In contrast with other sweets that can date back thousands of years, fudge is fairly young. Some of the earlier fudge flavors were chocolate, vanilla and brown sugar penuche. Michigan is the fudge capital of the U.S. Now, the mixtures of ingredients or flavors are nearly endless. A few of them are: vanilla cherry chocolate chip, raspberry coffee, maple walnut, chocolate cappuccino, lemon butter, vanilla caramel, chocolate cheesecake, peanut butter, dark chocolate and chocolate caramel pecan.

Although the word fudge can be defined differently, none are equivalent to the old fashioned, family favorite, premium chocolate fudge. In the U.S., almost always, the word fudge means a rich, creamy, wonderful chocolate confection. At times the word fudge is used on the boxes of brownies or cakes, but all it really means is that they have added a little extra chocolate flavor.

Historically, (although disputed) fudge was accidentally developed by a failed batch of candy; most likely caramels, sometime around 1886. From this messed up batch of candy came the exclamation of or the term 'oh, fudge!' The earliest evidence of fudge was in a letter from New York. A Vassar College student, Emelyn Battersby Hartidge, said that the cousin of a schoolmate made fudge. In Baltimore in 1886, the candy was 40 cents per pound. Ms. Hartidge got the recipe in 1888 and made 30 pounds for a Vassar Senior Auction. Other colleges like Smith and Wellesley then developed their own recipes for this sweet treat.

By definition, fudge is a confection that is creamy and rich. It is a semi-soft confection, usually very smooth and made using sweet cream, corn syrup, sugar, fresh butter and often some different mouth watering flavorings. Flavors might be butterscotch, white chocolate, chocolate, vanilla, Kahlua, peanut butter, flavored gelatin, buttermilk, kool aid, mint, pumpkin, bourbon or even maple. Fudge can contain various nuts, including walnuts, pecans, pistachios, hazelnuts, roasted macadamia nuts, or almonds. Additional ingredients that can be used in some of the more uncommon or decadent fudge may be: crackers, cheese, candy canes, popcorn, coconut, candy bars, lime zest, pineapple chunks, cookie wafers, caramel, chocolate chips, espresso beans, chocolate chunks, marshmallows, or cherries and other dried or candied fruit.

Everyone loves eating flavorful, creamy fudge, but it is often thought to be difficult to make. The original recipes for fudge were kind of ambiguous and quite difficult. The degree of difficulty largely depended on the kind of ingredients, which recipe was used, how good the equipment was and the patience taken to make it right. Also, constant stirring and being sure of the precise measurements and cooking time were integral to get the perfect fudge candy. Stirring at the proper time, and getting the ingredients to the correct temperature are also necessary in order for the fudge to be smooth and creamy and not grainy. It is also quite easy to under or over cook this sweet confection, which results in the fudge not setting up or tasting scorched.

Author's Bio: Anna McAnthony is a staff writer at http://www.chocolategourmetcandy.com, and has been doing research and writing articles on chocolate for many years. Visit http://www.chocolategourmetcandy.com for more information.