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Dessert

Maple Fudge

A sweet confection made from sugar, milk, butter, vanilla, and chocolate.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 6 ingredients
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Maple Fudge

Why it works: Milk and vanilla are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 5% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 19,187 recipes. Both carry ethyl caproate, which smells fruity, apple peel. The science ↓

Maple Fudge

Ingredients

Directions

Make the fudge

  1. Combine granulated sugar, brown sugar, milk, and butter in a saucepan.

  2. Boil the mixture until a drop in cold water is firm.

  3. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and chocolate until smooth.

Set and cut

  1. Pour the mixture onto a buttered tin.

  2. Allow to cool, then cut into squares.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.

Photo for illustrative purposes only · Contact us to use it

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. Milk + vanillatop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together19,187 recipes

    Shared aroma: ethyl caproate (fruity, apple peel).

  2. Vanilla + chocolatetop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together10,020 recipes

    Shared aroma: sotolon (curry, maple).

  3. Milk + buttertop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together81,283 recipes

    Shared aroma: (z)-4-heptenal (biscuit, cream).

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

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

  5. Sugar + chocolatetop 13% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together15,404 recipes

    Shared aroma: guaiacol (smoky, sweet).

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, when boiled, builds the firm structure of the fudge.
Brown sugar
Adds sweetness and moisture, along with a deeper, molasses-like flavour.
Milk
Supplies moisture and dissolves the sugars so the mixture can be boiled smoothly.
Butter
Adds fat for a smooth, tender texture and rich flavour.
Chocolate
Adds flavour and richness, and helps the fudge set smooth when stirred in off the heat.

The step that matters

Boil until a drop in cold water is firm. Sugar concentration determines the final texture. Boiling too little leaves the fudge soft and runny, while boiling too long makes it hard and grainy as sugar recrystallises.

“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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