There are two tricks to this decadent, yet wildly simple Kentucky bourbon pecan fudge recipe:
- use a quality top shelf bourbon
- use the finest dark or milk chocolate semi-sweet morsels or squares you can find (standard brands are okay, but a great bourbon deserves a pairing with a divine chocolate.)
I typically reserve this for holiday baking, it’s a fabulous Valentines Day treat and a well-received host gift for Thanksgiving or Christmas, but it’s perfectly fine to create this bourbon confectionery delight any time of the year.
There’s certainly no restrictions on when to indulge!
PS: If you want more farm fresh recipes, we have plenty! Visit our NOURISH section to check out what’s new in the Rural Mom kitchen.
If you are into HOMESTEADING, GARDENING or looking for some fun DIY, we have that, too.
Rural Mom’s Wicked-Good Kentucky Bourbon Pecan Fudge
(be sure to scroll down if you would like a printable version of this recipe)
Ingredients
1/2 cup of Kentucky Bourbon (plenty of good ones to choose from)
2 cups Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chip Morsels (12 ounces)
1 can Sweetened Condensed Milk (14 ounces)
Optional: 1/2 cup pecans, chopped – ideally, this recipe is made with pecans but you can leave the nuts out for those who may have allergies or if you simply would rather have your fudge without them.
Directions
Pour sweetened condensed milk and semi-sweet chocolate chips into a medium sauce pan. Melt over a low heat, stirring every few seconds with a spatula.
Continue stirring until fully melted. Add bourbon and stir rapidly until fully mixed.
Remove from heat. Pour in pecans, mix thoroughly.
Pour fudge immediately into an 8 x 8 baking dish. Use spatula to distribute evenly and smooth top.
Allow fudge to set in a cool place, preferably over night, but at least a minimum of 3 to 4 hours. Cut into squares for serving. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup of Kentucky Bourbon (plenty of good ones to choose from)
- 2 cups Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chip Morsels (12 ounces)
- 1 can Sweetened Condensed Milk (14 ounces)
- 1/2 cup Pecans, chopped
Instructions
- Pour sweetened condensed milk and semi-sweet chocolate chips into a medium sauce pan. Melt over a low heat, stirring every few seconds with a spatula.
- Continue stirring until fully melted. Add bourbon and stir rapidly until fully mixed.
- Remove from heat. Pour in pecans, mix thoroughly.
- Pour fudge immediately into an 8 x 8 baking dish. Use spatula to distribute evenly and smooth top.
- Allow fudge to set in a cool place, preferably over night, but at least a minimum of 3 to 4 hours. Cut into squares for serving. Enjoy!
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Oh my, this looks heavenly!! I’m anxious to make this to share with my mother and brothers.
shelleysallofmeblog.wordpress.com
YUMM… I know where I’m going for a sweet treat… LOVE it.. Love pecans and love chocolate.. perfect combination.
Feel free to send some my way! 🙂
This sounds so delicious, my mouth is watering! Do you mind if I link to this in my “Weekly Links I Liked” post? On Saturdays I like to share the good stuff I’ve come across on the web that week.
My can of sweetened condensed milk is 14 oz. Is there a smaller can?
I would like to make this today but my sweetened condensed milk can is 14 oz. Is there a smaller can? I have never seen a 5 oz. can. Please respond. Thanks!
Hi Kathleen, just saw your comment! 14 ounce can is perfect. It’s an old recipe and should have read 15 ounce in the recipe and not sure why it’s not showing correctly, but I revised anyway as a 14 ounce can is the popular size on the market today. Still works great, even missing the extra ounce. Hope you enjoy the fudge!
Does this keep? I want to make some to send as a gift. Thanks so much.
Hi Jinger, the answer is “yes!” With proper storage (air-tight container or aluminum foil and a cool, dark location) you can expect the fudge to be best for 2-3 weeks. After 2-3 weeks, it will begin to harden a bit or crystallize. Alternatively, fudge may be stored in the freezer for several months. Wrap individual pieces in saran wrap and place in a zip lock bag or freezer container. Fudge can be enjoyed directly from the freezer or let it sit for about thirty minutes to soften.
For shipping, if you are sending to a warm climate, the fudge could melt a bit, so be sure to package appropriately in a cooler with freezer pack.
Hope that helps! Best, Barb.
I made this tonight at 10pm and just tasting the spatula put me on another planet. Can’t wait until tomorrow when it hardens.
Bill
How long do you let your pecans soak in the bourbon to get th soft
Hi Linda, no need to soak the pecans, I generally put them directly into the fudge mix. If you prefer to soak the pecans prior to making, I suggest soaking for 1 to 2 hours. You’ll also need to be sure to dry them after or else they may add a bit too much liquid for the fudge to harden correctly.
I didn’t, I like them with crunch.
It was excellent, my friends were licking the plate.
That’s so awesome, Bill! Glad that you enjoyed the first taste. Hope you enjoyed the finished recipe just as much. We’ll certainly be whipping up more in the Rural Mom kitchen soon!
My fudge did not set up properly. It hardened on the top, but was very soft on the bottom. Any suggestions if I try this again. It was a fairly expensive flop.
Hi Eva, sorry to hear that! There are several things you can try if your fudge doesn’t set properly (and there are all kinds of reasons for why it may not, so hard to tell you what to correct for the next run.) Here are a few ideas: 1) First thing you can do is make brownies or a cake and use the fudge for frosting which is a delicious way to ensure it doesn’t go to waste. 2) you can try mixing in small amounts of powdered sugar until the batch thickens up (does change the taste a bit by sweetening it up. 3) you can mix even amounts of cocoa powder and powder sugar together, then gently fold into the fudge mix until it thickens. Then take scoops of the fudge and roll it into balls. You can then roll the balls powdered sugar, decorating sugar, chocolate sprinkles or crushed nuts to make truffles, or in this case what would be commonly referred to as bourbon balls. 4) You can try reheating the entire mix and re-setting it. I generally do not suggest this last option, though, as it’s easy to burn the fudge when attempting to reset it. Hope that helps!
When I made it I mistakenly used brandy. It didn’t set well, more like frosting, and the alcohol taste was overwhelming! Maybe it was the use of brandy instead of bourbon, but we couldn’t eat it. I was thinking that the alcohol kept content kept it from setting and thought about using 1/3 to 1/4 cup of bourbon to see what happens. What do you think?
Hi Vicki! Hopefully, you saved it and if you did, try matching it with vanilla ice cream or a pound cake. It will cut the alcohol taste and make a tasty treat! With that said, some alcohols have less alcohol and more water/liquid so they don’t evaporate as well. Bourbon tends to have a high content of alcohol, so it does which allows the fudge to set better. However, yes, use less if you are struggling to get the fudge to set. A little can go a long way. Especially if the alcohol flavor is overpowering to your tastebuds. Use less so that you get a hint of the flavor with the chocolate, rather than the bourbon being the standout flavor. Less alcohol will help the recipe set faster, as well. Hope this helps!
Excited to make this. Do you need to do anything to the pan prior to pouring the fudge in?
Hi Char! Not really, the fudge will lift off glass or ceramic pan easily, but you can spray the pan with a little nonstick spray or use a light coating of oil. Alternatively, line the pan with saran wrap and then you can pop the entire fudge piece out easily by just lifting it out with the edges of the saran wrap after it has solidified. Hope that helps!