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Vegan Double Chocolate Fudge Mattie

Written by Mattie    
 
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Vegan Double Chocolate Fudge

When working on this Vegan Double Chocolate Fudge recipe I learned that in order to master fudge, you need to thoroughly understand caramelization. Luckily, after dozens of fudgy failures, I now understand caramelization well enough to the point of where I can proudly share my recipe for all to enjoy, because you, dear reader, are worth more than marshmallow fluff. This recipe is easy as long as you follow it closely. 

The two main methods to make fudge

Traditionally, fudge is made with a caramel base that lends a delightful chew and contributes extremely rich flavors. This is because when sugar is caramelized, hundreds of flavor compounds are created. One day someone got lazy and decided that making caramel was too much drama and they turned to marshmallow fluff to take its place. This is the new school way of fudge making. Marshmallow fluff is sticky so it contributes to the chew of fudge but it severely lacks caramel's rich flavors. The result is a fudge that is slightly easier to make but flat on flavor. I'll take the old school approach thank you very much.

Learn about the sugar caramelization stages.
 
You'll need a heavy-duty saucepan and a candy thermometer to make this vegan fudge recipe but it's worth it. It features two different types of chocolate and a touch of espresso powder for maximum chocolate flavor. You can also add things like Kahlua, Grand Marnier, bourbon, espresso, mint extract, etc to satisfy your chocolate craving in your own special way.

Find more Chocolate recipes on Veganbaking.net

Vegan Double Chocolate Fudge Recipe

8 oz. semisweet chocolate
½ cup cocoa powder
½ teaspoon instant espresso powder
 
1 ¼ cups coconut cream
 
1 ¾ cups sugar
2 Tablespoons agave syrup or corn syrup
½ teaspoon salt
 
¼ cup coconut cream
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
Up to 2 Tablespoons flavoring liquids such as Kahlua, Grand Marnier, bourbon, espresso, mint extract, etc.
 
¾ cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

1) Refrigerate the coconut milk and toast the nuts

Place two 13.5 fluid ounce (400ml) cans of full fat coconut milk in the refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours. It's important to use full fat coconut milk instead of lite coconut milk in order to yield enough coconut cream for this recipe to work properly. Line an 8 x 8 inch square baking dish with parchment paper and set aside. Toast ¾ cup chopped walnuts or pecans if using, by placing them on a baking sheet and baking at 300F (149C) for 20 minutes. Chop the chocolate pieces into ¼ inch pieces. This is very important because if the pieces are larger than ¼ inch they won't melt enough. Place the chocolate pieces in a large mixing bowl, sift in the cocoa powder, espresso powder and set aside.

2) Prepare the coconut cream

Prepare the coconut cream by carefully taking the cans of coconut milk out of the refrigerator. Open them and scrape out the top ½ cup + 2 Tablespoons thick layer of coconut cream from each one. This will yield a total of 1 ¼ cups coconut cream. Reserve 1 cup of the coconut cream for Step 3 and ¼ cup for Step 5. Save the rest of the coconut cream and/or milk for future baking projects or for things like oatmeal.

3) Prepare the caramelize the sugar mixture

This is where we caramelize sugar into a syrupy caramel. In a heavy-duty 2 ½ quart saucepan, add the 1 cup coconut cream from Step 2, sugar, agave syrup and salt. Mix them together with your fingers being careful to have as little sugar as possible on the sides of the saucepan. Any stray particles in our mixture during the caramelization process will attract sugar crystals which are undesirable. The agave syrup or corn syrup is critical in this recipe because they both inhibit sugar crystallization which ensures our fudge remains soft and chewy.

4) Caramelize the sugar mixture to perfection

Place the saucepan over high heat with it's cover until the mixture boils. Remove the cover and reduce to medium heat. Initially, the mixture may want to boil over and the heat will have to be adjusted as the mixture reduces. Keep the heat high enough so that the temperature rises but low enough so you don't burn it. Resist the temptation to crank the heat up unless the temperature stops rising. If you see smoke puffs then you're burning the bottom and the heat should be reduced. It should take around 20 minutes for the mixture to register 250F (121C) with a candy thermometer. Remove from heat and slowly pour the mixture into another large metal mixing bowl placed over a wooden cutting board to insulate it from your work surface. Be extra careful to not scrape the bottom of the saucepan with a spoon or saucepan while pouring. Doing so will scrape bitter burned sugar pieces into your precious caramel.

5) Add the flavor building ingredients into the hot caramel and mix

Whisk the ¼ cup coconut cream you saved from Step 2, vanilla extract and up to 2 Tablespoons other flavoring liquids into the caramel mixture. When the mixture cools to around 210F (99C), transfer it to the bowl containing the chocolate and mix with an electric mixer on high until smooth. Stir in the walnuts or pecans if desired.

6) Press the fudge into the baking dish and cool

Transfer the mixture into the baking dish. With dampened hands, push the fudge into place then transfer the to the refrigerator to cool for a minimum of two hours. 

7) Remove the vegan fudge and cut into squares

Lift the fudge out of the baking dish by it's parchment paper liner and place it on a cutting board. Slice into squares with a large knife. Store in an airtight container in a cool dark place for up to one week or in the freezer for up to six months. This recipe makes one 8 x 8 inch tray of Vegan Double Chocolate Fudge.


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Average user rating from: 4 user(s)

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5.0  (4)
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Recipe looks great!
Can you sustitute maple syrup for the agave?
Reviewed by Kajsa December 11, 2013

Maple Syrup?

Recipe looks great!
Can you sustitute maple syrup for the agave?

Owner's reply

Hi Kajsa! Maple syrup should work fine in this fudge. Good luck!

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Hi Mattie. I would like to try this recipe. However, I was wondering whether it's ok to use ready made coconut cream, instead of coconut milk (I have seen it in an oriental grocer).
Do you think it could work? Thank you.
nene Reviewed by nene June 21, 2013
Top 500 Reviewer  -   View all my reviews (1)

Hi Mattie. I would like to try this recipe. However, I was wondering whether it's ok to use ready made coconut cream, instead of coconut milk (I have seen it in an oriental grocer).
Do you think it could work? Thank you.

Owner's reply

Great question nene! It's my understanding that the coconut cream often found in Asian stores is 100% cream, aka the fatty coconut solid found on the upper layer of a can of full fat coconut milk. In this case, this should work perfectly for this recipe. Good luck and let me know how it works out if you give it a go!

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Mattie's understanding of food chemistry ensures that each of his recipes turns out wonderfully. Non-vegans can never tell the difference because the desserts have the same texture and flavor as their non-vegan counterparts. Kudos Mattie.
Rating 
 
5.0
Reviewed by Cara December 20, 2012

Amazing Recipe

Mattie's understanding of food chemistry ensures that each of his recipes turns out wonderfully. Non-vegans can never tell the difference because the desserts have the same texture and flavor as their non-vegan counterparts. Kudos Mattie.

Owner's reply

Thanks for the kind words Cara!

Was this review helpful to you? 
I would strongly recommend this! I've never had success with candy-making, but this recipe made it easy--just follow the instructions exactly. It took me about 30 minutes to get the caramel temperature to 250 (I have an electric stovetop and had to watch it vigilantly.)
My only complaint is that the instructions say to use "coconut cream" and then later, "coconut milk". I assumed they were the same thing? The fudge turned out excellent, so I must have done it right! Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Rating 
 
5.0
Freeda Reviewed by Freeda June 13, 2012
Top 10 Reviewer  -   View all my reviews (8)

Vegan Heaven

I would strongly recommend this! I've never had success with candy-making, but this recipe made it easy--just follow the instructions exactly. It took me about 30 minutes to get the caramel temperature to 250 (I have an electric stovetop and had to watch it vigilantly.)
My only complaint is that the instructions say to use "coconut cream" and then later, "coconut milk". I assumed they were the same thing? The fudge turned out excellent, so I must have done it right! Thank you for sharing this recipe.

Other Info

Website
http://www.youtube.com/user/maryalicemenagerie?feature=watch
Owner's reply

Glad the fudge worked out Freeda! I finally got around to clarifying the use of the terms "coconut cream" in this recipe. Thanks for bringing this to my attention!

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Whats the calorie count?
Reviewed by Courtney Stankovich May 11, 2011

Whats the calorie count?

Was this review helpful to you? 
This fudge reminds me so much of my mother's. The only change I made was to mix the sugar/coconut oil/agave/salt in a bowl, then add the cashew cream, then put it in the pan to cook. That way I eliminated the potential for getting sugar on the side. Of course, it took me the two hours that the fudge was chilling to clean the pan's burnt bottom (boiling water with baking soda); well, a slight exaggeration--I only chilled the fudge for 30 minutes. And who on earth would know that you could freeze this for six months? Mattie--on behalf of myself and the five pounds I'm about to gain, thank you so much for all of the work that went in to this creation.
Rating 
 
5.0
klogan Reviewed by klogan December 21, 2010
Top 100 Reviewer  -   View all my reviews (1)

Fantastic!

This fudge reminds me so much of my mother's. The only change I made was to mix the sugar/coconut oil/agave/salt in a bowl, then add the cashew cream, then put it in the pan to cook. That way I eliminated the potential for getting sugar on the side. Of course, it took me the two hours that the fudge was chilling to clean the pan's burnt bottom (boiling water with baking soda); well, a slight exaggeration--I only chilled the fudge for 30 minutes. And who on earth would know that you could freeze this for six months? Mattie--on behalf of myself and the five pounds I'm about to gain, thank you so much for all of the work that went in to this creation.

Owner's reply

So glad it worked out for you klogan! I totally feel you on adding those ingredients together in the beginning. I have another caramel recipe on this site that uses that method. As I progress through my caramelization journey of life I'm realizing that during caramelization it's best to have only the basic ingredients-to-be-caramelized involved. This is so off-flavors aren't introduced into the caramel as a result of bringing things like cashew cream and coconut oil up to 250F.

Of course, the cleanup also becomes a pain when it's all combined too as you found- I've been there too, believe me! At the end of the day though, you could probably go either way with this particular recipe. Thanks for sharing your experience and thoughts!

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Hi Mattie,

Your fudge looks just as good as any with butter and cream, and I wish I could try some right now!
I wanted to share an amazing recipe I came up with for vegan chocolate candy cups, that don't require any carmelization, so they're quick when you don't have time. They taste just like regular fudge, and are visually beautiful:

4 pitted large medjool dates
1/3 cup virgin coconut oil, melted
3/4 cup cocoa powder or raw cacao powder
1/2 cup maple syrup or dark agave nectar
1/8 teaspoon plus a pinch salt
2 tablespoons raisins
2 tablespoons chopped pecans or walnuts

Combine the dates and the coconut oil in a small bowl and let soak for 30 minutes. Transfer to a blender and add the cocoa powder, maple syrup, and salt. Process until very smooth, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides of the blender jar with a rubber spatula.
Place 16 (1-inch) foil baking cups on 2 plates. Fill each cup about three-fourths full with the chocolate mixture. Top each cup with a few of the raisins and chopped pecans, pressing them down lightly. Chill the cups in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before serving.
Rating 
 
5.0
Reviewed by Jennifer Cornbleet December 17, 2010

5 minute fudge

Hi Mattie,

Your fudge looks just as good as any with butter and cream, and I wish I could try some right now!
I wanted to share an amazing recipe I came up with for vegan chocolate candy cups, that don't require any carmelization, so they're quick when you don't have time. They taste just like regular fudge, and are visually beautiful:

4 pitted large medjool dates
1/3 cup virgin coconut oil, melted
3/4 cup cocoa powder or raw cacao powder
1/2 cup maple syrup or dark agave nectar
1/8 teaspoon plus a pinch salt
2 tablespoons raisins
2 tablespoons chopped pecans or walnuts

Combine the dates and the coconut oil in a small bowl and let soak for 30 minutes. Transfer to a blender and add the cocoa powder, maple syrup, and salt. Process until very smooth, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides of the blender jar with a rubber spatula.
Place 16 (1-inch) foil baking cups on 2 plates. Fill each cup about three-fourths full with the chocolate mixture. Top each cup with a few of the raisins and chopped pecans, pressing them down lightly. Chill the cups in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before serving.

Other Info

Website
http://www.learnrawfood.com
Twitter Username
http://twitter.com/jennycornbleet
Owner's reply

Hi Jennifer,

Wow, thanks for that awesome raw chocolate candy cups recipe! I love all of those ingredients individually so I can only imagine how awesome they would be in their chocolate candy cup incarnation. Thanks for sharing!

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