Every Christmas our mother would make three different kinds of fudges. We would carefully wrap a selection in crackly difficult, transparent cellophane, then we gathered the corners together, with a red ribbon, tied in a bow. We made a number of little packages. A large number. Us kids would make tiny cards that we attached to the ribbons and then with baskets loaded with fudge we would walk along the beach and around the block giving out our Mothers little christmas gifts to all the neighbours she knew. She knew plenty. Everyone smiled at us. We were as popular as the florists delivery boy.
Of the three fudges that I remember making, I have the actual recipe for the Russian Fudge. This seems to have its origins in an old Scottish fudge called Tablet. Though that does not explain where the Russian came in. It is definitely one of the retro recipes. I have cruised the New Zealand sugary sites, comparing Mums recipe to others, and they are all almost exactly the same so I think if I look further I will find a 50’s version in New Zealand Woman’s Weekly or The Edmonds Cookbook something.
It is NOT HEALTHY! There is no way round it! It should come with a warning as it is so More-ish and so simple to make. 
Russian Fudge:
3 tablespoons of Golden Syrup. (I cannot find Golden Syrup out here on the plains, so I used sorghum/molasses which is close. But Golden Syrup is the NZ flavour. )
1/2 can of sweetened condensed milk
3 1/2 cups white sugar (told you it was bad for you)
4 oz (about 125 grams) butter
1/2 cup milk
pinch of salt
Heat all the ingredients to a gentle rolling boil, stir occassionally, after about 10 minutes drop a little into cold water, if it balls you are done. (or slowly heat up to 150C, though mine was ready before it got that hot) Take off the heat. Add 1 big tsp of vanilla. Now the important bit. Beat with a hand beater until it looks duller and is thicker. I beat it for at least 5 minutes. But it is cooling, so once you feel it change consistency and get thicker, quickly pour into a greased pie dish. Mark your little squares with a knife while it is soft.
When it is cool. About an hour for those of you who can’t wait! Cut into tiny blocks. Eat one tiny piece and give the rest away as fast as you can! This wee morsel just melts in your mouth!
For some extraordinary reason this is perfect with a wee dram of cognac. In the bad old days I often took a medicinal shot of good cognac just before I went on stage. It warms the vocal chords, I would tell my disapproving stage manager, as she gave me the five minute call.
c
The Kitchen's Garden 
115 responses to “Little Party nibbles: Mama’s Russian Fudge”
I never thought making fudge is easy as this, and yes I can make it with the Golden Syrup I knwo I saw it in Pak n Save before
Hey, ray, since you are our resident food historian, why do you think it is called Russian Fudge, I will pop over to your site to ask you.. c
[…] the “ethnic” food section and looked for it and there it was! Also in the same row, Cecilia, were two different cans of golden syrup. Yippee for future […]
Your fudge looks divine, but I would like to know more about your ‘stage time’. What did you sing? How interesting!
Oh mercy, we will have to look at that one day I suppose, but the period I was talking about I was doing some kind of wild experimental musical theatre.. I must go back and write about that period one day, it was pretty exciting there for a bit! c
This sounds so good!!
Thank you Cookies! c
Woooah, I leave for a few days and here you are making my favorite treat of all time.. healthy shmelthy… bring on the fudge I say! I’ve never heard of tablet.. perhaps that is the advil you need after the sugar rush subsides. I’d love to make a batch of this one and hide it for only me:)
Phew, lucky you turned up when you did Smidge, this is the simplest fudge recipe ever! c
I have ordered Lyle’s Golden Syrup on Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/Lyles-Original-All-Natural-Cooking-11-Ounce/dp/B001FA1KO4/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1325877158&sr=8-2
I use it place of corn syrup. Cheers to the sugar cane!
Hullo Whiskey and welcome.. and thank you for the link, i do miss my golden syrup and would NEVER use corn syrup as you have probably worked out by now! c
Interested in the wild musical experiment. Not part of Blerta?
Yum, I recently made russian fudge myself! Your stuff looks pretty darn good!
Interested in the wild musical experiment. Blerta perhaps?
Hi, probably you know this but… also try to spread this milky mass between waffles, yummmie! 🙂
[…] made a batch of Russian Fudge to take to the Old Codger yesterday. It was not my best effort but he very kindly offered to eat it […]