Easy Orange Cream Fudge Recipe

For many people with a sweet tooth, fudge is the perfect creation. If you're a fan of fudge, you'll know that the possibilities go far beyond ordinary classic chocolate fudge. Combining sugar, cream, and butter with your favorite flavorings yields a vast assortment of options, and life's too short to stick to the same formula every time. Tasting Table recipe developer Jessica Morone shares this easy orange cream fudge recipe that delivers the bright juicy orange flavor in a sweet creamy package.

For starters, it's simple to make and requires only 20 minutes of active work before you can sit back and wait for the pretty orange-and-white swirled fudge to set. This fudge lives up to its orange color and delivers on the flavor: This recipe includes orange extract and food coloring for a double shot of orangey goodness. Morone shares, "I love this recipe because it has classic orange creamsicle flavor in these little creamy fudge bites," adding, "The flavors remind me of childhood." She incorporates marshmallow creme and white chocolate to add plenty of richness to this dazzling dessert. You can savor the fudge one bite at a time, as it keeps for weeks refrigerated in a sealed container.

To make this orange cream fudge recipe, you'll need sugar, butter, heavy cream, marshmallow creme, and a package of white chocolate chips. For the flavor and color, use orange extract and a mixture of yellow and red gel food coloring.

Line a 9 x 9-inch pan with parchment paper or foil sprayed with nonstick spray.

In a saucepan over medium heat combine the sugar, butter, and heavy cream.

Heat to boiling, then boil for 3 minutes, stirring constantly.

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the marshmallow creme and white chocolate chips. Stir until the chips are melted and the mixture is smooth.

Set aside 1 cup of the mixture in a separate small bowl.

Add the orange extract and food coloring to the mixture left in the pan and stir until combined.

Pour the fudge mixture into the prepared pan.

Add the reserved mixture over the orange fudge and swirl together with a knife to get a marbled look.

Refrigerate the fudge until set, at least 2 hours, and then cut into squares and serve.

Jessica Morone tells us that, "Orange extract is the easiest way to get the concentrated orange flavor into this fudge." However, she notes that other ingredients can be used instead if you can't source it or prefer not to use extract. Orange juice, either freshly squeezed or from a carton, is an easy substitute. "For every teaspoon of orange extract you can replace it with 2 teaspoons of orange juice," Morone instructs. For this recipe, the equivalent would be 5 teaspoons of orange juice. 

Meanwhile, orange zest is a great alternative if you want a vibrant citrus flavor without the extra liquid. Morone recommends a 1:1 ratio to get the burst of orange flavor. Finally, if you can source pure food-grade orange oil, Morone suggests using half the amount of extract called for in the recipe. In this case, you'd use 1 teaspoon of orange oil to infuse the fudge with citrusy notes.

Morone explains that there are two main types of fudge, traditional and fantasy, and the difference between them lies in their method of construction. The latter incorporates marshmallow creme into the recipe whereas the former does not. Making traditional fudge is a much longer process she says, "because you have to bring the fudge to a boil and then cook the mixture until it reaches 'soft ball' temperature on a candy thermometer." 

On the other hand, making fantasy fudge is a much speedier process, as evidenced by this recipe, which requires only 3-5 minutes of boiling. "Additionally, after heating traditional fudge to soft ball stage, you have to wait for it to cool off to 110 degrees before you add the butter and vanilla," Morone notes. This orange cream fudge recipe doesn't require a candy thermometer or a waiting period, as all the ingredients can be added immediately following the boil. 

Aside from significantly reducing the time it takes to make the recipe, Morone notes some textural differences between the two types of fudge. "Adding marshmallow creme to a fudge recipe makes it a bit softer and creamier than traditional fudge, but otherwise they are pretty similar in flavor." Once you add the sugar, butter, chocolate, and flavoring, the marshmallow taste blends seamlessly with the rest of the mixture.