Pumpkin Fudge

A friend of mine has been mentioning that she loves having pumpkin fudge this time of year but hasn't been able to find any at all. As she is telling me this, I am remembering that I have half a can of pumpkin puree that I need to do something with. Well, it didn't take me long to put 2 and 2 together!

As soon as I got home, I started searching for some pumpkin fudge recipes. I haven't made fudge in a loooong time though and didn't even own a candy thermometer, so I was searching for something easy. I turned to the VeryBestBaking website since I had such good luck with their pumpkin roll recipe and sure enough, I found a pumpkin fudge recipe! It still mentioned the use of a candy thermometer, but after reading up about testing for the "soft ball stage," I figured out how to make it without the thermometer.

I modified* the recipe a tad based on some reviewer comments, so click here for the original or look below for my adapted version.

Spiced Pumpkin Fudge
(adapted from VeryBestBaking.com)

Ingredients
-2 cups granulated sugar
-1 cup packed light brown sugar
-3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter
-2/3 cup (5 fl.-oz. can) evaporated milk
-3/4* cup pumpkin puree
-1 Tablespoon* pumpkin pie spice
-2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) white chocolate chips
-1 jar (7 oz.) marshmallow crème
-1 cup chopped pecans
-1 teaspoon* vanilla extract

Directions:
1. Line 13 x 9-inch baking pan with foil.
2. Combine sugar, brown sugar, evaporated milk, pumpkin, butter and spice in medium, heavy-duty saucepan. Bring to a full rolling boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil, stirring constantly, for 10 to 12 minutes or until candy thermometer reaches 234° to 240º F (soft-ball stage). *Because I didn't have a thermometer, I placed a bowl of cold water next to the stove and did a test for the soft-ball stage.
3. Quickly stir in morsels, marshmallow crème, nuts and vanilla extract. Stir vigoriously for 1 minute or until morsels are melted. Immediately pour into prepared pan. Let stand on wire rack for 2 hours or until completely cooled. Refrigerate tightly covered. To cut, lift from pan; remove foil. Cut into 1-inch pieces. Makes about 3 pounds.


So after allowing these to cool in the fridge for a few hours, I pulled out the pan, lifted the fudge and sliced off a little piece. I was hoping to this would have a nice strong, spiced pumpkin taste. I was worried that the white chocolate would be too overwhelming. It wasn't! This fudge was wonderful! It tasted just like pumpkin pie, with just a little white chocolate. It was just what I was looking for. I'm glad I added more pumpkin puree and spice to the fudge. It was fabulous!