Follow our fudge from its first scoop of sugar to everyone’s favorite final step.
Step 01
Batching
The first step in making Michigan’s Best Fudge is collecting all the raw ingredients into perfectly portioned batches. Around 25 pounds of sugar, cocoa, cream, and other delicious ingredients are added. This is the foundation of Michigan’s best fudge.
Step 02
Cooking
Once the batch is together, we pour it into our copper kettle. Copper distributes heat evenly, helping us achieve a consistent cook. Cooking temperatures vary with humidity, outside temperature, and other conditions, so we adjust them daily.
Step 03
Pouring
At around 240°F, the fudge is ready to pour onto a thick marble slab surrounded by a stainless-steel frame. At that temperature it flows like water, so the bars hold it in place until it begins to thicken.
Step 04
Cooling
Now the fudge needs time to cool and slightly thicken. In only 10 minutes on the marble slab, it drops from about 240°F to around 120°F. Marble is naturally an excellent cooling surface.
Step 05
Creaming
Creaming cools and mixes the fudge at the same time. We remove the steel bars and turn the fudge with a tool resembling a flat shovel. This crucial process brings the sugar crystals together for a smooth, creamy texture. After about 10 minutes, the fudge stops flowing and is ready to take shape.
Step 06
Loafing
Once the fudge is thick and creamy, we begin shaping it. Using loafing tools similar to drywall spackling tools, we fold the fudge over itself again and again. With every fold it holds its shape a little more, until it resembles a large chocolate loaf of bread.
Step 07
Setting
The fudge is now in its proper loaf-like shape and is around 100°F. The marble helps cool it the rest of the way. During this step, we give out warm samples—because there’s nothing better than warm fudge right off the slab.
Step 08
Cutting
The marble has done all it can do, so it is time to cut the fudge onto trays. Each batch makes around 50 half-pound pieces. Our artisan fudge makers may check the scale only three or four times per batch—years of repetition have given them a remarkably accurate eye.
Step 09
Selling
Once cut onto trays, the fudge is ready for our customers to enjoy. Our daily Buy 3, Get the 4th Free special makes trying a variety of flavors more affordable. We sell fudge in Frankenmuth, seasonally in Rochester Hills, and online to customers across the country.
Step 10
Eating
This is everyone’s favorite step. We aim for a soft, creamy consistency that lets every bite melt in your mouth. Enjoy it immediately, keep it wrapped at room temperature, or freeze it for up to a year.
