Penuche Recipe (Brown Sugar Fudge)

Steps

1. Line an 8 or 9 inch square pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper. If you are using foil, coat with nonstick spray. Set aside.

2. Prepare the ingredients you will need last, because you are going to be in a hurry later. Chop your white chocolate into small chunks for faster melting. Take the lid off your marshmallow creme and peel off all traces of the foil lining (so that you can microwave it later for easy scooping. Microwaving is optional). Set out your vanilla and salt.

3. In a 3 quart HEAVY saucepan over medium high heat, melt 3/4 cup butter. Before it melts all the way, use your spoon or knife to rub the sides of the pot with butter, almost all the way to the top. This helps prevent sugar crystals from forming on the edge of the pan, which can cause your fudge to not come to the right temperature.

4. Add 2/3 cup evaporated milk. Add 2 tablespoons corn syrup.

5. Add 2 and 1/2 cups brown sugar to the center of the pot. Be sure to avoid getting sugar on the edge of the pan to avoid the sugar crystals that I mentioned before.

6. Use a wooden spoon to stir slowly until the butter has melted completely and been fully incorporated.

7. Bring to a full rolling boil over medium high heat, stirring constantly with a long wooden spoon. Once it starts boiling (that means bubbles coming up from the CENTER of the pot, not the edges of the pot), set a timer for 5 minutes and turn the heat down to medium so that you don't burn your fingers off--it should be at a rolling boil the full 5 minutes. Stir constantly. If you want to use a thermometer, boil until it reaches about 236 degrees F.

8. When the timer goes off, remove from heat and immediately add the chopped white chocolate. Stir until the white chocolate has melted completely and there are no lumps. You will notice that if you stop stirring even for a few seconds, the fudge will start to harden, so work quickly.

9. Take the lid off your marshmallow creme, remove all traces of foil, ignore the label that says  "Do not microwave in jar," and microwave in the jar for about 20 seconds, until you see the marshmallow start to rise above the lip of the jar. (You don't need to microwave. It's just a hack to make it really easy to get the marshmallow out of the jar, which can be a pain.) Use a spatula to add all the marshmallow creme to the fudge and stir. You will notice that if you stop stirring even for a few seconds, the fudge will start to harden, so work quickly.

10. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt to the fudge. Beat the fudge with your wooden spoon, scraping the bottom and sides well, until all the marshmallow has been incorporated and the fudge is an even light golden color with no streaks.

11. (At this point, add chopped toasted nuts if you are into that. I haven't made it with nuts but I would guess between 2/3 cup to 3/4 cup chopped pecans will do ya.) 

12. Immediately pour into the prepared and lined square pan.

13. Let cool to room temperature. This usually takes 3-5 hours depending on the temperature of your house. Once the fudge has had a half hour or so to cool, cover tightly with plastic wrap or a lid so it doesn't get dried out. You can refrigerate the fudge to speed up cooling, but let it come back to room temperature before attempting to slice it.

14. When you are ready to serve, lift the parchment paper or foil out of the pan. Use a long chef's knife to make even slices. Store on the counter covered. Fudge will keep on the counter for about 3-5 days before getting dried out.

15. You can freeze fudge! I do this every year for the holidays. Freeze in a block and allow to come to room temperature before slicing, or slice and arrange in a sealed container, then freeze. I prefer the latter, then I can just pop it out of the freezer and add pieces to the cookie plates I'm assembling.