WWI Era Maple Fudge Recipe 1905, 1916 (2024)

WWI Era Maple Fudge Recipe 1905, 1916 (1)

This morning my friend Eva sent me this video, from Imbrandonferrison Youtube called "Making Fudge from the 1900's!" with the caption "I started a fire!"

Sometimes I get distraught that no one reads my posts or that no one cooks anything I post. I wonder why I bother. Old recipes and foodways are so important to me and I believe it's a skill that needs to be passed onto future generations, especially in an era where meals come frozen and vegetables are unrecognizable to many.

I started posting when I was young as a way to share the things I was learning. Every dish I cooked was an experiment. Maybe it would come out, maybe it wouldn't. I had a heck of a time transcribing measurements that sounded ridiculous. Pick the walnuts when they're the size of a squirrel's ear? Okay.

So many of the ingredients were foreign and needed research to decipher and effort to obtain. But now that I've been over 10 years into it, am a buttload of books more familiar with foodways over last 300 years and have studied under some of the best, some of that excitement when trying a new recipe has waned.

This video made me laugh so much. It brought me right back to the days when I didn't have any clue. It's a great reminder of why I started cooking old recipes in the first place. I made a lot of friends along the way and I love running into people who love reading my blog.

So without further ado, here is "Fudge from the 1900s" The recipe from a book called "A Little Cookbook for a Little Girl." First published in 1905, it was reprinted in 1916 and still being advertised in newspapers in 1921.

WWI Era Maple Fudge Recipe 1905, 1916 (2)

WWI Era Maple Fudge Recipe 1905, 1916 (3)


Ingredients:

- 3 Cups Brown Sugar
- 2 Cups 100% Maple Syrup
- 1 cup Whole Milk
- 1/2 cup water
- 4 Tablespoons Butter (the size of an egg which is actually a very common measurement)
- 1 Cup Walnuts or Hickory nuts, chopped

Instructions:

In a large pot, combine brown sugar and maple syrup. You can stir it at this stage. Heat until boiling. Once boiling add the milk and water. Boil for 2 minutes with the lid on.

Do not stir. Butter your thermometer and stick in the mixture, making sure it is not touching the bottom of the pan. Keep the mixture boiling until it reaches the soft ball stage (112 to 116 °C (234 to 241 °F). This will take about 10 minutes but can be longer.

Take an 8 x 8" pan and line with aluminum foil. Grease the foil with butter.

Do not stir. Remove from the heat. Add the butter. Let sit until it cools down to 230°C, 110°F. This will take about an hour. Do not stir. You want to move the fudge as little as possible during this time to prevent sugar crystals from forming too early and giving your fudge a gritty taste.

Once it has reached 230°C, 110°F it is time to stir. You will be stirring until it turns a lighter shade. It can take up to 30 minutes. Add the crushed nuts. Quickly pour it into your pan and smooth out the top with a spatula. Let look for 3- 24 hours. It's easier to cut the next day. Cut in 1/2 inch pieces.

Instructions with pictures:

In a large pot, combine brown sugar and maple syrup. You can stir it at this stage. Heat until boiling. Once boiling add the milk and water. Boil for 2 minutes with the lid on.

WWI Era Maple Fudge Recipe 1905, 1916 (4)

Do not stir. Butter your thermometer and stick in the mixture, making sure it is not touching the bottom of the pan. Keep the mixture boiling until it reaches the soft ball stage (112 to 116 °C (234 to 241 °F). This will take about 10 minutes but can be longer.

WWI Era Maple Fudge Recipe 1905, 1916 (5)

Take an 8 x 8" pan and line with aluminum foil. Grease the foil with butter.

WWI Era Maple Fudge Recipe 1905, 1916 (6)

Do not stir. Remove from the heat. Add the butter. Let sit until it cools down to 230°C, 110°F. This will take about an hour. Do not stir. You want to move the fudge as little as possible during this time to prevent sugar crystals from forming too early and giving your fudge a gritty taste.

WWI Era Maple Fudge Recipe 1905, 1916 (7)


WWI Era Maple Fudge Recipe 1905, 1916 (8)

Once it has reached 230°C, 110°F it is time to stir. You will be stirring until it turns a lighter shade. It can take up to 30 minutes. Add the crushed nuts.

WWI Era Maple Fudge Recipe 1905, 1916 (9)

Quickly pour it into your pan and smooth out the top with a spatula. Let set for 3- 24 hours. It's easier to cut the next day.

WWI Era Maple Fudge Recipe 1905, 1916 (10)

Cut in 1/2 inch pieces.

WWI Era Maple Fudge Recipe 1905, 1916 (11)

Hope you enjoy! If you liked this post, please share it!

WWI Era Maple Fudge Recipe 1905, 1916 (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between British fudge and American fudge? ›

Turns out that the two are not quite the same, but they're still equally delicious. Denser and sometimes a bit more crumbly than its American counterpart, British fudge comes in dozens of flavors, and is frequently found in gift shops and at outdoor markets and street fairs.

What was the first fudge? ›

On Valentine's Day, 1886, a confectioner and chocolate maker in Baltimore, Maryland "fudged" a batch of French caramels. The delicious result? The very first batch of "fudge" ever.

What is maple fudge made of? ›

Ingredients. INGREDIENTS: sugar, water, brown sugar, walnuts, corn syrup solids, butter (cream, salt), cream powder (cream, nonfat milk solids, sodium caseinate), palm oil with soya lecithin, salt, maple flavoring.

Is Penuche fudge maple? ›

What distinguishes penuche is the use of brown sugar rather than white. In recent years, it has become common in New England to add maple syrup to the recipe for penuche fudge. Some confectioners will call this "maple syrup penuche fudge", and others do not make any distinction at all.

Where is the fudge capital of the world? ›

Whether you visit Mackinac Island on National Fudge Day in June or any other day – maybe during the Mackinac Island Fudge Festival in August – come find your favorite flavor and experience the fudge capital of the world!

Where is the best fudge in the world? ›

While fudge was not invented on Mackinac Island, it most certainly – and most deliciously – was perfected here.

What state is famous for fudge? ›

But there's one kitchen that knows a recipe for keeping warm. Original Murdick's Fudge has been in operation since 1887, when it first opened its doors on Michigan's Mackinac Island. "Fudge is Mackinac Island, synonymous with Mackinac Island," said owner Bob Benser.

What makes Mackinac Island fudge different? ›

To obtain the world famous taste, the fudge is slowly cooked in traditional copper kettles over a gas flame. Once the desired temperature is reached, the mixture is poured onto marble slabs for a cooling period and then hand-paddled into loaves.

How was fudge originally made? ›

One popular story traces the history of fudge back to the late 19th century in the United States. According to this tale, a batch of caramels was accidentally overcooked, resulting in a grainy texture. However, the candy still tasted delicious, and thus fudge was born.

Does maple fudge go bad? ›

Maple Fudge stores well at room temperature however some people prefer to refrigerate it.

What is in Mackinac Island fudge? ›

Ingredients. Milk, cream, sugar, corn syrup, skim milk, high fructose corn syrup, whey, water, chocolate liquor, hydrogenated coconut oil, peanut oil, alkalized cocoa, mono and diglycerides, buttermilk, butter, natural flavors, soy lecithin, pectin, salt, cellulose gum, xanthan gum, guar gum, annatto (color), vanilla.

What makes high quality fudge? ›

You have to control two temperatures to make successful fudge: the cooking temperature AND the temperature at which the mixture cools before stirring to make it crystallize. Confectionery experiments have shown that the ideal cooking temperature for fudge is around 114 to 115 °C (237 to 239 °F).

What does penuche mean in English? ›

pə-ˈnō-chə : fudge made usually of brown sugar, butter, cream or milk, and nuts.

Why is my maple fudge grainy? ›

Grainy Fudge

The sugars probably crystallized, a common mistake when making candy like fudge or caramel. If the melting sugar splashes onto the sides of the pan, it turns back into crystals and causes the fudge to seize up. To avoid this issue, swirl the pan instead of stirring it with a spoon.

What's the difference between penuche and fudge? ›

What sets penuche apart from other fudge is the brown sugar -- most fudge is made with white sugar. The brown sugar lends butterscotch and maple tones to this New England favorite, which may be enhanced by adding actual maple syrup in some cases.

What is UK fudge? ›

In the UK, rum-and-raisin, clotted cream and salted-caramel are popular flavours. Fudge shares similarities with tablet, a confection with similar ingredients but a grainy, brittle texture.

What is fudge in britain? ›

English practice is distinctive in that 'fudge' means a richly flavoured product, commonly with substantial embedded chunks of fruit etc, of which chocolate is just one of many options, often supplied from dedicated 'fudge shops'. Original Receipt from 'Chelmsford Chronicle' - Friday 24 December 1926.

What is American fudge? ›

By way of definition, fudge is a cooked chocolate confection made by combining sugar, butter and milk, heating it to 240 °F (116 °C), and then beating the mixture while it cools so that it acquires a smooth, creamy consistency.

What is the difference between British English and American English sweets? ›

In British English, small, sweet things that you eat, such as toffees and chocolates, are called sweets. She did not allow her children to eat too many sweets. In American English, sweet things like these are called candy.

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