This three ingredient date fudge has become a family favourite recipe in our house. It’s healthy, easy to make, and really hits the spot for even the biggest chocolate craving!
I’ve been making this three ingredient date fudge for a couple of years now and I recently went to look up a recipe for it online to see how others were making it and couldn’t find anything even similar to what I was looking for. I decided there was definitely a need out there that had to be filled. 🙂 This is my version of a fudge recipe from our favourite little vegan restaurant here in town that closed down a few months ago. Their fudge recipe was probably just a little more fine-tuned than mine because they went through so many batches of it, but I’ve been working on mine for quite awhile too so I think I’ve gotten it pretty darn close. 🙂
You will be so shocked at how good this simple, healthy fudge really is. Our kids like it even better than real fudge and I think I might have to agree.
Ingredients and Supplies for the Three Ingredient Date Fudge
Other optional add-ins include a dash of maple syrup if your dates are a little less sweet than you’d like them, a dash of vanilla (just because that never hurts), or a sprinkling of sea salt for the top if you’re trying to be fancy.
You’ll want to start out by soaking your dates in hot water for anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour. I just use the water from my insta hot tap on my water dispenser. If your dates are a little on the drier side, you probably want to soak them for closer to an hour.
Next, you’ll combine all of your ingredients in your food processor and pulse them until everything is smooth and well-combined. Make sure you taste the fudge and make any adjustments necessary if you need it a little sweeter.
Line a loaf pan with parchment paper and use one spatula to remove the fudge from the food processor and the second to drop it into the loaf pan. Using both spatulas will just make it a whole lot easier because the fudge will be pretty sticky at this point.
Smooth it out and chill it in the fridge for about an hour, or overnight, then slice it up into little squares!
This three ingredient date fudge has become a family favourite recipe in our house. It's healthy, easy to make, and really hits the spot for even the biggest chocolate craving!
Course:Dessert
Cuisine:vegan
Keyword:Three Ingredient Date Fudge
Ingredients
1cupdates
1/2cupmelted coconut oil
1/3cupcocoa powder
drizzlemaple syrup(optional)
splashvanilla(optional)
Instructions
Soak the dates in hot water for 30 minutes to an hour to soften them.
Drain the water off of the dates, then combine the dates, coconut oil, and cocoa powder in the bowl of a food processor.
Process for 1-2 minutes until everything is very smooth and well combined. Taste the fudge and make any adjustments as needed.
Transfer the fudge to a parchment-lined loaf pan using two spatulas. Use one spatula to remove the fudge from the food processor, then use the second spatula to remove the fudge from the first and drop it onto the parchment paper.
Smooth the fudge out and chill it for about an hour, then remove from the pan slice into little squares. This recipe should make about 20 1" squares.
Give it a try and let me know what you think! 🙂
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Courtenay Hartford
Authorat The Creek Line House | Website| + posts
Courtenay Hartford is the author of creeklinehouse.com, a blog based on her adventures renovating a 120-year-old farmhouse in rural Ontario, Canada. On her blog, Courtenay shares interior design tips based on her own farmhouse and her work as founder and stylist of the interior photography firm Art & Spaces. She also writes about her farmhouse garden, plant-based recipes, family travel, and homekeeping best practices. Courtenay is the author of the book The Cleaning Ninja and has been featured in numerous magazines including Country Sampler Farmhouse Style, Better Homes and Gardens, Parents Magazine, Real Simple, and Our Homes.
Why won't my 3 ingredient fudge set? This often happens when the condensed milk and chocolate chip mixture isn't hot enough to start. Everything must be completely melted before it is transferred to the pan to cool.
The key to creamy, luscious fudge is controlling crystal formation. If the sucrose (table sugar) crystals are small, the fudge will feel creamy and smooth on your tongue. But if the crystals are large, the fudge develops a crumbly, dry, or even coarse texture.
Once the sugar has dissolved and the mixture has come to a boil, do not stir it. If you do, the sugar can crystallize, giving your fudge a gritty texture. As you beat the fudge, pay attention to color and texture. Once the fudge loses its sheen and thickens, put down your spoon.
OPTION 3) Sieve together some powdered sugar and cocoa powder, and gradually work this into your unset fudge until it reaches the consistency of dough, then roll out and cut into squares, or shape into balls and then roll in powdered sugar (roll the balls in icing sugar, not yourself).
If your fudge turned out super sticky, or it didn't set as it cooled, it probably never got hot enough. This mistake is super easy to avoid if you use a candy thermometer and cook the fudge to the temperature specified in the recipe (usually between 234 and 239°F).
If there is too much evaporation, when the cooking time is too long, there will not be enough water left in the fudge and it will be too hard. Conversely, if the cooking time is too brief and there is not enough evaporation, too much water will remain and the fudge will be too soft.
Once the fudge reaches soft-ball stage on the candy thermometer, remove from the heat and let the temperature drop to 110°F. Keep that spoon or spatula out of the pot until this happens. If you stir too early in the process, you'll make the sugar crystals too big and end up with grainy fudge.
At this temperature, the sugar is too concentrated and there is not enough water left to form syrup around sugar crystals. The result is hard and brittle fudge. To save the fudge, put it in a saucepan with 45 to 60 ml (3 or 4 tbsp.)
Cream of tartar is used in caramel sauces and fudge to help prevent the sugar from crystallizing while cooking. It also prevents cooling sugars from forming brittle crystals, this is why it's the secret ingredient in snickerdoodles!
My advice to you is to just pour it in a jar, call it something else delicious, and pretend you meant for it to be that way. The nice thing about my “failed” fudge is that it tastes absolutely delicious! A spoonful of the delectable treat will make you want for more. It's all in your perspective.
Using a clean spoon, carefully take a little of the syrup and drop it into the bowl of cold water. Leave to cool for a moment then pick up the ball of syrup. If it's pliable, sticky and can be moulded in your fingers easily, it has reached the soft ball stage and the syrup can be used to make fudge and marzipan.
Add the butter, chocolate, salt, and vanilla and bring the temperature up to 235ºF. Remove from heat. Once the mixture has cooled to 110ºF, mix it with a wooden spoon until it loses the majority of its sheen. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and let it cool fully before slicing.
How do you fix fudge that is too soft? Bring the fudge back to a boil with 1–2 US tbsp (15–30 ml) of cream. If your fudge is soft or runny, it probably didn't come up to a high enough temperature while it was cooking. Put it back into the saucepan and add 1–2 US tbsp (15–30 ml) of 35% fat whipping cream.
It could be that your fudge is overcooked and this causes the sugar to harden. A sugar thermometer will help you to check it reaches the correct temperature which is the soft ball stage at 112 to 116 °C (234 to 241 °F). If it exceeds this, it is heading for a much chewier consistency.
Proper fudge will set after sitting at room temperature for about 4 hours. Understand that cooking the fudge properly is the skirmish before the war. The real test of your mettle will occur when you beat the fudge, and learn to master the fine art of turning and pouring. And if it doesn't work out it's okay!
Tiny microcrystals in fudge are what give it its firm texture. The crystals are small enough, however, that they don't feel grainy on your tongue, but smooth. While you ultimately want crystals to form, it's important that they don't form too early.
Introduction: My name is Margart Wisoky, I am a gorgeous, shiny, successful, beautiful, adventurous, excited, pleasant person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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