Part 2 Candy Sales-Chocolate Fudge

The instructions printed below are pretty much the same as the ones I gave you for getting started with peanut brittle on the page entitled Make a Good Income Selling Candy the concept is the same. Start with a good plan and some established goals.

1
Find a winning recipe. If you have never made fudge before, there are recipes for fudge available both online and in cookbooks. I will give you a couple to start with for now. You'll add to your collection as time goes on.

2
Purchase ingredients according to your recipe. Although each fudge recipe is different, most recipes contain chocolate cocoa, vanilla, milk or half and half cream, butter and corn syrup or sugar, so you will need to purchase large quantities of these, as well as any other ingredient your fudge may use, such as cinnamon or cayenne pepper (used to make specialty fudge). Most of your ingredients are perishable and should be kept in the freezer, especially if they are purchased in bulk. They will last approximately three months in the freezer. Make only as much fudge as you can sell in about one week; fudge stays fresh for about 10 days room temperature, or one month in the refrigerator.

3
Pack your fudge in gift tins or resealable plastic containers. Layer waxed paper in between the to keep the candy from sticking, and keep fudge at room temperature to keep moisture from forming inside the container. Keep test batches of fudge in several different containers for two weeks to determine which batches stay the freshest. Purchase these containers in bulk to save money.

4
Set up shop online. Sign up for a web page on GoDaddy, it is less than ten bucks a month and use PayPal to receive payments for your fudge. Use a template to type in the necessary information about your fudge and add pictures. Then, sign up for a Paypal merchant account; paste the HTML code provided on the PayPal site into your template. GoDaddy will give you your own web address where shoppers can buy your fudge. Include this information on any fliers you pass out, and either hand-deliver or ship the fudge to your customers. Pack fudge containers carefully in bubble wrap and ship the day the batch is made. Print "Fragile" on the outside of the packaging; because fudge is perishable, it should be marked as so it is refrigerated.

5
Pass out fliers and samples to potential customers. During the holidays, the idea of purchasing a fresh, homemade gift or snack may be appealing to your customers, so place fliers in neighbors' mailboxes and at local businesses, and bring batches of fudge to work and offer taste tests while keeping several tins of sealed fudge at your desk in case anyone would like to purchase more fudge on the spot for a snack.

6
Pay taxes and register your business, if necessary. The Small Business Association requires that any small business making income reports its earnings. The requirements will depend on the state you live in and how much money you earn selling fudge.

One way to sell your product is through direct sales at events and places where people gather, like parades, flea markets, block parties and street fairs. (the last two are mostly city phenomenon) Anywhere that there is a large gathering of people is a good place to sell candy.

Get a table at a Flea Market

Contact the appropriate people for permission to sell your candy at any event that a large group of people will attend

If you have or you build a stand, check shopping center owners for permission to sell candy on their property (They may or may not allow you to do so for a small fee)

Read local newspaper to find events that attract large numbers of people. My love and I located a great many events simply by reading the paper.

Contact small store owners and ask to display and sell your candy in their store (you'd have to work out a profit sharing deal with the owner)

Use your imagination, whether you are raising funds for a worthy cause or trying to make extra income, you'll find the candy business is a "sweet deal"

General Tips and Tricks

Use a candy thermometer. Test it out by putting it into boiling water. It should read 112 degrees.

Weather can cause problems when you're making homemade fudge. Don't make it on rainy or humid days, humidity is bad for fudge making.

After your cocoa, sugar, etc has been added as the recipe requires, you should stir until it begins to boil, then stop. You want to control the sugar crystal formation. You want little crystals, in that way the fudge will be creamy.

As your fudge heats to 235-240 degrees, Scrap the side of the pot down with your damp brush a few times every now and then. This removes any sugar crystals that may be sticking to the sides. Sugar crystals are a big problem with fudge recipes. Just one in the pot will act as the catalyst upon which large crystals will begin to develop.

When your candy thermometer reads 235-240, you add a pat of butter (depending on your recipe) and then let it sit until it reaches 110 degrees. Don't stir before this.

When it's down to 110, it's time to stir. Once started you must continue to stir, you must not stop. As you stir, your fudge (if you cooked it long enough) will loose it's glossy appearance and get a sort of dull brown. The fudge will not set if it doesn't achieve the dull brown look.

Follow the directions of the fudge recipes I'll give you, meticulously! The secret to making good candy of any type is to follow the instructions and watch the temperature and don't go even one degree over what your instructions state. Keep all of this in mind and you'll have a good product to bring to market, so to speak!

The two recipes I've printed here make delicious fudge. There are a great many recipes out there, but you can get started with these. As always, to make larger quantities increase your ingredients proportionately.

No 1

Ingredients:

2 c. sugar
2/3 c. milk
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate
2 T. corn syrup
1/4 t. salt
2 T. butter
1 t. vanilla
1/2 c. walnuts (optional)
Candy thermometer
Wooden spoon
9"X5"x3" pan or marble slab
2-quart saucepan

Instructions:

1
Butter a 9"X5"X3" pan or prepare your marble slab (I prefer the slab, you work the fudge with your hands on the smooth marble and you get creamy fudge) if you like you can cover your pan or slab with parchment paper instead of buttering them.

2
In a 2-quart saucepan, combine sugar, milk, chocolate, corn syrup and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the chocolate is melted and the sugar is dissolved.

3
Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, to 234 degrees on a candy thermometer (or until a small amount of the mixture dropped into very cold water forms a soft ball which flattens when removed from the water), use a thermometer, it's the only way as far as I'm concerned.

4
Remove from heat and add the butter. Allow the mixture to cool to 120 degrees without stirring.

5
Add vanilla. Beat rapidly and continuously for 5-10 minutes with a wooden spoon, until candy is thick and no longer glossy.

6
Stir in *nuts (optional) and spread mixture evenly in a buttered pan or marble slab. Cool until firm then cut into 1-inch squares. (nuts are optional)

*I recommend not using nuts, it's an extra expense and it can be kind of tricky considering the length of time your nuts can be kept fresh.

No 2

A large pot
- A candy thermometer
- Measuring cups and spoons
- A wooden spoon
- A whisk
- A 9" x 9" pan or marble slab

2 cups sugar

¼ cup light corn syrup

½ cup half-and-half

½ cup heavy cream

1/8 teaspoon salt

6 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

1½ cups walnuts, coarsely chopped

Line an 8- by 8-inch (or prepare marble slab, see notes on this above) pan with aluminum foil and butter the foil well.

Combine sugar, corn syrup, half-and-half, cream and salt in a heavy-bottomed pan and stir over low heat until sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Bring to a boil and boil for 1 minute. Brush down sides of pan with a pastry brush dipped in warm water and remove from heat.

Stir in chocolate until melted and smooth. Brush down sides of the pan again, then set pan over medium heat, place a warmed candy thermometer in pan and cook, without stirring until it reaches 238 F.

Remove from heat. Add, but do not stir in, the butter and vanilla. Cool the candy to 110 F by placing the bottom of the pan in cold water to stop the cooking. When cool, stir with wooden spoon just until it "snaps" and begins to lose its sheen. Stir in nuts. Turn into pan or onto marble slab. Use spatula dipped in hot water to smooth.

Let stand for at least 1 hour, then score into 1-inch squares. Cover and refrigerate at least 24 hours. Remove fudge from pan, peel off foil and finish cutting into squares. Store in an airtight container. Fudge keeps for up to 10 days at room temperature or up to 1 month in refrigerator.

Makes 1¼ pounds.

The true origins of fudge are unclear, but according to stories, fudge was invented by way of an accident in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1886. Legend has it that the creator was trying to make caramels, but botched or "fudged" the recipe, thus inventing both the candy and the name "fudge." The first documentations of fudge are from letters written in 1886 by students who were making and selling fudge at the Malmesbury School in Baltimore.

There are several regions of the United States that are known for fudge, including New England where the candy may have originated. Women's colleges like Wellesley and Vassar have their own recipes for fudge. However, the most famous fudge town in America is Mackinac Island, Michigan, where an annual Fudge Festival is held each summer. The tourists who come to Mackinac Island for this event are called "fudgies."

There are many types of fudge to be found throughout America and also in England. In America, fudge is understood to mean chocolate fudge, while variants like peanut butter fudge or vanilla fudge are generally referred to by their full names. Some confectioners refer to non-chocolate fudge as "fudge candy" or "fudge-style candy" to separate it from true chocolate fudge. English fudge is different entirely, consisting of only sugar, condensed milk, butter and sometimes nuts. It is quite crumbly in texture and has a caramel flavor, much like that of penuche.

Chocolate fudge can be made in several different ways, which result in many different final textures. Slab fudge, which is made by pouring hot liquid fudge onto a marble slab and working it by hand, has a relatively soft texture and is very smooth and creamy. Fudge recipes that contain less fat or corn syrup (or call for the ingredients to be cooked past the soft ball stage) have a much firmer, crumbly texture.

Chocolate fudge is often dressed up with added ingredients like whole marshmallows, nuts and dried fruit to create entirely new fudge flavors. Also, chocolate fudge can be swirled with peanut butter, mint, vanilla, raspberry or even pumpkin fudge, resulting in different types of desserts.