Pumpkin And Pecan Vanilla Fudge Recipe

Making homemade fudge can be a complex process involving a candy thermometer and some precision timing, but it can also be a super-easy two-ingredient recipe that involves nothing more than melting chocolate chips and combining them with sweetened condensed milk. This recipe from developer Feta Topalu falls somewhere in between these two extremes, but on the difficulty scale is a lot closer to the latter. It, too, involves a base of sweetened condensed milk and melted chocolate chips -– this time white chocolate ones -– but includes a few more ingredients to give it an autumnal flavor.

As Topalu describes her recipe, it's "Very much like making white chocolate fudge except it's infused with pumpkin and toasty seasonal fall spices." The spices she's choosing to use here are cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. If this combination sounds familiar to you, it's because the mixture is basically pumpkin pie spice minus the ginger and allspice.  A sprinkling of chopped pecans serves to top off the fudge and add some contrasting crunch to its smoothness.

The base of this fudge, as we mentioned, is a simple combination of sweetened condensed milk and melted white chocolate chips. The pumpkin flavor comes from canned pumpkin, while vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and pecans all add their distinctive flavors to the mix.

Line an 8x8-inch baking pan with parchment paper. Set aside.

Place the white chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk into a medium saucepan. Turn the heat to medium-low.

Stir together until the white chocolate chips are melted.

Stir in the pumpkin puree, vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Remove from heat.

Pour the pumpkin fudge into the prepared baking pan. Spread into an even layer.

Sprinkle the pecans evenly over the top.

Place into the refrigerator for to chill for 4-6 hours or overnight.

Cut into squares and serve.

Topalu likes to use canned pumpkin puree in her fudge, although of course it only calls for a small amount of what comes in a typical 15-ounce can. She does note, though, that "Any leftover pumpkin puree can be placed in an airtight container and frozen" and then put to good use at a later date. Additional batches of fudge are a possibility, of course, although she also suggests pasta sauce, pumpkin breads and other baked goods, and pumpkin spice lattes. You could also substitute homemade pumpkin puree for the canned kind if you'd prefer to portion out just the amount needed.

Topalu also tells us that "Pumpkin spice can be used instead of the listed spices" and suggests that 1 ½ teaspoons of the stuff will work as a swap. You could also make your own homemade pumpkin pie spice and adjust the ratios of cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg to suit your own personal preferences. Topalu also says that you can replace the pecans as well, since she feels that "Walnuts are a great option to top the fudge."

When it comes to storing this fudge, Topalu feels that it needs to be kept at room temperature. "When refrigerated," she warns, "it will dry out and lose the creamy texture." She says the candy ought to last up to 2 weeks outside the refrigerator as long as you keep it in an airtight container separated by layers of waxed or parchment paper. Even though this fudge may not do well in the fridge, though, she does say it can still be frozen. Her recommendation is to thaw it before eating, but nibbling frozen fudge can be fun, too.

If you're thinking about storing the fudge for possible gifting purposes, Topalu says you should package it in plastic bags. If you want the fudge to look its best, you can use holiday-patterned baggies and/or encase the bags in cellophane and then use ribbon to tie them closed. However you dress up the packing, though, make sure it's sealed up tight. As Topalu explains, "This way the fudge is not exposed to any air and will keep its rich, creamy texture."