Have I ever mentioned that our neighbours are hilarious?
This was the text Liz sent me yesterday…
It all started a couple of weeks ago when another Liz, a very darling Bizzy one in Canberra, gave me a box of Aldi Luxury Butter Fudge for Christmas. It was so good that it didn’t make it to my IMK post this month, as it was eaten before I had a chance to photograph it.
Unlike the creamy fudge we were making a few years ago, this one was hard and crumbly. The ingredients listed on the box included salted butter and condensed milk, so when I wasn’t able to find any in the (ahem) three Aldi stores I visited, I thought I’d have a go at making my own. After all, I still had condensed milk leftover from the boozy concoctions we were making for Christmas.
Google turned up this brilliant recipe (photo at top) which, as you might have deduced from Liz’ text, was a huge hit with the neighbours. But it was a bit too sweet for me, so I tweaked the recipe just a little. I followed the methodology exactly, but reduced the sugar slightly and added salt. My final ingredients list was as follows:
- 1 x 395g can condensed milk
- 450g white sugar
- 120ml water
- 60g unsalted butter
- ½ – 1 teaspoon fine sea salt (to taste)
- 2 teaspoons homemade vanilla extract
I found I needed less cooking time than specified – my fudge was ready after about 20 minutes at a gentle boil. You’ll need to judge when it’s ready by colour – I’ve tried to match the true colour of the final fudge below so you that can use it as a guide if you’d like to.
Oh, and it helps to have an extra set of hands when it’s time to pour the molten lava into the lined tin – I managed to drop the pot, burn myself and make a mess of the top…
The end result was so delicious that it made me forget my limited capacity to consume milk – until I started to feel queasy. Ah well, quality checking is essential…
Pete prefers the sweeter original version – he not a fan of salted caramel flavours – but Big Boy and I loved the second batch…
This fudge is hard, crumbly and very moreish. I’d better ring the neighbours and invite them around for a taste testing!
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 
It will be wonderful when in my next life we live next door to each other… well, at least for me! For you, I’m not that sure, it might be annoying to keep pushing me away on a daily basis. But you know I love to do dishes, right?
Sweetie, I need you to move next door to keep me exercising! I think we’d make a great team – you’d slim me down, and I’d fatten you up! :D
Oooh how I’d love to sink my teeth into that! :D
Misky, it was very, very good. Too good for my sensitive stomach! :)
This is very much like Russian caramels isn’t it? I LOVE this stuff! I shall not make it until next Christmas. I shall not make it until next Christmas. I’m going to keep writing that. :)
Ah go on, love. You’ll need to test the recipe before then, just to make your own tweaks to it! :)
Hi Celia, it looks great as does everything you make.
Glenda, thank you! It all worked much better when I decided to follow a recipe rather than throwing all the ingredients into a pot and hoping for the best.. :)
Don’t tempt me – I need to remake my fudge recipe too so I can shoot it again. I’ll wait until Feb :)
Hey Nick, Happy New Year! :)
We rarely have fudge in the house as I hardly ever give it a thought. Now of course I’m wondering if I have a tin of condensed milk and the only thing stopping me from looking is a rather too tight waistband after what seems a fortnight of gluttony. Maybe a treat to save for February.
See, I reckon we both probably had leftover condensed milk from the Irish Cream experiments.. :)
Oh my what a treat! Love the addition of salt :)
It made a big difference to how it turned out! Too salty for my Pete, but perfect if you’re a salted caramel fan! :)
What a wonderful story, and the fudge sounds fantastic as well. We will have to try this, maybe for Valentine’s Day. Right now we need a sugar detox!
Hahaha…I think we’re all in that position a bit. I’m trying to give my last box of fudge away! :)
I wish I was a neighbour! The fudge looks amazing – gorgeous colour and texture and creaminess. I do love homemade fudge. I’m impressed you went to three Aldi stores – you must have travelled some miles! xx
More crumbly than creamy! And actually no – we have HEAPS of Aldi stores in the inner west! My friend Al was complaining there’s hardly any over the north side! xxx
Oh my! I do wish that I loved nearer! We’re off camping this coming weekend and I think it’d be the perfect sweet treat to take along!
Have a wonderful time camping! I’m so happy to hear you’ll be having a short break from house building!
Given the neighbours reactions I could be swayed from my preference of creamy fuddge. I love that you weren’t defeated by Aldi in the quest for more fudge!
Jo, we were firm creamy fudge lovers too until the Aldi box! :)
From the first time I read your blog, Celia, I knew you were a clever cook… and I mean it when I say it… you are outstanding! I love how you can take something like some (admittedly delicious) Aldi fudge and work on developing a recipe of your own. Truly admirable! I love doing that sort of thing myself, but you have even more perseverance than moi. Looking at the receipt, wow, that’s still a good helping of sugar! If I make this one, I think it’ll be for the laddie on his upcoming birthday. Much love xox
Lizzy, the base recipe is brilliant! Pete and the neighbours liked the original sweeter version, Big Boy and I like the salted one better. Your call! :)
Thanks lovely lady xo
Ha, ha! love the text! I could see myself writing something similar :D Fudge can be certainly so addicting!
Laila, I’m (slightly) grateful for my dairy intolerance or I’d have demolished the whole box! :)
My teeth are aching just looking at these pictures! I adore anything with a salted flavour and suspect that these would vanish very quickly here. I’m thinking this is a recipe that might work well in the thermomix, too.
Amanda, they probably would work well in the Thermomix. You’d have to wash it straight afterwards though, as it sets up pretty quickly!
This sounds gorgeous Celia. I have been experimenting making Scottish Tablet in December. Its a crumbly fudge made with condensed milk also but involves a spell of whisking at the end before pouring it into the tin. I have made it before bit this year have a sugar thermometer. All three batches were different. I love the colour of yours and it sounds more caramely.
Kay, this recipe needs beating for a minute or so at the end as well. Our previous attempts at fudge have all been carefully temperature measured, the instructions for this one were far more relaxed!
It looks amazing Celia. I make a sugar free chocolate ‘rough’ and use salt to sprinkle on top. Love the contrast of the salty and sweet and chocolate. When I say sugar free, I use xylitol, which is sweet, it just burns up differently in the body, so doesn’t spike one’s blood sugar. I can’t live without my sweet tastes!
Ardys, I’m not usually a big fan of sweet/salt caramel, but this one is an exception – I think the salt adds a bit of complexity to the flavour! I’m glad you have an option that lets you have your sweet tastes! :)
I think perhaps much like your neighbor I just absolutely have to stay away from this “banned substance” at least for a little while, but I am definitely going to add this recipe to my list of “must haves” in the future. Oh but I am looking forward to what you’ll be sharing with us in 2015. You are on my “amazing” list!
Thanks Debra, you’re very kind! It is a wicked recipe! Hope you’re having a great start to 2015!
Yumm, yumm, yumm! Will be pinning this for later . . . sorry, was drooling on the laptop ;) Thanks for sharing Celia
Hahaha…you know I wrote this one up just for you, right Nicole? :)
:) And Liz (Good Things) You are just amazing! Thank you – must . . . stop . . . looking . . . at . . . fudge . . . heeheehee
What a fabulously reworked recipe… gotta try this… didnt make my fudge this winter yet so now is the perfect time… Thanks ;)
Thank you! Hope you enjoy it!
Ooh – how wonderful. I’ve even got a candy thermometer! We bought that fudge from Aldi too (I thought it needed a tiny pinch more salt) and now I can make my own! Ouch to the burn – sugar burns are really nasty, take care.
Thanks hon, I’m fine, although I did say a few bad words. :) I tried really hard to replicate the Aldi fudge, but by the time I was trying we’d eaten it all, so I didn’t have an original to compare to! Hope you’re having a great start to 2015! xxx
We had family from Spain over so are jsut catching our breath again – it was worth it!
That looks wonderful but I will have to avoid making it or The Management may just explode through over consumption!
I hope your burn wasn’t too bad Celia.
Thanks Kim, no it was only a small thing, but I did make a mess of the top of the fudge as a result. Luckily it didn’t affect the taste! :)
Looks delicious. Thanks for sharing your recipe. Will other flavours be tested? 😉
Donna, absolutely not. I’ll leave that to all of you! :)
What fortunate neighbours! Hi, I’ve been enjoying your IMK series for a very long time and in 2015 I shall try to participate more often, providing I have some interesting things to share, of course!
Thanks! Our cut off is the 10th of each month! :)
Looks good
Thank you!
Its very VERY lucky that we don’t live in the same state Celia! Oh that fudge looks scrumptious and salted sweets are delicious. That bit of salt enhances the sweetness and gives them an exotic edge. Kudos on being able to have fudge banned from your neighbours house. It takes true effort to do that ;)
Hahaha…I love that I always know exactly where I stand with them! :)
I prefer the crumbly style fudge and would always choose the less sweeter option for sure Celia. Salted caramel is a divine combination, I’m not surprised the neighbors gobbled it up :) xox
They actually preferred the sweeter version Becca! I on the other hand, had to hide the salted caramel one from myself.. ;-)
Oh you terrible person Celia – forcing fudge on your neighbors! i can only imagine their faces when you told them there was some new fudge to taste test – they probably didn’t bother to put shoes on before racing to your kitchen. I’m trying to imagine the salted caramel version & I’m thinking I’d like that variety too (although of course to be fair, I’d have to try both).
Hahaha…yes Di, you’ll have to try both! It really is ridiculously moreish… x
This recipe is very similar to a South African fudge Johan grew up with. If memory serves me correctly, you can make it in the microwave! I’ll have to find you the instructions… I hope your burn is ok!
Em, I was sure I’d seen a microwave version, but I couldn’t find it! And yes, thank you, it wasn’t a bad burn, just bad enough to make me drop the pot and make a mess! :)
I’m drooling all over the keyboard as I type this. I too have a limited tolerance for milk, but this looks worth suffering for!
Yes, I’m the same. I decided this one was worth the pain, but I’ve had to stop now, was getting too queasy! :)
I’m just thinking what everyone else is saying :)) Lucky neighbours … love Maureen’s comment tho, classic
cheers Roni xx
See, it would be fine if I could just eat ONE piece of fudge. :) It’s almost impossible though!
I don’t think I can make this…I know I will eat the lot.
I will make some next time we meet up and bring you just a few pieces.. ;-)
Oh yes luverly addictive stuff that fudge, Seems the fudge was very good cause Ive seen others talking about it too!
I noticed that too! I’ll be watching out for it at Aldi! :)
Sounds delish, and as someone said above, a lot like Scottish Tablet. If you like the idea of a methodology that doesn’t assume every other batch will randomly fail the lovely Ms Humble approaches it very scientifically as always – http://notsohumblepie.blogspot.com.au/2010/06/scottish-tablet.html
Hi Celia! I made a variation of this recently and found the recipe I used came out kind of grainy. Like the sugar didn’t dissolve properly. It was weird! I can see this is a bit crumbly (which is the type I am after) but is it grainy? I didn’t like the graininess!
Nagi, no, it’s crumbly but not grainy, if that makes sense?
Yum yum! These look SO good. I’m another Aussie food blogger – would love for you to stop by my site and say hello! x