Freezing Chocolate And Nutella Isn't Fudge At All

Fudge is a classic American treat that traces its history all the way back to the 19th century. It's a delicious, melt-in-your-mouth dessert that ranges in flavor variations from white chocolate to peanut butter, and "fudgies" — aka fudge fanatics — often take to social media to share their own recipes. One user shared their Nutella and chocolate creation on Instagram, calling it fudge, but are Nutella and chocolate the same as fudge? Spoiler alert, definitely not.

Their "fudge" recipe is simple — it only calls for chocolate and Nutella which you melt, mix together, pour into a pan, and then freeze. To eat it, the creator says to take it out of the freezer for five to ten minutes before slicing and eating. Although these ingredients and the combination of them may (kind of) look like fudge and could taste perfectly good, they definitely should not be classified as fudge and people in the comments agree. Nutella is made of hazelnut and chocolate, and as one user points out you "may as well eat Nutella from the jar." Another used the crying laughing emojis asking where the fudge was, so clearly people aren't taking this super seriously, and rightfully so.

Although you can flavor fudge with both, fudge is definitely not the same thing as Nutella or chocolate. The first written reference to fudge came back in 1888 in a letter written by a Vassar College student. Soon after, fudge became a fixture at the college, and from there migrated to other places around the country that are now known for their fudge, like Mackinac Island in northern Michigan for example.

In comparison, Nutella has Italian origins and is so much different from fudge in terms of flavor and texture. Fudge is dense and thick and retains its shape after you form or cut it. Nutella, on the other hand, has a texture closer to peanut butter and only comes in one flavor variation — the classic combination of chocolate and hazelnut. On the topic of chocolate, that's another confection that is definitely not fudge either. Chocolate, while it can be melted, normally takes on a solid form like chips, chunks, or squares that are hard and have a snap to them. Additionally, classic fudge requires ingredients like sugar, marshmallow fluff, and margarine, while chocolate is made using cocoa products like cocoa butter and sometimes sugar.