I don’t usually go in for sweet-making, but when we were sent Miss Hope’s Chocolate Box to review, it was so utterly quirky and charming that I was bound to have a go.
Maple and Pecan Fudge is as good as it sounds. How could it not be with sugar, cream, maple syrup and nuts. I mucked up the first lot – my fault – I failed to read the jam thermometer properly and it didn’t set.
For the second attempt I used dark brown sugar and walnuts because that’s what I had in the cupboard, the result a bit more treacley than Miss Hope’s, but utterly fabulous. I took the photo before cutting it up into small pieces. Miss Hope reckons it makes 49 pieces. Takes about 30 minutes to make: plus cooling time.
Ingredients
25g unsalted butter, plus extra to grease
300g light soft brown sugar
170g can evaporated milk
100ml double cream
4 tbsp maple syrup
50g pecans
50g milk chocolate chopped or grated
Method:
Generously butter a 17cm square tin and line with baking parchment.
Ease the butter into a large heavy-bottomed pan. (I used a 24cm diameter pan) and add the sugar. Add the evaporated milk, cream and maple syrup.
Heat gently, stir the ingredients into a delicious mess, making sure that the sugar has dissolved – this will take 3-5 minutes, so make yourself comfortable.
Pop a sugar thermometer in the pan and increase the heat until the mixture is boiling, stirring the mixture all the time with a wooden spoon. Heat until the temperature reaches 113C.
Take the pan off the heat and plonk in the pecans. Stir them in then beat the mixture really hard just until it starts to lose its gloss and become a bit paler – it should still be pourable at this point, ipso facto pour into the prepared tin.
Sprinkle the chocolate over the fudge mixture, then set aside to cool. When cool remove the fudge form the tine and cut into squares.
To buy Miss Hope’s Chocolate Box through Amazon, click here