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Dessert

Christmas Fudge

A sweet fudge made with pineapple, cherries, nuts, sugar, cream, corn syrup, salt, and vanilla.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 10 ingredients
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Why it works: Brazil nut and walnut share more aroma than cooks usually use. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 66 recipes. Both carry coumarin, which smells sweet, hay. The science ↓

Christmas Fudge

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Grease two 9x9x2 inch pans.

  2. Combine the first five ingredients.

Make the candy

  1. Combine sugar with the next three ingredients in a 3-quart saucepan and heat over low heat until sugar is dissolved, stirring the mixture.

  2. Cover the pan and bring the mixture to a boil; boil 1 minute, or until all sugar crystals on the side of the pan have melted.

  3. Remove the cover, and if using a candy thermometer, set it in place.

  4. Continue gentle cooking, stirring occasionally, until the mixture reaches 236°F or until a little mixture in cold water forms a softball.

Finish and set

  1. Remove from heat and add vanilla.

  2. With an electric mixer set at medium speed, or with a spoon, beat until the mixture is creamy and begins to hold shape.

  3. Thoroughly mix in fruits.

  4. Press into the pan and chill until firm enough to cut.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

404Calories
7 gProtein
12 gFat
75 gCarbs

Counts 9 of 11 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 9 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Cherry1 cup (138g)87
Pineapple1 cup chunks (165g)82
Corn1/2 cup kernels (82g)77
Cream1 tbsp (15ml) heavy51
Sugar1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated49
Walnut1 walnut half (4g)26
Pecan1 half (4g)20
Vanilla1 tsp extract (4ml)12
Salt1 tsp (6g)0
Brazil Nutnot in our table0
Syrupnot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Brazil nut + walnuttop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together66 recipes

    Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).

  2. Pineapple + vanillatop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together911 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl isobutyrate (fruity, ethereal).

  3. Sugar + syruptop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together5,842 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).

  4. Brazil nut + vanillatop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together23 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-nonanone (fruity, floral).

  5. Sugar + vanillatop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikelow
    Cooked together35,032 recipes

    Shared aroma: beta-damascenone (apple, rose).

Sugar and vanilla barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 35,032 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Granulated sugar
Provides sweetness and, once cooled and set, the firm body of the fudge.
White corn syrup
Interferes with sugar crystal formation, helping the fudge stay smooth rather than grainy.
Light cream
Adds fat and moisture, giving the fudge a soft, creamy texture.
Pecan halves
Adds fat, crunch and a toasty nutty flavor throughout the fudge.
Walnuts
Adds crunch and nutty flavor that contrasts with the soft fudge.

The step that matters

Cooking to 236°F or the softball test. Cooking drives off water and concentrates the sugar. Stopping at the right point sets how firm the fudge will be, so a few degrees either way changes the texture.

Swap the pineapple

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (brazil nut, walnut, sugar, cream, corn, syrup, vanilla):

  1. Coconutfits better
  2. Figfits better
  3. Cherryfits better
  4. Pineapplethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against brazil nut, walnut, sugar, cream, corn, syrup, vanilla. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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