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Dark Chocolate Fudge Recipe

Dark chocolate fudge, with sea salt, is a creamy, rich, decadent recipe, and easy to make.

The sweet treat is perfect for any occasion including Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Easy Chocolate Fudge Recipe

Pieces of dark chocolate fudge stacked on top of each other

A lot of people get intimidated by making fudge, but if you have all of the right tools, it’s a simple recipe.

The traditional fudge recipe can be made with dark chocolate, milk chocolate, white chocolate, or even peanut butter chips.

If you’re having a party or a family gathering, it’s a great addition to the dessert table.

Believe me, your taste buds will thank you for making it. But beware, it goes fast, so make sure you have plenty.

Sliced dark chocolate fudge on the counter.

Dark Chocolate Fudge Ingredient Checklist

Full printable recipe card with ingredients, measurements, and instructions listed at the bottom of the post in the recipe card.

  • Butter
  • Sugar
  • Evaporated milk
  • Marshmallow creme
  • Vanilla extract
  • Chocolate chips
  • Sea salt

How To Make Dark Chocolate Fudge

  1. Add the butter to a saucepan and melt on medium heat.
  2. Pour the sugar into the pan.
  3. Add the evaporated milk to the pan and mix the ingredients together.
  4. Turn the heat up to medium-high and boil the ingredients until the candy thermometer reaches 234-degrees, stirring occasionally.
  5. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the marshmallow cream.
  6. Next, pour the vanilla extract into the pan and stir.
  7. Add the dark chocolate chips to the saucepan and stir until melted.
  8. Pour the chocolate mixture into a square baking pan and sprinkle with sea salt.
  9. Allow the fudge to cool and set up for at least four hours.
Fudge in a square pan

Step-By-Step Instructions

Butter melting in a saucepan.

Start by adding the butter to a medium saucepan on the stove top and melt it on medium heat.

Pouring sugar into a saucepan.

Next, combine sugar with the butter.

Pouring evaporated milk into a saucepan.

Pour the evaporated milk into the pan and mix the ingredients together.

Cooking ingredients for fudge in a saucepan.

Turn the heat up to medium-high and stir occasionally.

If you plan to cook the fudge without a thermometer, you will need to time it for four minutes from the time it reaches a rolling boil.

A rolling boil is when it continues to boil while you stir.

Boiling ingredients in a saucepan.

Place the candy thermometer in the saucepan and cook until it reaches 234-degrees.

Make sure the thermometer is not touching the bottom of the pan or it will give an incorrect reading.

Melting marshmallow cream in a saucepan.

Once the temperature reaches 234-degrees, remove the pan from the stovetop, add the marshmallow cream, and stir until it is melted.

I like to add the marshmallow first because the temperature in the pan is super hot and it melts fairly fast.

Adding vanilla extract to fudge.

Next, pour the vanilla extract into the pan and stir until combined.

Melting chocolate chips in a saucepan with fudge ingredients.

Add the chocolate chips to the pan and stir until the chocolate is melted. The chocolate melts fast when you stir because it’s still very hot.

Cooked fudge in a saucepan.
Dark chocolate fudge in a square dish.

Finally, pour the dark chocolate fudge into a square pan and sprinkle the sea salt on top. You really only need a pinch of salt on top.

I used an 8″ x 8″ pan, but anything close to that size will work, as well. If you want to spread the fudge out more, you can pour it into a 9″ x 13″ pan. The fudge will not be as thick.

You can either use regular sea salt or flaky sea salt on the top.

Allow the fudge to cool and set up for about four hours.

For the prepared pan, you can either grease the pan before pouring the fudge into it or cut out some parchment paper and use that.

The nice thing about using parchment paper is that you can lift the fudge out when it cools to cut it.

It is torture for me to wait for the fudge to set up. There’s usually a big spot in the corner where we all grab a spoon and dig in. We just can’t help it. We are such fudge piggies.

This is the best creamy fudge recipe, and dark chocolate has a wonderful chocolate flavor.

Dark chocolate fudge on a plate.

Once the fudge sets up, you can cut it into squares with a sharp knife.

You can cut it into small pieces if you’d like it to go a long way because it’s rich and you will fill up on it fast.

To store fudge you can either cover it with plastic wrap or store it in an airtight container.

How Do I Cut Fudge Without Breaking It?

I will take a sharp knife and run it under hot water, then dry it off carefully, and cut the fudge. You might have to do that a few times to cut all of the fudge.

The hot knife seems to slide through the fudge easier.

What Is The Difference Between Chocolate Fudge And Chocolate Ganache?

Chocolate ganache is a glaze. To make it, you add warm heavy cream to chocolate pieces to melt it. Ganache can be used inside of confections, or as a topping.

Fudge sets up and becomes more firm, so you can pick it up with your fingers or slice it with a knife.

Slices of dark chocolate fudge on a plate topped with sea salt.

More Mouthwatering Fudge Recipes

Chocolate fudge sliced on a white plate.

Dark Chocolate Fudge Recipe

Check out the recipe card below, grab the ingredients, and start cooking! This is a sweet chocolate dessert and such an easy recipe for any occasion. 

Then, share your comments below and share a picture of your fudge on the Pinterest Pin!  If you made any changes or added something different, be sure to share it with us so we can try it, too!

Dark chocolate fudge in squares

Dark Chocolate Fudge Recipe

Yield: 25 pieces
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Additional Time: 4 hours
Total Time: 4 hours 20 minutes

Dark chocolate fudge recipe, with sea salt, is creamy, rich, decadent, and easy to make.

The sweet treat is perfect for any occasion including Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Ingredients

  • 1-1/2 sticks of butter
  • 3 cups of white sugar
  • 5 oz. evaporated milk
  • 7 oz. marshmallow creme
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 12 oz. dark chocolate chips
  • 1 tsp. sea salt

Instructions

  1. Add the butter to a saucepan and melt on medium heat.
  2. Pour the sugar and evaporated milk into the pan and mix well.
  3. Turn the heat up to medium-high and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.
  4. Bring the temperature up to 234-degrees and remove from heat.
  5. Add the marshmallow creme and mix until melted.
  6. Next, add the vanilla extract and mix.
  7. Add the chocolate chips to the saucepan and stir until melted.
  8. Pour the fudge into a greased square 8" x 8" or 9" x 9" square dish and sprinkle with the sea salt.
  9. Allow the fudge to set up for about four hours.
  10. Cut into 1-inch squares and serve.

Notes

TIP: Either grease the pan with nonstick spray or line with parchment paper. If you line the pan with parchment paper, you can easily lift the fudge out of the pan, after it sets up, and slice it.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 25 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 266Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 22mgSodium: 168mgCarbohydrates: 39gFiber: 1gSugar: 36gProtein: 1g

Nutrition is approximate.

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Pinterest

Karen Cochrane

Thursday 23rd of December 2021

Can I use mini marshmallows instead of marshmallow cream?

Molly

Tuesday 6th of December 2022

@Julie Pollitt, if using mini marshmallows, how much? Thank you!

Julie Pollitt

Thursday 23rd of December 2021

Sure! Mini marshmallows should be fine. Enjoy!

Crzyredhead

Friday 12th of November 2021

First time I made fudge and bam....it turned out great!!

Julie Pollitt

Sunday 14th of November 2021

Yay, awesome to hear!! Thanks for sharing!

Easy Cake Batter Fudge - Back To My Southern Roots

Monday 1st of November 2021

[…] can stick the fudge in the refrigerator and speed things up a little if you’re taking it to a party and […]

Barbara

Sunday 31st of October 2021

Is there any way to cut back on the sugar without losing the fudge deliciousness of this recipe? I don't eat a lot of sweets, and I'm afraid that adding sugar to sweetened condensed milk AND marshmallow creme would be too much for me.

Thanks

Julie Pollitt

Monday 1st of November 2021

Hi Barbara, I haven't tried it with less sugar, but you could leave a cup out and see if that works. Although, it's pretty much all sugar, it does have evaporated milk and not sweetened condensed milk. So, that makes it a little less sugary. :)

Quick and Easy Homemade Fudge - Back To My Southern Roots

Sunday 24th of October 2021

[…] the fudge stays soft after it sets […]

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