By Keighley’s Mike Armstrong, an award-winning master baker with a big passion for baking. See facebook.com/bakermike001

WE’VE all bought fudge to bring home from our holidays as presents for family and friends, but have you ever thought of making it at home in a microwave without the worry of thermometers or standing over a boiling pan with no prolonged stirring with a wooden spoon?

With Christmas just around the corner and thoughts of last-minute presents, homemade gifts are perfect and thoughtful to make – a personal gift from you without the worry of panic-stricken shopping. And what could be more enjoyable than a bag full of Christmas fudge – the ultimate gift from your microwave anyone could receive.

While many of our favourite sweets have ancient origins, fudge is a relatively recent invention.

Its origin and history is a little unclear, but fudge is thought to be an American invention most believe – and the first batch was the result of an accidental ‘fudged’ batch of caramels, hence the name fudge.

The first batches were sold in 1886 in a Baltimore grocery store and soon the recipe for this new confection spread around the world.

Making really good fudge is one of those things that is simple, yet all-too-easy to muck up!

Although fudge isn’t a recipe with many steps, or indeed many ingredients, as with anything involving melted sugar it is one that demands precision – chucking a load of ingredients into a pan and hoping for the best doesn’t really wash here, however hard you scrub.

Softer and crumblier than toffee, smoother and richer than its close relative, tablet, its dairy content means it’s associated particularly with Devon with its mind-boggling array of wonderful flavours in its tourist honey pots.

The main ingredient of fudge is sugar – that’s why you can feel your teeth wince in protest as you reach for yet another piece. Use caster if you want to keep it simple, but demerara will also add interest too.

The dairy comes from the butter along with the delicious tin of condensed milk, giving the fudge its classic toffee Cornish seaside taste.

It can be too sweet and rich side-by-side with the butter; let’s be honest, butter and clotted cream could prove a fatal combination too – just what the doctor ordered as long as it contains brandy. In for a penny, in for a pound and how much brandy depends if you’re a Yorkshireman!

RECIPE

BOOZY MINCEMEAT CHRISTMAS FUDGE

Ingredients:

400g / caster sugar

397g tin of condensed milk

140g / butter

3 tablespoons mincemeat

2 tablespoons brandy

Method:

1. Grease and parchment line an 8-inch-square baking tin or similar container.

2. In a small bowl, add the mincemeat and brandy and mix well.

3. In a large bowl add the sugar, condensed milk and butter.

4. Microwave for 14 minutes at 2-minute intervals giving each addition a good stir with a wooden spoon till it becomes a deep fudge colour. You will need to keep an eye on the first two minutes as the mixture could boil over, simply stop and stir till it settles down and continues to cook for a full 2 minutes.

5. Carefully remove the bowl from the microwave and stir in the boozy mincemeat with a wooden spoon well.

6. Pour into the prepared tin and allow to set for 2 hours at room temperature.

7. Using the paper at the edge of the tin, carefully lift out and cut up into cubes and add to ribbon tied bags.