 2012 at 6:20 pm

          The Kraft Jet-Puffed Marshmallow Creme jar also contains this delicious recipe and it says that it makes 3 pounds.

          Reply
    14. Della says

      December 2, 2012 at 12:30 pm

      Erika thank you for the great easy fudge, love how you take the time to put all together with the pictures.

      Reply
      • Erika says

        December 24, 2012 at 2:04 pm

        You’re welcome – thanks for taking the time to leave a comment. Have a wonderful Christmas!

        Reply
    15. Mothercrone says

      December 4, 2012 at 2:44 pm

      Thank you so much for such a great recipe and the super photo tutorial. Also, it was very nice of you to give Kraft Foods the credit for this recipe. You did an especially nice job on explaining each part of the recipe and the photos were very clear and understandable. Great Job! ♥

      QUESTION: Do you think this recipe would work if I added peanut butter to it for a chocolate peanut butter fudge? Thanks!

      Reply
      • Erika says

        December 24, 2012 at 2:05 pm

        Thanks for the kind words!
        I honestly don’t know – I had a friend try to replace the semi-sweet chocolate chips with white chocolate and she said it didn’t have the right texture. Experimenting with different flavors is on my to-do list but it hasn’t happened yet this year. Lol.
        Good luck!

        Reply
      • Karyn says

        November 21, 2018 at 10:43 am

        For peanut butter fudge:
        -use ½ cup butter and ¼ cup peanut butter
        -use 12 oz. peanut butter chips

        Reply
    16. Julie Jones says

      December 13, 2012 at 12:25 pm

      The recipe my mom uses is so similar but she must use more fluff or something because hers is always a lighter color and smoother texture than yours. I bet it is delicious both ways!

      Reply
      • Stacey says

        December 4, 2014 at 9:44 am

        I bet it’s because she uses margarine in place of the real butter. I am typically a real butter kind of girl but after someone gave me the tip to use margarine, my fudge turns out much smoother, creamier and lighter!

        Reply
    17. Tracye says

      December 14, 2012 at 11:36 pm

      I have always been the cook of the family and every recipe I have tried always turns out awesome except for fudge. I found this recipe two days ago and gathered my ingredients with fear bubbling up inside of me just knowing this was going to be another fudge that people can make and I can’t. The mere thought of boiling sugar had me shaking but I gathered up the courage and got to work. Each step -just as you said- came out perfectly and now my BEAUTIFUL pan of fudge is cooling just in time to ring in my son’s 10th birthday! Thank you SO much for posting this! I am NOW a successful fudge maker.

      Reply
      • Erika says

        December 24, 2012 at 2:07 pm

        Hooray! I am SO happy to hear that it worked so well for you.
        Shhh but I have never been successful with making candy before either so that’s why I was so excited about this recipe!
        Have a wonderful Christmas!!!

        Reply
    18. Donna says

      December 19, 2012 at 12:48 pm

      I have made this for years using this very recipe and its always awesome. My children and grandchildren absolutely adore it!

      Reply
    19. Cassandra Eastman says

      December 23, 2012 at 11:50 pm

      So glad I found this recipe, I looked all over pinterest for a simple, yet delicious plain old fudge recipe and couldn’t find one! Making this tomorrow!!! 🙂

      Reply
      • Erika says

        December 24, 2012 at 2:07 pm

        Yay! Have fun, Cassandra! And Merry Christmas!

        Reply
    20. madaboutbaking says

      December 23, 2013 at 7:38 pm

      For folks who live at various altitudes above sea level, here is easy way to tell how to adjust candy temperatures:

      At sea level, water boils at 212 degrees Farenheit. Place a saucepan filled with 2 cups of water and heat until it boils, and measure its temperature.

      Where I live (Boulder County, CO), it’s a little over 5,000 feet above sea level. The water boiled at 195 degrees, 17 degrees below at sea level.

      I tried a toffee recipe using 195 degrees as the temperature at which the boiling sugar mixture was removed from heat–and it turned out PERFECTLY!

      Needless to say, you must use an accurate candy thermometer.

      I hope this helps others making holiday sweets and need to adjust their recipes to high altitude!

      Reply
    21. Robin Lewis says

      October 31, 2014 at 9:19 am

      I have come to be the Fudge maker on the holidays now. I found this recipe on the back of the Marshmallow Creme Jars and I’m not a chef by far but it was and still is probably the best and easiest thing that i make for the holidays. Everyone always counts on me to bring “My awesome fudge.” And I haven’t been too forthcoming with where the recipe came from because if they ever figure out how easy it is to make, I likely wouldn’t be the best fudge maker anymore, lol. As easy as it is to make, it’s even easier to disappear. I usually make two batches and it is all gone by the end of the day. No later than the next. It really is the best fudge that I have ever tasted.
      Happy Holidays to everyone……….

      Reply
      • Erika says

        October 31, 2014 at 10:39 am

        Haha, I’m with you there, Robin. I also love to make this for people and enjoy seeing it disappear so quickly. And I rarely share how easy it is to whip up! Ha! Enjoy baking this season! 🙂

        Reply
    22. Ann Hilton says

      September 22, 2015 at 1:33 pm

      I Make this every year !!! The family loves it !!! I make all flavors …. Old timey fudge is best but this is right up there with it !

      Reply
    23. Ann LaScala says

      December 19, 2020 at 3:53 pm

      I have been using this recipe for years and it has always been successful and delicious. I recently moved to Denver CO and have tried twice to make it, and each time it has come out grainy. I am not sure what went wrong. the taste is great but the grainyness not so good.

      Reply
      • Erika says

        December 20, 2020 at 1:30 pm

        Oh that’s disappointing. I’m not familiar with high altitude cooking/baking, but I suspect that has something to do with it.

        Reply
    24. Gabby says

      December 20, 2020 at 2:34 pm

      Some recipes say to boil 5 minutes. I only mention that because I fear 4 won’t be long enough. Of course I don’t know because I have not tried it. Any reasurrance out there?

      Reply
      • Erika says

        December 22, 2020 at 4:06 pm

        Hi Gabby, I have made this fudge every year for Christmas and 4 minutes of boiling time worked perfectly. In fact, I JUST finished another batch 5 minutes ago.

        Reply

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    Large cubes of fantasy fudge