Oh Fudge. (Click to embiggen the images)

Christmas Fudge = Russian Fudge… sorry Fi if you were expecting some new revelatory recipe… for our family, this is an annual event… all of us girls make it and give it away… Funnily we all have different preferences in terms of cooking time and final texture of the completed work… this is mine… the illustrated edition…

Here’s the recipe… oooh I’m having a flashback… have I done this before??? This is another traditional Kiwi one straight out of the stock standard Edmonds Cookbook… (every other Kiwi you know probably has one…)
3 cups sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
125g butter
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon golden syrup

1. Put sugar and milk into a saucepan. (I’ll point out at this stage that I made double recipe – this is clearly more than 3 cups of sugar!!)
   

   

2. Heat gently (I usually start at the very middle setting on my stove and watch it, if it starts to bubble before it has fully dissolved turn the heat down) , stirring constantly until sugar dissolves. (I always find this is tricky, just how dissolved is dissolved??? I find if I’m patient I can get the melted sugar to be virtually crystal free… how long it takes depends on the heat… and my patience – it usually runs out when it’s about 90-95% runny and that’s usually 15min or so I think.)
   
3. Add condensed milk, butter, salt and golden syrup. Stir until butter has melted. (I stir till the melted butter has mixed in with the rest…I hope you’re not dieting, by the way…)

    

   

4. Bring to the boil and continue boiling until the soft ball stage, stirring occasionally to prevent burning (you’ll notice darker flecks of fudged which has cooked to the bottom come through the pot as you do this, it’s no drama, but you do need to do this regularly as those brown flecks turn to burnt if you’re not careful).
   
   

   

5. Edited to add – I’d probably cook it for longer than this if I were doing it now, the fudge is a bit soft here… actually, I’ll get a sugar thermometer and cook it to the right temp 235F or 113C) Remove from heat. Cool slightly.
   
6. Beat until thick.
   
7. Pour into buttered tin.
   
8. Mark into squares. Cut when cold.
   

The recipe doesn’t tell you to eat it… I guess that goes without saying, but I can report that even if you have an uncontrollable sweet tooth this recipe is seriously restrictive in the amount you can eat at one sitting… it is rich beyond compare…