GET FUDGING

And this is why this post took so long!

Fudge

You probably can’t believe this is actually getting up here. Neither can I frankly! Between 186 mini cheesecakes, (go ahead and count ‘em if you like!) and my habit of scribbling notes whilst cooking away, yes, I threw this little gem out with the dish water somewhere! So sadly I had to do it all again, to the horror of the waistline…still all in a good cause!
Traditional fudge to me involves hours of stirring over the hot stove, but all with the possibility of the soft ball test going horribly wrong, and me getting to eat the failed results! This is my mothers recipe that has been handed down to, well…me and it wasn’t until I lived in the States that I realized there was another name for it; Penuche or if you are from Scotland, Scottish Tablet, which actually has a grainier texture and frankly is inferior (unless you are Scottish and reading this!)
The Thermomix makes this so easy, a little time consuming nonetheless, but not in the way you may think, no slaving over a hot stove. You simply need to be around whilst cooking this in order to reset the timing. It comes out beautiful and creamy and there are no aching arms in sight from beating the syrup after cooking. So fire up the Thermomix and get ready to get fudged, again and again and no doubt again!

NEED:
1 tin condensed milk (350g)
550g sugar
150g unsalted butter
120g golden syrup
90g warm water
2 tsp Heilala vanilla bean paste

DO:
Place all ingredients except vanilla into TM bowl and cook 10 min/70ºC/speed 2.5 until sugar is dissolved with MC off.
Cook a further 40 min/Varoma/speed 2.5 with MC on. Beat 1 min/speed 7.
Do the soft ball test at this stage just to see what is happening.
Cook 60 min/Varoma/speed 2.5, with MC off. You must be careful, if the mixture is bubbling up and spitting too much, leave the MC in.  Test again. If holding soft ball, beat for 2 minutes by bringing increasing speed slowly to speed 8. Add vanilla through hole in lid.

Pour into large buttered tin and allow to cool for hours and hours and hours. Don’t be tempted to refrigerate to speed it up, just let it cool on the bench! The core temperature of the fudge will definitely take hours so don’t say I didn’t warn you!

Now just for all those who have commented below, this is the rewrite, retested version and definitely works. H0wever, DO NOT substitute any low fat, margarine, products…Fudge is meant to be decadent and this version really works. Let me know!
Cut and enjoy, (and then make another batch for everyone else!)