Maple Walnut Fudge
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Maple Walnut Fudge is a delicious and popular flavor for this perfect, creamy fudge recipe!
June 16th is National Fudge Day. This is a day to indulge in your favorite fudge flavor. Chocolate fudge is the most popular fudge to enjoy, but maple walnut fudge is an old fashioned favorite too. Celebrate this day by making your favorite fudge recipe, or sample some fudge at your local candy shop. Share your fudge on social media by using the hashtag #NationalFudgeDay, #FudgeDay and #RecipesForHolidays. Be sure to check out my June holidays food page so you can help celebrate all of the food holidays in June!
“Families are like fudge- mostly sweet, with a few nuts.”
-Les Dawson
The History of Fudge:
Fudge is an American invention. It’s a sugar candy made by heating sugar, butter and milk until it reaches a soft-ball consistency, then beating it until creamy.
Fudge has its origins in the US. One story is that fudge was created by accident when a batch of caramels was “fudged up.” Someone exclaimed, “Oh Fudge!” and this new creation was born.
Another story is that in 1886, a Vassar college student named Emelyn Battersby Hartridge sampled fudge made by a classmate’s cousin who lived in Baltimore. Emelyn used the recipe to make 30 pounds of the fudge for the senior auction. The recipe was passed around to other women’s colleges and word spread about how good “fudge” was.
And still another story: Gulf Coast Fudge Company in Florida claims that their fudge recipe is from an original recipe from 1837.
It’s difficult to know who made the first fudge. But we do know that recipes for fudge were shared in books, magazines and advertisements beginning in the 1880’s. Sugar was cheap, and people could make fudge at home without using any special equipment. Fudge shops began to emerge as its popularity soared. When it first began selling, fudge was just 40 cents per pound.
How to make Maple Walnut Fudge:
*NOTE: this recipe has been challenging for some. Keep in mind that making homemade fudge can be tricky. Getting it to the right temperature and consistency is everything. And the temperature and humidity of your kitchen can affect the outcome too. Be sure to watch the “how to” video included in this post. And read the directions carefully before making this maple walnut fudge. Good luck!
The full, printable recipe is at the end of this post.
In a medium saucepan, combine the maple syrup, sugar, cream and salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Once you are at boiling point, clip a candy thermometer on the side of the pan and cook 7 to 8 minutes until the temperature reaches 238 degrees.
Remove the pan from heat. Use an electric mixer to beat in the butter and the vanilla and maple extracts. Continue to beat for 8 to 10 minutes, or until thick and light colored. The fudge should begin to lose its glossy sheen. Stir in 1 cup of walnuts.
You’ll end up with a wonderful, creamy maple walnut fudge mixture!
Spread into the prepared pan. Sprinkle a few more nuts on top. Give the fudge about 25 minutes (or longer) to set before cutting.
To store, separate layers of fudge by using wax paper. Store in a covered container at room temperature up to 2 weeks. If you refrigerate it, it will last a little longer- maybe 3 weeks. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Fun Facts about Fudge:
- The most popular fudge flavors are chocolate, peanut butter, butter pecan and maple walnut.
- Mackinac Island fudge stores in Michigan have been a tradition since the late 19th century. Over 10,000 pounds of fudge leave the island every day.
- In France, they say that fudge and caramel are cousins.
- Fudge is a drier version of fondant.
- The largest slab of fudge ever made was at Northwest Fudge Factory in Ontario, Canada in 2010– weighing in at 5760 pounds.
- Making fudge at home can be tricky. Corn syrup is a secret ingredient that helps to prevent crystallization and a grainy texture.
- First Lady Mamie Eisenhower was an avid fudge maker. She created her own recipe and named it “Mamie’s Million Dollar Fudge.”
Maple Walnut Fudge
A wonderful flavor for creamy, perfect fudge!
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups real maple syrup
- 1 ¾ cups granulated white sugar
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon maple extract
- 1 cup roughly chopped walnuts + a few more for topping
Instructions
Line an 8-inch square pan with foil, and then spray it with nonstick spray.
In a medium saucepan, combine the maple syrup, sugar, cream and salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Once you are at boiling point, clip a candy thermometer on the side of the pan and cook 7 to 8 minutes until the temperature reaches 238 degrees.
Remove the pan from heat. Use an electric mixer to beat in the butter and the vanilla and maple extracts. Continue to beat for 8 to 10 minutes, or until thick and light colored. The fudge should begin to lose its glossy sheen. Stir in 1 cup of walnuts. Spread into the prepared pan. Sprinkle a few more nuts on top.
Let the fudge firm-up before cutting- about 25 minutes.
Notes
*NOTE: this recipe has been challenging for some. Keep in mind that making homemade fudge can be tricky. Getting it to the right temperature and consistency is everything. And the temperature and humidity of your kitchen can affect the outcome too. Be sure to watch the "how to" video included in the post. And read the directions carefully before making this maple walnut fudge. Good luck!
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 36 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 129Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 11mgSodium: 18mgCarbohydrates: 19gFiber: 0gSugar: 18gProtein: 1g
Nutritional information is estimated using a nutrition calculator. It's not likely to be 100% accurate.
In the instructions no sugar is mentioned, but there is sugar in the ingredients?
Sorry about this- of course the sugar is added in with the maple syrup. Fixed!
@Lori Lange, Some recommend using corn syrup instead of granulated sugar to prevent crystallization. How would this change your recipe?
I’m not sure- I haven’t tried it!
When making the Maple Walnut fudge, do you continue stirring after the thermometer is placed?
Yes, you can keep stirring once the thermometer is placed.
Hello, I made this fudge exactly by your recipe and mine never set up. I even put in fridge to see if it would set, but it didn’t. Frustrating I am because this is my favorite in fudge. What do you think happen? Please let me know
I’m not sure! Did you watch the video? Should turn out the same. Temperature has everything to do with it when making fudge, so your temp might have been off?
@Susan, I would have made them into balls and then put them in the freezer for about 30 minutes and then dipped them in to Chocolate or white chocolate Almond Bark and ate them as a truffle. They are good too.
My first time making fudge. Would have been helpful to warn about mixture boiling over at boiling. Quite a bit boiled over before clipping thermometer and before reaching 238 temp. I kept flame low. However what was left had great flavor. I may have over beat cause just didn’t know. Will try again and will look for deeper pot. Medium didn’t work well.
@Rebecca, sugar will always boil over if not watched carefully.
Worst directions ever
Can you tell me what was confusing? I’d like to fix it if there was something that was unclear…
@Lori Lange,
What video? I so wanted this recipe to turn out as maple is a favorite in my house, but it did not.
Disappointing and expensive.
There is a video to watch in the recipe post so you can see exactly how this fudge is made.
@Lori Lange, I made it as you directed and it was flawless!! AND delicious! I will keep this recipe!
Had no issues with this recipe. Made as written except I beat it a little longer due to it being a humid day. I also used maple emulsion instead of extract so I cut it to a quarter teaspoon as it has a stronger flavor. Added a half cup of cook crumbled bacon per husband request. Absolutely delicious fudge, thank you.
@Kayla, the bacon is a brilliant addition! Next time.
Excellent! Easy recipe to follow.
After years of failing at fudge making, this recipe turned out absolutely perfect! Thank you for posting this recipe 👍🏻 Now I don’t feel like a failure. It’s so yummy😋
I made it today!! Yes, had a hard and lengthy time getting it up to temperature. I switched thermometers and it was already there. And the beating was also long. But indeed turned out to be a fabulous Maple Fudge!! Worth all of the time.
Happy to hear that, thank you!
@Lori Lange, I’m wondering if using maple sugar instead of white sugar would enhance the recipe? Or would that be too rich?
You can certainly try!
Despite watching the video, following instructions and using a thermometer this never did set.
Definitely not an easy fudge to make. I did mine as directed and still did not set up. Very disappointed, waste of money.
Followed the recipe to a T, but when mixing after about 3 minutes it turned to a powder. Next time gonna try and stop once the color changes. Any idea why this happened. Tried adding butter and water to turn back to liquid but turned out gritty after that.
I NEVER made fudge before and to be honest when I look for a recipe I Google “Images” to see how it looks, LOL
I JUST made this recipe and IT IS GREAT!!!!!
Thank you so much for sharing this. Not too sweet and the PERFECT consistency!
Now I am on a Fudge kick so I am searching for ROCKY ROAD!!
Definitely worth making!
Love to make the maple walnut fudge for xmas
I followed your recipe and it turned out amazing! I didn’t have any of the issues mentioned by other commenters. No grainyness and it set up beautifully. I did have a hard time finding maple ectract so I omitted it but it tastes great still. Thanks for the recipe!
Where’s the video link? I’ve scrolled through the whole post and it’s nonexistent.
It’s about halfway down the page!
I am an avid candy maker have been making candy for 40 years. This did not set up at all, I followed the directions to a T. I doubled the recipe because I give it away as gifts. Very expensive lesson. Very disappointed.
I feel like you are omitting a step, which is to allow the fudge to cool to 110 before mixing. Otherwise it will be grainy.
@Jennifer,
Thank you for mentioning that. Mine looked like it set but after I went to cut it it crumbled and came out more like that maple sugar candy leaves. I’ll have to let it cook next time before I mix.
You will need to watch your fudge while beating afterwards. Mine took 30 minutes before thickening and losing sheen. I may let it cool before beating next time. Delicious!
The recipe worked for me. I found it took more like 30 minutes to get to 238 degrees instead of 7-8. I also let the mixture cool before beating. This fudge is extremely sweet.
How much butter? Is it 1/4 cup or half a stick. They are not the same.
In the US, a half stick of butter is 1/4 cup. One whole stick is 1/2 cup.