We spent Memorial Day with a group of close friends, swimming and eating and savoring our freedoms. I wanted to contribute something patriotic to the menu, so I revisited Mamie Eisenhower’s fudge recipe. I made this for Book B*tches several years ago when we read The Residence by Kate Anderson Brower (if you have not read this yet, add it to your list immediately! One of my favorites!). Mamie was known for entertaining and her fudge recipe was shared over and over. It became known as “Million Dollar Fudge.”
Here’s what Southern Living has to say about the fudge:
This used to be the go-to recipe for fudge in the 1950s and 60s. Because it took advantage of packaged products from the grocery store, such as chocolate chips, evaporated milk, and a jar of marshmallow cream, this new-fangled fudge was considerably less persnickety than traditional cooked fudge that seems to look for any opportunity to turn grainy.We’re told that this fudge was a family favorite of the President and Mrs. Eisenhower, which might or might not be true. It hails from an era when the wives of politicians were often asked to share recipes for family favorites. Sometimes these requests were fulfilled by the wife and other times from a staff assistant. Newspapers across the land printed the fudge attributed to Mrs. Eisenhower shortly after she became First Lady in 1953. The recipe had appeared previously under the name Million Dollar Fudge, but from that point on, this type of fudge was more often called Mamie Eisenhower’s Fudge or simply Mamie’s Fudge. It became so strongly associated with her that a copy of the recipe appears in the archives of the Eisenhower Presidential Center.By any name, it remains a benchmark for chocolate fudge. It’s delicious, creamy, and fool-proof.
Here’s the recipe, also from Southern Living:
Ingredients
12 ounces semisweet chocolate morsels
12 ounces German’s sweet chocolate, broken into small pieces
2 cups marshmallow cream
4 1/2 cups sugar
pinch salt
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) canned evaporated milk
2 cups coarsely chopped nuts
Directions
Step 1: Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish pan or mist it in with nonstick cooking spray.
Step 2: Stir together the semisweet chocolate, German’s chocolate, and marshmallow cream in a large bowl.
Step 3: Bring the sugar, salt, butter, and evaporated milk to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Boil for 1 minute. Reduce the heat and simmer 7 minutes, stirring continuously. Pour the hot syrup over the chocolate mixture and stir until smooth. Stir in the nuts.
Step 4: Pour into the prepared pan. Let stand undisturbed at room temperature until firm, preferably overnight.
Step 5: Cut the fudge into small squares. Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks. Some people prefer the texture of this fudge when it is chilled after it is cut.
This fudge is always a crowd pleaser and it’s fun to have a little history when bringing a dish to a gathering. I’m late, I realize, but I hope you and yours had a peaceful Memorial Day full of gratitude. God Bless America!
