Cath Muscat
This easy chocolate and hazelnut fudge recipe makes an excellent homemade gift from the heart.
Fudge is really easy to make, but do you want to know the secret to making really good fudge? Don’t rush it. Start with a high-quality dark cooking chocolate and only stir the mixture once it has cooled for about 40 minutes. Doing this will ensure the end result is smooth and deliciously delectable rather than gritty.
Serve after dinner with coffee, or box it up and gift it to your loved ones.
For more delicious chocolate recipes, try: chocolate caramel slice with macaroon crust, chocolate crepes with hazelnut cream and gooey chocolate meringes.
Ingredients
Method
1.
Put sugar, cream, glucose, chocolate and butter in a medium saucepan over a medium-low heat and stir until melted. Bring to a simmer. Without stirring, simmer for 15-20 minutes or until syrup reaches 115°C (soft ball stage) on a sugar thermometer (see tips, below). Remove from heat. Allow to cool for 40 minutes.
2.
Grease, then line a 20cm square cake tin with baking paper. Put mixture in the small bowl of an electric mixer and beat for 5 minutes or until thick. Stir in nuts, then spread into prepared tin. Refrigerate overnight, then cut into squares to serve.
TIPS
If you buy unroasted hazelnuts, spread nuts on a baking tray and roast in a preheated 180°C oven for 10 minutes. Tip hazelnuts onto a clean tea towel.
To test if syrup is at soft ball stage without a sugar thermometer, drop a teaspoon of syrup into cold water. Gather it up with your fingers: if it forms a soft and pliable ball, it is ready.
