Creamy and Delicious Homemade Fudge

I love fudge. In fact, I love it in almost any form. I guess it is the chocoholic in me. I figure it is about time that I shared the basic holiday fudge that has been in my family forever and that I grew up eating. Typically when I was growing up we made it without nuts, because my sister Kelsey is deathly allergic. One of the best things about this fudge is that you can add pretty much anything to change your flavor. For example, switch the nuts for baby marshmallows or broken up heath bar, or omit it altogether and opt for plain chocolate!

Recipe:
4 1/2 cups sugar
1 can evaporated milk
1/3 lb real butter (no substitutes on this one)
18 oz. of semisweet chocolate chips
8 oz. marshmallow creme
1 tablespoon vanilla
optional: 1 1/2 cups walnuts or pecans, chopped

Bring sugar, milk, and butter to a boil in a large saucepan. Cook for 8 minutes stirring constantly. Stirring is critical because you must have the sugar dissolve completely without burning your mixture or letting it harden to the sides. Remove promptly from heat. Add in chocolate chips and stir until they are thoroughly melted (no clumps.) Add marshmallow creme, vanilla and nuts. I always reserve some nuts for a garnish on the top. Mix well and allow to cool for a few minutes. Spread your fudge in a greased pan (I like using a cookie sheet with sides like in the picture below, so it makes more pieces, but if you like thicker fudge you can use a 9×13 cake pan.)

Let your fudge sit for several hours to harden, or put in the fridge to speed up the process. Cut into squares and store in an airtight container. Another thing I love about this recipe is that it will save for a week to 10 days (that is if you can keep everyone from scarfing it down.)