Extra Dark Chocolate Fudge

In this house, we LOVE dark chocolate fudge!  So when I found extra dark chocolate chips I snagged them to make my fudge.

Extra dark chocolate fudge pieces stacked on a plate.

Why You’ll Love This

This is the easiest chocolate fudge recipe! It’s my go-to recipe because it has never failed me.

You don’t need a candy thermometer!

It’s a creamy, rich, and indulgent extra dark chocolate fudge.

This dark chocolate fudge only takes 10 minutes to make.

It’s an old fashioned style fudge that uses evaporated milk, not sweetened condensed milk.

This fudge is expected to be available every Christmas to family members. So I make it happen!

Are you looking for more Christmas holiday recipes? Try our chocolate covered pretzel rods, Reese’s peanut butter cup cookies, dark chocolate peppermint bark, peanut butter balls, and easy chocolate crinkle cookies.

Key Ingredients

Dark chocolate fudge ingredients on a dark surface.

How to Make Extra Dark Chocolate Fudge

I usually make this fudge with dark chocolate. If semi-sweet chocolate is all you can find, go for it!  The chocolate flavor is still really yummy, and I have used both!  

It’s super quick and easy so let’s get started!

  • Line an 8-inch or 9-inch square pan with foil, butter the foil, and set aside or line the pan with parchment paper leaving an overhang to use as handles to lift the fudge out for slicing. Place marshmallow creme, granulated sugar, evaporated milk, and unsalted butter in a heavy saucepan, bring to a rolling boil over medium heat, and cook for 5 minutes. 
Dark chocolate fudge ingredients in a metal saucepan.
Creamy white coloring before boiling.
Dark chocolate fudge ingredients in a metal saucepan after boiling for 5 minutes.
Caramel color after boiling for five minutes.
  • The fudge mixture will turn from a creamy white to a light caramel color. Remove from the heat, and stir in chocolate chips and vanilla extract. Stir until all the chips are melted. Pour into the prepared pan to set up
Dark chocolate chips stir into the boiled ingredients for fudge.
Dark chocolate fudge poured into a baking pan lined with parchment paper.

And that’s it…super easy, right?

Once set, lift out of the pan and, using a sharp knife, cut into small pieces.

Extra dark chocolate fudge stacked on a plate.

I promise this easy chocolate fudge recipe will be a big hit, so give it a try!

Tips

  • Use high quality chocolate like Guittard or Ghirardelli. There are only a few ingredients in the dark chocolate fudge, so you want it to be fabulous!
  • Use a heavy-bottomed saucepan. This is important when making candy. The thick base heats more evenly, and the contents heat slowly.
  • Do not leave the fudge, and stir constantly. You don’t want it to burn to the bottom of the pan.
  • Do not overcook. Once the fudge is to a rolling boil, set a 5-minute timer, boil for 5 minutes, then remove from the heat immediately and stir in the vanilla extract and dark chocolate. If it’s overcooked, it will become dry and somewhat brittle when slicing.
  • You can speed up the cooling process by letting it cool down at room temperature for about 30 minutes, then place it in the refrigerator for about an hour before cutting it into pieces.

Variations

  • You can sprinkle the top with seasonal sprinkles, such as Christmas, Easter, or even St. Patrick’s Day.
  • You can stir in some chopped pecans, walnuts, almonds, pistachios, or hazelnuts. Or you can sprinkle chopped nuts over the top of the fudge.
  • For a salted chocolate fudge sprinkle some flaky sea salt over the top.
  • Milk chocolate will make a softer fudge. White chocolate will make an even softer fudge. I tested it with white chocolate and wasn’t thrilled with the texture. If you choose to use white chocolate, choose high-quality chocolate bars. Don’t use white chocolate chips. They contain palm oil, not cocoa butter, and don’t taste good, in my opinion.
  • I don’t recommend using bittersweet chocolate it contains 70% cacao and less sugar.

FAQs

Can I substitute the evaporated milk?

No, this dark chocolate fudge recipe will not work with any other milk. Trust me.

How to Store Fudge

Place it in an airtight container and store it at room temperature for about five days or you can place it in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Can you freeze fudge?

Yes, I recommend placing the cut pieces on a parchment paper lined baking tray, flash freeze them until frozen, then transfer to a freezer safe container and freeze for up to 2 months for the best quality. Fudge does not freeze rock hard but will be firm. Thaw in the refrigerator before serving.

More Delicious Fudge Recipes

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Extra dark chocolate fudge pieces stacked on a plate.

Extra Dark Chocolate Fudge Recipe

Easy to make creamy extra dark chocolate fudge that melts in your mouth!
4.30 from 30 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Candy, Dessert
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 24
Calories: 175kcal
Author: Leigh Harris

Ingredients
 

  • 1 1/2 cups Granulated Sugar
  • 7 oz Marshmallow Creme
  • 5 oz Evaporated Milk 1 small can
  • 4 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
  • 12 ounces Extra Dark Chocolate Chips at least 62% cacao
  • 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Instructions

  • Line an 8″ or 9″ square pan with foil, butter the foil and set aside.
  • Combine, marshmallow creme, sugar, evaporated milk and butter in a heavy saucepan.
    1 1/2 cups Granulated Sugar, 7 oz Marshmallow Creme, 5 oz Evaporated Milk, 4 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
  • Cook over medium heat to a full boil, stirring constantly.
  • Once to a boil, cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. The fudge mixture will turn from a creamy white to a light caramel color.
  • Remove from the heat, stir in chocolate chips and vanilla.
    12 ounces Extra Dark Chocolate Chips, 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
  • Stir until chips are melted thoroughly and pour into the prepared pan.
  • Let set until firm.

Notes

  • 2 cups of miniature marshmallows can be substituted for the marshmallow creme. Stir until all marshmallows are completely melted. But I cannot guarantee the outcome. I only use marshmallow creme.
  • Use high-quality dark chocolate.
  • Use a heavy-bottomed saucepan. This is important when making candy. The thick base heats more evenly and the contents heat slowly.
  • Stir often and don’t leave the fudge unattended. You don’t want it to burn to the bottom of the pan.
  • Do not overcook. Once the fudge is to a rolling boil, set a 5-minute timer, boil for 5 minutes, then remove from the heat immediately, and stir in the vanilla extract and dark chocolate. If it’s overcooked it will become dry and somewhat brittle when slicing.
Storing – Store in an air-tight container in a cool place or in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Freezing – I recommend placing the cut pieces on a parchment paper lined baking tray, flash freeze them until frozen, then transfer them to a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 2 months for the best quality. Fudge does not freeze rock hard but will be firm. Thaw in the refrigerator before serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 175kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 7mg | Sodium: 38mg | Potassium: 108mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 72IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 59mg | Iron: 1mg

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45 Comments

  1. Good afternoon,
    First thank you for the recipe. I’ve wanted to make it since last summer and today was the day. It looks very good. I’ll let you know how it turned out.
    But a secondary reason for posting is, I purchased the Guittard Extra Dark Chocolate baking chips at Whole Foods just 3 days ago. And low and behold, the package is no longer 12oz. It is now only 11.5oz. I guessing it will not make a dramatic difference. I just thought you would like to know.
    Thanks again for the recipe.

    John4 stars

    1. Ugh! Thanks for the heads up, John. This is so frustrating but it shouldn’t make a difference in the fudge. Keep us posted.

  2. I found this recipe about a year ago when I was trolling specifically for an easy fudge recipe.
    This recipe is not only easy it has the magic ingredient for my husband — extra dark chocolate.
    Follow the directions — stirring constantly, including the 5 minute boil. No fail!
    Thanks so much for this amazing recipe.5 stars

  3. My wife and I make fudge each holiday season and ship it to friends throughout the U.S. and world. We were looking for a extra dark chocolate fudge recipe and this one looks good. Doubling the recipe should not be a problem, right?5 stars

    1. Hi, Warren. I have never doubled this recipe so I can’t say if it will work or not. If you try it let please come back and let us know how it worked. Thanks so much for visiting!

  4. Wow! Thanks so much for this recipe! Took my fudge from failure to fantastic! Even used milk chocolate and small slices of jumbo marshmallows for the second batch. They both turned out great and just in time for Thanksgiving dinner!5 stars

    1. Aimee, I’m so happy to hear you loved the fudge!!!! 🙂 You just made my day! Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family.

  5. OH I love the sound of this. I love dark chocolate and every Christmas I make a different fudge. So yummy. Thank you ever so much for linking up to SWM and the amazing linky/blog support last year. It means the world to me that people come back again and again to share their amazing blogs. I hope this year is no different. It’s great to get to know more blogs and I love reading each post every week and sharing them. You have such a lovely blog here. I wish you a huge happy new year!!! #sharewithme5 stars

  6. What a great recipe… I love dark Chocolate! Thanks for sharing on My 2 Favorite Things on Thursday! I’m excited to start the party back up this week…hope you can come join me! Happy New Year! Pinned!

  7. Wishing you and your family a very Merry Christmas and thanks so much for sharing your awesome post with Full Plate Thursday. I sure appreciate you!
    Miz Helen5 stars

  8. Looks yummy. Now, I feel like having one!! Thank you for sharing with us at #HomeMattersParty. We wish you a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays !!. We would love to have you again when we are back on Jan 8, 2016.

  9. Looks easy and delicious. I think I might even have all the ingredients in my pantry so maybe I will try it this weekend. Pinned

      1. I’m wondering what state you live in….because I made this fudge…and it set up So close to “set up” ….but still kinda smushy. I live near the coast in Texas…and think altitude affected my outcome.3 stars

  10. OMG, I could have all of those right now! I love chocolate fudge, but I’ve never tried making it myself! This looks delicious!!!

      1. Anyone tried this or any fudge using the miniature marshmallows instead of marshmallow creme? Wondering if the consistency turns out ok.
        *Sorry, I accidentally posted this question as a reply to someone too.

      1. Hey Maya, so sorry to hear that. The only thing I can think of that would not cause it to set up is not cooking it long enough at a high enough temperature.

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