How many people reading this grew up in Michigan? While not a ton of people outside of the Midwest have actually travelled to Michigan just to visit, they probably don’t know what they’re missing out on. After all, “the Mitten” has plenty of scenic beauty and tourist attractions for those willing to look for them. Aside from the beautiful college town of Ann Arbor, there’s also the Henry Ford Museum in Detroit and the Renaissance Center as well. For those who love the outdoors, the Upper Peninsula is what it’s all about.
As natives are sure to know, the trip over the Mackinac Bridge takes you to Mackinac Island, a nostalgic place with no cars but plenty of sights to see. Perhaps one of the island’s most beloved attractions is its fudge, which tourists typically over-buy to take home with them. But what if we told you we knew how to make it right at home? That’s right, today we’re making authentic, Mackinac Island fudge for anyone who can’t actually make it to the UP. Let’s get started.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- 1/2 cup of milk
- 1/2 cup of butter
- 1/2 cup of brown sugar
- 1/2 cup of sugar
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 2 cups of confectioner’s sugar
- 1/2 cup of cocoa
- 1/2 cup of nuts (optional)
- 1/8 teaspoon of salt
Here’s what you do:
1. To start things off, get a heavy-bottomed pan and set it over medium heat. Add your milk, brown sugar, granulated and sugar and salt to it, heating it until bringing it to a boil. Let it boil for six minutes while stirring it continuously.
2. After the time is up, take it off the heat and let it cool for a few moments. When you can touch it, add your vanilla extract, cocoa and confectioner’s sugar. Beat the mixture with an electric mixer until it turns smooth and thick in the pan. If you’re adding nuts to your fudge, do so at this stage as well.
3. Next, pour the resulting fudge batter into a greased up baking pan and let it sit. When the mixture has cooled down enough to touch again, roll the entire thing into a log shape and wrap it in plastic. Put the log in the freezer for 20 minutes.
4. When the time is up, you’re ready to serve! Take the log out and slice into it for delicious fudge. Be sure to wrap the leftovers back up in plastic and put it all back in the freezer.
As you can see, this recipe couldn’t be easier to make and creates a fudgy candy that is just as authentic as the real thing you would buy in Michigan. As an added bonus, you don’t even have to use the oven throughout the process! Once you’ve mastered the recipe above, you can also expand your fudge horizons as you see fit. Try adding a little bit of mint flavor to one of them, or mix some peanut butter in as well to see what happens. Above all, have fun with the process and tell us how it turns out!
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