1. BATCHING
The first step in making Michigan's Best Fudge is to collect all the raw ingredients into perfectly portioned batches. Around 25 pounds of sugar, cocoa, cream, & other delicious ingredients are added. This is the foundation of Michigan's best fudge.
2. COOKING
Once we have our batch together, it's time to pour it all into our copper kettle. We use copper because it evenly distributes the heat to ensure we have a nice, even cook. Cooking temperatures vary based on humidity, outside temperatures, & other factors. We adjust cooking temperatures on a day-to-day basis to account for those variables.
3. POURING
Once the temperature reaches around 240°F, we are ready to pour or fudge. We pour the fudge on a thick marble slab with a stainless-steel frame surrounding it. At that high temperature the fudge is like water, so the bars help it stay in place until it thickens.
4. COOLING
At this point the fudge just needs to cool and slightly thicken. In only 10 minutes of the fudge cooling on the marble slab, the fudge will drop from 240°F to around 120°F. The marble in its natural state is a great cooling surface.
5. CREAMING
Creaming is the process of cooling the fudge & mixing it at the same time. After step 4 we take off the steel bars and flip the fudge with a tool that looks like a flat shovel. This process is extremely important to making good fudge as it helps mix the sugar crystals together making the fudge nice & creamy. We are looking for the fudge to stop moving so we can build it up into shape and this process also takes around 10 minutes to complete.
6. LOAFING
Once we have thick & creamy fudge, we can finally start to give the fudge its shape. We use our loafing tools which look like drywall spackling tools to flip the fudge on top of itself over & over. With each flip the fudge holds its shape more and more until it looks like a big chocolate loaf of bread.
7. SETTING
he fudge is now in proper loaf-like shape. It is around 100°F at this point. The marble just needs to help it cool it down the rest of the way. During this process we give out warm samples of our fudge...there's nothingbetter than warm fudge right off the slab!
8. CUTTING
The marble has now done all that it can do. It's time to cut the fudge off of the table onto trays. Each batch of fudge makes around 50 half-pound pieces of fudge. Our artisan fudge makers may use the scale 3 or 4 times per batch, but for the most part the repetition of cutting fudge has helped them craft a keen eye for half pound pieces. They are usually quite accurate!
9. SELLING
Once the fudge is cut onto trays it's time to sell them for our customer's enjoyment. We offer a daily Buy 3 Get the 4th Free fudge special that helps getting a variety of fudge more affordable. Fudge is sold in our shop in Frankenmuth, seasonally in Rochester Hills & online to customers all over the world!
10. EATING
This is everyone's favorite step! We aim for a soft, creamy consistency that leaves the fudge melting in your mouth. It can be eaten immediately or even frozen for up to a year!
