This is my favourite fudge. If you don't want to use the maple syrup just increase the cream by a 1/4 cup.

Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table

Add the two sugars, butter and cream maple syrup and salt into a sauce
pan. Place over medium heat. Stir while bringing to a boil. Lower the
heat and continue to stir slowly while the mixture cooks. After about
7 minutes, test by pouring a small amount into some cold water. You
want it to form a soft ball. You might need to cook it for another
minute or two. Remove from the heat, add a couple of teaspoons of
vanilla and start stirring. It takes about 14 or 15 minutes for the
fudge to cool and thicken. Pour into buttered dish.

Option: Replace the cream and cup of white sugar with one can of
Sweetened Condensed Milk and increase the maple syrup to 1 cup.

To make Carmels instead of fudge,

1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup white
1/2 cup white corn syrup
1 cup butter
1 cup cream
pinch of salt
vanilla

Cook to almost hard ball stage.
Let cool slightly, stir and then pour into butter pan or mini muffin
tins.

Thanks, Ann. That looks wonderful. I would leave out the maple syrup for him, so I'm glad you told me what to do. Can this be adapted for peanut butter fudge? He likes that, too, I found out.

I adore caramels, so maybe I'll try that for me. Three kinds of sugar mixed with butter and cream -- my kind of cooking!

Penuche!
This is pretty close to the way my grandmother made it...but I think she used evaporated milk...and I'm sure she didn't have a candy thermometer!
Pecan Penuche recipe
Source: Fannie Farmer's New Cookbook

2 cups dark brown sugar, firmly packed
3/4 cup milk
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup pecans, chopped

Oil a jellyroll pan or an 8-inch square pan.

Combine the sugar, milk and salt in a heavy 3-quart pot, stirring to mix well. Place over medium heat and bring to a boil, stirring constantly, until the sugar dissolves. Cover and let boil for 2 to 3 minutes.

Uncover and wash down the sides of the pot with a pastry brush dipped in cold water. Continue to boil, over medium heat, to the firm ball stage (240 to 250 degrees F), stirring only if it starts to burn. Remove from the heat and immediately place the pot in a larger pot filled with cold water; this will stop the cooking process and bring the temperature down. Drop in the butter and let cool slightly, without stirring.

Beat until it starts to thicken, add vanilla extract and pecans and continue to beat until the candy loses some of its gloss. Spread evenly in the pan and mark into squares. When firm, cut into pieces and store in an airtight container.

Linda C

I haven't tried candy since I was a teen and made big batch of caramels that never set up. I kept them in the frig and they were fine, though. I recently bought a candy thermometer so I'm going to try again.

Cutting and pasting...

I've never been good at any cooking requiring a thermometer or "balls" (setting myself right up there, hmmmm Jessy?). Maybe it's time to learn.

That Penuche recipe sounds good!

My favorite fudge is made from a recipe off the back of the marshmallow creme jar. The first time I had it I couldn't believe how good it was and begged for the recipe-it is Fantasy Fudge!

But you want to google to find the original version with the full amount of sugar. I think the food police cut back the amount of sugar and it is not the same. One of my friends makes many varieties from the original recipe. It is easy to make PB fudge- add 1 cup peanut butter to it at the end.
I use the recipe and use white chocolate which we all know is really vanilla. I make different varieties of candy as gifts for Christmas. Sue.

Here's the original recipe from the jar. I've tried many fudge recipes but the marshmellow cream one is our favorit. Not too creamy, just a little bit of toothiness!LOL! Annie found the original and best recipe. This is NOT vanilla fudge.

FANTASY FUDGE
3 cups sugar
¾ cup real butter
2/3 cup evaporated milk
12 oz. Chocolate chips
7 oz. Jar marshmallow cream
1 cup chopped nuts-optional
1 tsp vanilla
Bring sugar, butter and milk to a rolling boil for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. (I test it at this point to make sure it has reached soft ball stage, sometimes it takes longer, especially if I make a double batch).
Remove from hat and stir in remaining ingredients until chips are melted and fudge is smooth. Pour into a greased 9x13 pan, let cool to room temperature and cut into slices.
VARIATIONS:
Peanut butter fudge: Sub peanut butter chips for chocolate and omit nuts
Cookies and Cream: Sub white chips and stir in 1 cup crushed Oreos instead of nuts
Creamsicle Fudge: Sub white chips for chocolate, omit nuts, pour half of the fudge into pan. Stir 2 tsp orange extract, 4 drops yellow food coloring and 3 drops red food coloring into remaining fudge, pour orange fudge over plain fudge and marble in with knife.
Candy Cane fudge: Sub white chips, omit nuts and stir in 1/2 cup crushed candy canes, sprinkle top with more crushed candies.
Annie

Vanilla Fudge
300ml (100oz) evaporated milk (or half milk/half cream)
500g (1lb) sugar
105g (3 1/2oz) butter
few drops vanilla

Put milk, sugar and butter in a saucepan, heat gently until sugar dissolves, then bring to the boil. Boil, stirring gently, until a little of the mixture dropped in cold water forms a soft ball. Remove from heat, add vanilla and pour immediately into a greased slab tin. Cool. Cut into squares to serve.

For variety, add 30g cocoa to the milk and sugar mixture.
or
Add 125g chopped walnuts with the vanilla and beat the mixture until it is thick and cream. Decorate with walnut pieces.
or
Replace vanilla with 2 tablespoons coffee essence and add 90g chopped toasted almonds to the heated mixture. Beat until thick and creamy, then pour into the greased tin to set.
or
Add 125g chopped almonds and 60g chopped glace cherries to the mixture after heating.
or
Add 2 teaspoons grated orange or lemon rind and 2 tablespoons orange or lemon juice to the mixture after heating, beat until thick and creamy, then pour into the greased tin to set.

Linda, that panuche brings back old memories. Haven't seen or known anyone who makes that anymore. Same goes for Divinity. I worked at a hospital in my 20s and there wasn't a day go by during holidays that someone didn't bring in homemade candy or candied nuts. You know, that was before they invented margarine and low fat milk! AHHH, the good old days --- when I could eat.

Oooo -- more versions to try. I may have to have a fudge-a-thon. I don't know about the marshmallow fluff one, though. There's something about that stuff that reminds me of the paste we ate in first grade.

100 ounces of milk. How many cups is that? I stink at math. Are there eight ounces in a cup??

Pam, Daisy meant 300 ML equals 10 ounces. You would sure have a problem getting that fudge to set if you used 100 ounces of milk. LOL!

Ann