This article was reviewed by Jennifer Levasseur and by wikiHow staff writer, Amy Bobinger, BA. Chef Jennifer Levasseur is a Personal Chef and the Owner of The Happy Cuisiniere based in Breckenridge, Colorado. She has over 12 years of culinary experience and specializes in Mountain and Contemporary Rustic cuisine. Moreover, she can craft dishes and modify menus to accommodate dietary restrictions, such as gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan, pescatarian, and dairy-free diets. In addition to a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing and Management from the University of Houston, Chef Jennifer holds Associate’s degrees in Culinary Arts and Baking & Pastry Arts from Houston Community College.
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Fudge is smooth, creamy, and decadent—the perfect treat for chocolate lovers. But when you try making fudge at home, it's notoriously tricky to get that perfect texture. Your fudge might turn out too hard, too soft, grainy, or separated, and you might not even know why. Luckily, we have a few tricks that might help you salvage your sweet treat, so don't give up on your chocolatey dreams just yet!
Fixing Seized, Crumbly, Grainy, or Runny Fudge
- Fix seized fudge by adding a few squares of solid chocolate into the bowl and stirring until the solid chocolate melts. If that doesn’t work, add ¼ tsp (1.2 ml) vegetable oil.
- Fix crumbly or hard fudge by adding in 3-4 US tbsp (44-59 ml) whipping cream and remelting the fudge in a saucepan.
- Fix overly-soft fudge by stirring in 1–2 US tbsp (15–30 ml) of 35% fat whipping cream. Then, let the fudge work back up to a boil without doing any stirring.
- Fix grainy fudge by stirring in 2 US tbsp (30 ml) of whipping cream over low heat.
Steps
Can you fix fudge that seized?
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Add solid chocolate or fat if the chocolate was overcooked. If the temperature of your fudge gets a little too high, the sugars in the chocolate will clump up and separate from the fats. This creates a lumpy mess, but you may be able to save it. Put a few squares of solid chocolate into the bowl with the seized fudge and stir everything together until the solid chocolate melts. That could help reintegrate the fudge.[1]
- You might also be able to add a little bit of cocoa butter or vegetable oil to the mixture. There aren't any exact measurements for this—start with maybe 1⁄4 tsp (1.2 ml) and work your way up from there. You may not get the same perfectly smooth fudge as you would have before, but it's better than wasting all of that yummy chocolate!
- If the chocolate was scorched, it will have a burnt taste, so just throw it out.[2] Also, the next time you use that recipe, consider shortening the boiling time.[3]
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2Make a fudge sauce if the chocolate seized from liquid or cold. Chocolate is finicky. If even a little bit of moisture gets into your bowl, the fudge will seize. The same thing will happen if the chocolate gets cold too quickly. In either case, there's not really anything you can do to save the fudge. However, you can still enjoy the chocolate by adding milk or cream to create a delicious fudge sauce.[4]
- Place the fudge over low heat and slowly whisk in about 1 US tbsp (15 ml) of milk or cream at a time. Keep adding liquid and stirring until the fudge sauce is thick, glossy, and smooth.
Expert Q&A
Video
Tips
References
- ↑ https://www.greatbritishchefs.com/how-to-cook/how-to-fix-seized-chocolate
- ↑ https://food52.com/blog/14453-what-to-do-when-your-chocolate-seizes
- ↑ https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2008-04-23-0804210321-story.html
- ↑ https://www.greatbritishchefs.com/how-to-cook/how-to-fix-seized-chocolate
- ↑ https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2008-04-23-0804210321-story.html
- ↑ https://www.ricardocuisine.com/en/articles/food-chemistry/400-for-successful-fudge-every-time
- ↑ https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-02-13-fo-2727-story.html
- ↑ https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-02-13-fo-2727-story.html
- ↑ https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-02-13-fo-2727-story.html
About This Article
To fix fudge, you can try a few simple things. If the chocolate was overcooked, try adding solid chocolate or fat. However, if you chocolate seizes because it either got too cold or there was too much liquid added to it, you might consider making a fudge sauce. If your fudge is hard and crumbly, add 3–4 US tbsp (44–59 ml) of whipping cream and remelt it. If your fudge is too soft, bring it back to a boil with 1–2 US tbsp (15–30 ml) of cream. You might be able to fix fudge that’s too grainy by stirring in whipping cream over low heat.