Now that the holiday season has begun, and with Christmas on its way, what could be the easiest and most versatile treat to make for the next family gathering? There is no doubt in my mind that fudge is the answer– but what exactly is “fudge” anyway?

Fudge is a confection made by mixing primarily butter, sugar, and milk, then cooked and cooled to a semi-soft creation. Fudge is different from chocolate in that chocolate is mainly made from cocoa plant solids, while fudge, although includes chocolate, is not the primary ingredient. One of fudge’s advantages that makes it so versatile is that you can put anything in it without messing with the overall smoothness or flavor of the fudge mixture.

I mean it, there is no limit to what can be mixed in with a fudge recipe. To start though, we need a recipe to make. I have one simple age-old family recipe that tastes wonderful and is incredibly easy to make.

Fudge

Prep time: 3 minutes

Cook time varies

Materials required:

Three quart saucepan

Candy thermometer

13-by-9 inch pan

Wooden spoon

Ingredients

4 cups sugar

1 14½-ounce can evaporated milk

1 cup butter or margarine

1 12-ounce package semisweet chocolate chips

1 pint marshmallow créme

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup marshmallows! (can be substituted with walnuts, crushed Oreo, glacé cherries, etc.)

Ingredients

1. Butter the sides of the 13-by-9 inch pan.
2. Butter the sides of the saucepan, and combine the sugar, evaporated milk and butter or margarine in the saucepan.
3. Cook over medium heat until the mixture reaches 326 Fahrenheit. Stir often.
4. Once the temperature is reached, remove from heat, and stir in the remaining ingredients. This mixture is now fudge.
5. Pour half of the fudge into the 13-by-9 inch pan. Spread the fudge evenly, and then evenly spread marshmallows across the new layer. Be careful not to touch the hot fudge.
6. Pour the remaining fudge over the marshmallows.
7. Score in squares over the fudge while they’re warm, and if you feel like it, put a marshmallow on top of each square.
   Cool for at least an hour or until the fudge is firm, and then cut into squares.