Nanny’s Brown Sugar Fudge recipe is an old-fashioned boiled candy candy that is also referred to as penuche fudge. This fudge recipe is made with light brown sugar, milk, corn syrup, salt, butter, and a touch of vanilla extract. No powdered sugar required!
I love making my grandma's recipes and this brown sugar fudge is one of them. This is her recipe from her hand written recipe card that I have and cherish in my own home now. Every time I make this homemade fudge I think of my Nanny and all the time we spent together.
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❤️ Why You'll Love Brown Sugar Fudge
Rich buttery flavor: the combination of butter and brown sugar brings out toffee like flavors that are buttery and delicious.
Old fashioned tradition: this fudge recipe is candy making at it's finest, just like mom and grandma used to make.
Simple ingredients: this penuche recipe uses basic ingredients that are probably already in your pantry.
🥘 Ingredients
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Please scroll to the bottom of this post for a printable recipe card with full instructions.
Evaporated milk: half and half or heavy cream
Corn syrup
Vanilla extract
🔪 How to Make Brown Sugar Fudge
- Line a square pan with enough parchment paper to cover the bottom and sides of the pan . Coat lightly with cooking spray and set aside.
- In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, using a wooden spoon, combine evaporated milk, brown sugar, corn syrup until sugar is dissolved.
- Turn burner to medium-high heat and bring sugar mixture to a boil and cook until it just reaches the soft ball stage. This is 230 degrees on a candy thermometer.
- Remove fudge mixture from heat and add butter. Let cool fudge until about 200 degrees on candy thermometer.
- Add walnuts to the butter and fudge mixture and beat fudge until it has just started to lose its shiny gloss..
- Immediately pour fudge into a prepared pan lined with parchment paper. Use a loaf pan if you want thicker fudge. Cut cooled fudge into 24 equal pieces.
🥄 Equipment
Medium saucepan
Wooden spoon
Candy thermometer
Square pan
Measuring cups
🥫Storage
Room temperature: store brown sugar fudge in an airtight container up to 2-3 weeks.
Freeze: not recommended.
📖 Variations
Pecan Praline Fudge: Incorporate chopped pecans in place of the walnuts for a buttery pecan praline and place whole pecans on top of the fudge.
Toffee Fudge: Use dark brown sugar and add ½ - ¾ cup of heath toffee bits to the fudge in place of the nuts.
Sea Salt Sensation: Sprinkle a touch of sea salt on top for a tantalizing sweet-and-salty contrast.
Caramel Brown Sugar Fudge: stir 1 cup of kraft caramel bits into the cooled fudge along with the walnuts to add a bit of chewy caramel flavor to the fudge.
💭 Fudge Making Tips
- Use a heavy-bottomed saucepan to prevent scorching and ensure even heat distribution.
- When using a candy thermometer, be sure the tip of the thermometer does not touch the bottom of the pan.
- To make this fudge without a candy thermometer, use the soft ball test. Drop a little bit of fudge mixture from the spoon into glass of cold water. The syrup should roll easily into a softball with your finger.
- Have all your ingredients and pans ready to go before you start. Fudge can turn fast and you want to be sure to be on the game when making it.
- Don't stir the fudge while it is boiling. Use a silicone pastry brush to brush water around the sides of the pan and dissolve any sugar crystals forming.
- As soon as your fudge starts to lose the glossy look is when you need to immediately. pour into your prepared dish. Don’t hold out on pouring into your pan. If you do, the fudge will harden in your cooking pan.
- Once poured into the pan, let it cool completely before cutting for neat, uniform squares.
📚 Related Recipes
There are plenty of fudge recipes here for you to try, check them out and see if they are one you would like to make!
Fans of cookie butter will love this Cookie Butter Fudge recipe
This Old Fashioned Peanut Butter Fudge has a special ingredient that makes it extra creamy and delicious!
A really nice fudge, this Pumpkin Spice Fudge is packed with flavor and has incredible texture.
Easy Chocolate Fudge has a hint of Irish Cream flavor.
A splash of bourbon in the caramel makes this Layered Chocolate Praline Fudge irresistible.
Dark chocolate lovers will want to make this Dark and Creamy Fudge Recipe.
This Maple Walnut Fudge has delicious flavor from pure maple syrup and is similar to maple sugar candy and oh so delicious
🍽 Serve with..
Brown Sugar Fudge pairs wonderfully with a cup of freshly brewed coffee or a glass of cold milk. Serve it as a delightful treat at gatherings, or wrap it up beautifully and give your closest friends a delicious gift!
I can just hear my Nanny say “Shelby Mae, let’ s have “just a taste” of that fudge.”
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When you make this recipe, please comment below and let me know what you think. I'd love it if you tag me on Instagram @grumpyshoneybunch or #grumpyshoneybunch so I can see your photos!
If you love this recipe, please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating
📖 Recipe
Nanny's Brown Sugar Fudge
Equipment
- Square pan
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Ingredients
- 2½ cups light brown sugar
- ¾ cup evaporated milk
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons corn syrup
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
Instructions
- Line a square pan with enough parchment paper to cover the bottom and sides of the pan . Coat lightly with cooking spray and set aside.
- In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, using a wooden spoon, combine evaporated milk, brown sugar, corn syrup until sugar is dissolved.
- Turn burner to medium-high heat and bring sugar mixture to a boil and cook until it just reaches the soft ball stage. This is 230 degrees on a candy thermometer.
- Remove fudge mixture from heat and add butter. Let cool fudge until about 200 degrees on candy thermometer.
- Add walnuts to the butter and fudge mixture and beat fudge until it has just started to lose its shiny gloss..
- Immediately pour fudge into a prepared pan lined with parchment paper. Use a loaf pan if you want thicker fudge. Cut cooled fudge into 24 equal pieces.
Sheri says
Can I use dark brown sugar in place of the lighter one ? Thank you
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Yes, you can sub dark brown sugar, just keep in mind it will be a deeper flavor (closer to molasses) and darker color fudge.
ellen fugate says
can you use diet sugar making the fudge
Shelby Law Ruttan says
Hi Ellen, I have not tried making this fudge with diet sugar so I cannot guarantee it would work if you did.
Patricia S Stuart says
I made this fudge for the first time today. It turned out great! Memories of my Granny immediately came to mind as soon as i tasted it. I will be making another batch before Christmas to share with my siblings. Thank you!
Shelby says
Hi Patricia! I'm so happy you were successful and it brought back memories for you. This recipe is super special to me for that very reason. Thanks for stopping by to let me know. 🙂
Patricia Stuart says
Gave some to one of my sisters. She loved it! This recipe will be a constant now. I am making another batch for a Christmas get together on the 23rd. I did use English walnuts. You get two thumbs up!
Shelby says
Hi Patricia! I am so happy the recipe turned out well for you and that it's a keeper for you! Thank you for stopping by with your review!
Jen says
I found this recipe 9 years after it was first posted - thank goodness for the internet! I’m sending my love to Nanny (wherever she is in the universe) because this is the recipe I’ve been searching for! It’s also very forgiving: I didn’t have enough brown sugar, so I supplemented with white sugar and used heavy cream because I didn’t have evaporated milk. I used both a thermometer and the soft ball test because depending on the humidity, it can take longer to reach the right stage. The key is the proper ratio of liquid to sugar and this recipe nails it. The fudge came out perfect - melt in your mouth creamy but firm, not mushy or soft. I will make this again & again! Thank you Nanny & Shelby!
Shelby says
Hi Jen, my nanny would be as happy as I am that you found this recipe and was able to make a success of it! Thanks for letting me know. 🙂
Lori says
Well, I used a candy thermometer and followed directions to a "T", but barely had enough fudge to cover the bottom of an 8x8 pan. Maybe a loaf size pan would've worked better for thicker fudge. ?
Shelby says
Hi Lori, I would use a smaller pan if you wanted a thicker fudge. Glad you tried the recipe!
Sandra Mull says
This is a great, authentic recipe.I'm so glad you used half and half instead of evaporated milk - it's so much richer and smoother than the canned stuff, and it doesn't have that artificial aroma that always reminds me of baby formula. Yes, way back before mothers could buy expensive chemical milk nourishment for babies, we made our own with evaporated milk, water, a touch of corn syrup. And we sterilized glass bottles every day by boiling them in a big canner-like pot. I have not used evaporated milk in my kitchen since then - 54 years ago. I know there are many who swear by it for creamy cake frostings, but I can't get past the smell.
Donna D says
Looking forward to making this! Thanks for the recipe.
Lynn Curry says
Thanks for this. Our family is vegan and I was able to veganize this recipe and it turned out perfectly!!!!
Renee P says
this look wonderful. i've been thinking about making fudge this week, and this would be perfect!
Anonymous says
This recipe looks very much like my mothers fudge recipe, I believe it actually came off of the Pacific Canned Milk label. I tried to make it many times while growing up and failed every time but being a kid, I just ate it anyway (YUM). Fortunately as an adult I have had success!!!!! so everyone gets to enjoy it. I am not a fan of nuts in my fudge so I don't put the walnuts in when I make it and this recipe works well with or without. Sadly my mother passed at the young age of 64 which was 17 yrs. ago, so thank you for the memories and I think I will go make some fudge now!
Kim Bee says
Thank you so much for being so gracious. I am so thrilled I got assigned your blog this month. This post just drew me in and I am honoured to share your Nanny's fudge with more people. It's a spectacular recipe. So happy I can finally comment and follow you.
averagebetty says
I've never even heard of brown sugar fudge!?! My life feels so incomplete now. Thanks, Honey B!!
Tangled Noodle says
Your failed fudge story is too funny! But if it had been me, no such problem - I don't mind eating my 'failures' as long as the problem wasn't taste-related! 😎
Thanks for sharing your Nanny's recipe - I'm bookmarking it right away to make. I have a caramel recipe that I'm clinging to for now that came from my foster grandmother, who also gave me her candy thermometer. I hope it proves to be a magic wand!
Different topic: love your new blog layout! Is this the Minima layout? If so, I can send you a link for instructions on how to turn it into a 3-column format. In exchange, would you share with me the code on how to create those great navigation links at the top of your page?
Feel free to e-mail me at tanglednoodle@gmail.com!
Cristine says
Looks so yummy!!!
Reeni♥ says
Your nanny's fudge looks so delicious1 And full of sweet memories.
The Hungry Mouse says
Oh, oh! How I love fudge! This looks just wonderful. 😀
+Jessie