This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Land O’Lakes. Be sure to follow them on Instagram for more delicious holiday recipes!
This holiday season I want to encourage everyone to try to make something really special in their kitchens. This could be a special appetizer, a main entrée, or something as simple as homemade fudge!
I’ve never been much of a desserts person and truly struggle with candy making, but this Butter Walnut Fudge is totally doable – even for ME. The only trick is to use a good thermometer to make sure the sugar mixture doesn’t get too hot.
The toasted walnuts and coarse salt on this fudge cut the sweetness back which is important for me as someone who generally prefers savory things.
I loved having this special walnut fudge in my fridge for a few weeks and found myself snagging chunks of it as an afternoon snack or a dessert.
If you’ve never tried to make fudge before, this is the one. It’s completely doable and worth the work! Give it a shot!
- Want a rich chocolate fudge? Try out these Easy Fudge Bars!
Buttered Walnut Fudge Walk Through
Let’s toast some walnuts for this fudge!
I recommend toasting walnuts in a skillet over low heat. Watch them closely as they will burn. When they are fragrant and toasty brown in spots, they are done! Let them cool and roughly chop them up when it’s time.
To start the fudge, melt some butter in a sturdy pot over medium heat.
Add the sugars and stir until the sugars dissolve.
Trick one for making fudge is to not overstir the mixture. Let it sit for a few minutes in between stirring. If you stir it too much, it’ll start forming really large crystals.
Trick two is all about temperature. You need a good thermometer to make sure your candy mixture gets somewhere in the 235-240˚F range. This will probably take 8-10 minutes, but really a thermometer is the best way to know.
When the fudge comes off the stove, stir in the white chocolate chips and vanilla. The mixture will hiss like crazy, but there will be PLENTY of heat to melt the chocolate.
This was my finished fudge mixture!
While your fudge is hot, pour it into a baking dish. I like to line the baking dish with parchment paper for easier removal.
Sprinkle the fudge with the toasted walnuts and coarse salt.
Let the fudge cool for a bit on the counter and then transfer it to the fridge to cool completely. Then slice it up!
This fudge keeps great in an airtight container for a few weeks in the fridge. It’ll last not very long though. It’s so easy to snag a piece any time you walk by!
Make something special, like this Walnut Fudge, for the holidays this year!
Buttered Walnut Fudge
Ingredients
- ½ cup Land O Lakes® Butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 cup sweetened condensed milk
- ½ cup white chocolate chips
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ cup toasted walnuts, chopped
- Coarse sea salt, for topping
Instructions
- Line a medium baking dish (like 8×8, 1 ½ qt, or similar) with parchment paper.
- Add walnuts to a large skillet over low heat. Toast for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until walnuts smell nutty and start to toast in spots. Remove from heat and roughly chop once cool.
- In a heavy, medium pot over medium-low heat, add butter (show packaging before adding). Melt butter and then add sugars and sweetened condensed milk to the pot. Stir together.
- Cook candy mixture, stirring every few minutes. Mixture will start to lightly bubble. Cook fudge until it reaches the soft ball stage for candy, 235-240˚F. Use an instant read thermometer or candy thermometer to ensure it reaches the proper temperature. It should take around 10 minutes to reach this temperature, maybe longer depending on your stove heat.
- When fudge reaches the correct temperature, remove from heat and stir in white chocolate chips and vanilla. Stir until chocolate is melted.
- Pour fudge into parchment-lined dish. Sprinkle with toasted walnuts and coarse salt.
- Let fudge cool at room temperature for 30 minutes to slowly cool. Then transfer to fridge to set up completely, at least two hours.
- Remove fudge from fridge and lift out of baking dish. Peel off parchment paper and cut into about 1 ½-inch pieces.
- Store leftover fudge in the fridge in an airtight container for up to two weeks
