I tried making Spiced Pumpkin Pecan Fudge for a goodie day at work, and I cooled it overnight, but it didn’t set at all. When I touch it, it sticks to my finger and pulls apart. I’m sad about it, because now I have a pan full of inedible-but-really-good-tasting-sludge.
I’m posting the recipe here hoping that someone can figure out why it didn’t set. Here it is:
*2 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup pumpkin puree, strained
5 ounce can evaporated milk
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 freshly ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup chopped pecans
Line a 9 inch square pan with aluminum foil and butter it heavily. In a medium heavy saucepan mix together the sugar, pumpkin puree, evaporated milk, cream or tartar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Heat over medium high heat until the mixture reaches the soft ball stage, or 236 degrees on a candy thermometer. While the mixture is cooking, blend together the butter, vanilla, and pecans in a large bowl. Once the pumpkin mixture has reached the correct stage, pour it over the butter mixture and mix well until smooth and creamy. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Cool, then cut into desired shapes.*
I had to use a large saucepan because my medium one’s handle broke off, and I added a little more cinnamon and some cloves to the mix. I did not make my own pumpkin puree; I used store-bought canned solid pumpkin, which the link for how to make the puree said could be used in a pinch. Pumpkin is thick and it was popping all over the place and burning me as it boiled, so I stuck the lid on the saucepan for about half the time it was cooking. I used a candy thermometer and by the time I pulled it off it was like 245 degrees, which I thought if anything would make it set more firmly.
What’d I do wrong??
Also, bonus points for suggestions as to what the hell to do with this pan of yummy sludge.
Ugh, it took me several tries to get pumpkin fudge to set correctly. I take it off the heat after soft ball stage, not keep it on. The recipes are similar, so it might work. I also keep stirring, I don’t leave it alone to make the other part.
As for the sludge, make warm vanilla pudding and add that to it for some tasty pumpkin pudding.
That was my first thought, but it’s not exactly… pourable. Spreadable would be more accurate. I might still try it, 'cause yum.
I took mine off the heat as soon as I saw it reach the right temperature. I didn’t test it with cold water, though, 'cause I didn’t know you could do that until this morning. Maybe continually stirring would’ve helped… but I was like “ow ow it’s burning me” so I ran away. I bet continually stirring would’ve prevented the big bubbles altogether, though.
How does one make warm vanilla pudding? Do you have a recipe?
There was a guy who had written a treatise on fudge making,a sort of Alton Brown ,giving the whys and specific techniques as well as recipes and troubleshooting.
Alas,his website is gone,but a Google of his name ,Skaarup,shows that some of his work is available through other sites.
Sometimes the recipe ratio is flat wrong,but technique is very important too.
3/4 cup Sugar
2 tbsp Cornstarch
1/4 tsp Salt
2 cups Milk
2 Slightly beaten egg yolks or 1 well-beaten egg
2 tbsp Butter or margarine
1 tsp Vanilla
Preparation
In saucepan, blend sugar, cornstarch, and salt; add milk. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir 2 minutes more. Remove from heat.
Stir small amount of hot mixture into yolks (or beaten egg); return to hot mixture; cook and stir 2 minutes more. Remove from heat; add butter and vanilla.
If adding the fudgesludge, I’d make the pudding with less sugar, it’d be pretty sweet.
I’ve never had the fudge spatter, I remember, bring the mix to a boil slowly, bringing up the temp in increments. Hope this helps.
