I Made The Pioneer Woman's 'Sweet & Salty Fudge' and It's the Best Quick Treat for Any Occasion (2024)

Updated: Oct. 06, 2023

This Pioneer Woman fudge recipe combines the best of both worlds. Here's what we thought about her Sweet and Salty Fudge.

Homemade fudge is an all-time favorite potluck dessert, no matter the occasion. But sometimes, this treat can be too sweet. Luckily, Ree Drummond aka The Pioneer Woman has the perfect solution: a Sweet & Salty Fudge recipe.

Made with just five ingredients, we put this Pioneer Woman fudge recipe to the test. It uses chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk for an easy two-ingredient fudge base. Then, it’s topped with peanut butter, kettle chips and pretzels for a great take on salty and sweet.

How to Make The Pioneer Woman’s Fudge

I Made The Pioneer Woman's 'Sweet & Salty Fudge' and It's the Best Quick Treat for Any Occasion (1)Molly Allen for Taste of Home

Ingredients

  • 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
  • 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
  • 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
  • 1/2 cup kettle chips, lightly crushed
  • 1/2 cup thin pretzel sticks, lightly crushed

Directions

Step 1: Melt the chocolate chips

I Made The Pioneer Woman's 'Sweet & Salty Fudge' and It's the Best Quick Treat for Any Occasion (2)Molly Allen for Taste of Home

Line a square baking pan with aluminum foil, then grease the foil with cooking spray.

In a medium saucepan, combine the chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk. Melt the chocolate chips on low, stirring frequently, until the mixture is smooth.

Step 2: Pour, top and set

I Made The Pioneer Woman's 'Sweet & Salty Fudge' and It's the Best Quick Treat for Any Occasion (3)Molly Allen for Taste of Home

Spread the melted chocolate mixture into the baking pan. Use a spatula to smooth the top. Drop spoonfuls of peanut butter on top and use a skewer or butter knife to swirl the peanut butter into the chocolate. Sprinkle the crushed chips and pretzels over top.

Let the fudge cool for 30 minutes on the counter. Then transfer it to the fridge for one hour to set.

Once set, remove the fudge from the fridge and lift it out of the pan. Peel the foil from the sides and cut the fudge into small squares.

Here’s What I Thought

I Made The Pioneer Woman's 'Sweet & Salty Fudge' and It's the Best Quick Treat for Any Occasion (4)GETTY IMAGES, Molly Allen for taste of Home

The Pioneer Woman is known for homemade desserts, like her fantastic Knock You Naked Brownies and Chocolate Pie, and this recipe certainly stacks up! I was surprised by how easy it was to throw this fudge together. It truly only took 15 minutes of prep time. But it’s important to note that you do need to work fast. The fudge mixture begins to set quickly, so have the peanut butter and salty toppings ready to add right away.

Overall, this Pioneer Woman fudge is incredibly delicious. It’s hard to stop at one (or two) pieces! While the crushed chips and pretzels do add a touch of salt and great texture, I wanted more salt to balance out the sweetness. Next time I make this recipe, I may try it with a sprinkle of flaked sea salt as well. Another change? Spreading the mixture into the foil-lined pan as directed was easy enough. However, next time I’ll swap the foil for parchment paper to make for easier cutting and a nicer presentation.

I stored my fudge in an airtight container on the countertop. This is the perfect recipe to have on hand when you need a quick treat or want to wrap up a batch as a gift.

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I Made The Pioneer Woman's 'Sweet & Salty Fudge' and It's the Best Quick Treat for Any Occasion (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to perfect fudge? ›

Valuable tips for successful fudge
  • Don't stir during cooking. Fudge can be cooked on the stove or in the microwave. ...
  • Avoid crystallization. During cooking, sugar crystals can stick to the sides of the pan. ...
  • Let cool before beating. After being cooked, the sugar must crystallize again to create fudge. ...
  • Beat the mixture.

Why is my 3 ingredient fudge not setting? ›

Why won't my 3 ingredient fudge set? This often happens when the condensed milk and chocolate chip mixture isn't hot enough to start.

Is it better to use salted or unsalted butter for fudge? ›

Coarse grainy fudge results when large crystals are allowed to form. Butter is added in the final stages to add flavor and smoothness and inhibit large crystal formation. Use unsalted butter so you can add a small amount of salt (¼ teaspoon per stick of butter) to the sugar/liquid mixture.

What is the secret to smooth fudge that is not gritty? ›

Once a seed crystal forms, it grows bigger and bigger as the fudge cools. A lot of big crystals in fudge makes it grainy. By letting the fudge cool without stirring, you avoid creating seed crystals.

Should you stir fudge while it's cooking? ›

Don't stir!

Once the fudge reaches soft-ball stage on the candy thermometer, remove from the heat and let the temperature drop to 110°F. Keep that spoon or spatula out of the pot until this happens. If you stir too early in the process, you'll make the sugar crystals too big and end up with grainy fudge.

Why won't my 2 ingredient fudge set? ›

The most common culprit behind unset fudge is inaccurate temperature control. If the sugar mixture hasn't reached the correct temperature, your fudge won't set. Ensure you use a reliable candy thermometer and follow temperature guidelines meticulously to achieve the desired consistency.

How do I get my fudge to harden? ›

Fudge Didn't Set

If your fudge turned out super sticky, or it didn't set as it cooled, it probably never got hot enough. This mistake is super easy to avoid if you use a candy thermometer and cook the fudge to the temperature specified in the recipe (usually between 234 and 239°F).

Can you reboil fudge that hasn't set? ›

If it doesn't set, or if it sets very hard, you can add more milk and boil it again. However, even if it doesn't set, it'll usually be a nice frosting-like consistency, so I sometimes just make a cake to put under it.

What to do with failed fudge? ›

My advice to you is to just pour it in a jar, call it something else delicious, and pretend you meant for it to be that way. The nice thing about my “failed” fudge is that it tastes absolutely delicious! A spoonful of the delectable treat will make you want for more.

What is traditional fudge made of? ›

Fudge is a dense, rich confection typically made with sugar, milk or cream, butter and chocolate or other flavorings. The base for fudge is boiled until it reaches the soft-ball stage (135 to 140 degrees F), then stirred or beaten as it cools to minimize the formation of sugar crystals.

What happens if you use salted butter instead of unsalted? ›

Can I Use Salted Butter to Replace Unsalted Butter and Visa Versa? In a pinch, you can replace unsalted butter with salted, as long as you reduce the amount of additional salt in the recipe.

Why do you add salt to fudge? ›

Salt: While some homemade fudge recipes do not call for salt, I find it essential for balancing out the sweetness of the condensed milk.

How long do you boil fudge to get to soft-ball stage? ›

How long does it take to make fudge:
  1. about 18 min to reach boiling.
  2. about 40 minutes to reach soft ball stage.
  3. 60 minutes to cool.
  4. 28 minutes to beat in a KitchenAid (your time for this may vary)
  5. 4 hours to set.

What makes fudge softer? ›

If you don't heat your fudge to a high enough temperature, you'll end up with a soft product. And if you heat the mixture too much, your fudge may be harder than you'd like.

How to tell if fudge is ready without a thermometer? ›

Using a clean spoon, carefully take a little of the syrup and drop it into the bowl of cold water. Leave to cool for a moment then pick up the ball of syrup. If it's pliable, sticky and can be moulded in your fingers easily, it has reached the soft ball stage and the syrup can be used to make fudge and marzipan.

How to make fudge more solid? ›

How do you fix fudge that is too soft? Bring the fudge back to a boil with 1–2 US tbsp (15–30 ml) of cream. If your fudge is soft or runny, it probably didn't come up to a high enough temperature while it was cooking. Put it back into the saucepan and add 1–2 US tbsp (15–30 ml) of 35% fat whipping cream.

Why hasn't my fudge set properly? ›

The main reason is that your Fudge has not reached the optimum temperature. If your mixture only reaches 110 or 112 degrees Celsius it will always be soft. That's why we recommend investing in a sugar thermometer. Another reason your Fudge is not setting is that the ratio of liquid to sugar is too high.

What does cream of tartar do in fudge? ›

Cream of tartar is used in caramel sauces and fudge to help prevent the sugar from crystallizing while cooking. It also prevents cooling sugars from forming brittle crystals, this is why it's the secret ingredient in snickerdoodles!

How long do you boil fudge to get to soft ball stage? ›

How long does it take to make fudge:
  1. about 18 min to reach boiling.
  2. about 40 minutes to reach soft ball stage.
  3. 60 minutes to cool.
  4. 28 minutes to beat in a KitchenAid (your time for this may vary)
  5. 4 hours to set.

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