Rebecca Rhodes, the heroine in Stay With Me, loves to bake. If a way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, Chris Reynolds doesn’t stand a chance. Rebecca tells Chris, “I want a little store where I sell homemade baked goods. Not elaborate cakes. . . like the ones you see on the Food Network. Just ordinary but delicious cookies. By the dozen. That’s what I would do.”

Rebecca’s recipe is identical to my mother’s doctored recipe for Kraft’s original Fantasy Fudge. My mother, an accomplished baker of “ordinary” treats, like Rebecca, is well-known for her delicious fudge, among other sweets. Below the recipe are some of my mom’s tips for success!

Rebecca’s Fantasy Fudge

3  sticks butter, softened (1-1/2 c.)

Here’s all you’ll need to make this easy, delicious fudge.

6  c. granulated sugar

2  5-oz. cans evaporated milk (1-1/2 c.)

1/2  tsp. cream of tartar

2  12-oz. packages Hershey’s milk chocolate chips

1  13-oz. jar marshmallow crème

2  tsp. vanilla

2  c. chopped walnuts, optional

Grease two 9×13 pans. Mix butter, sugar, milk, and cream of tartar in large, heavy saucepan. Bring to full, rolling boil over medium heat. Stir constantly. Boil 5 minutes or until temperature reaches 234 degrees F. (soft ball stage) Remove from heat. Stir in chips. Add marshmallow crème. When mixture reaches a dull gloss, stir in vanilla. (Mixture will be heavy.) Pour into pans. Cool. Yield: Approximately 6 pounds of fudge.

The finished product. Delicious!

Marcy’s Tips for Success

• When it says “stir constantly,” stir constantly. Lay your ingredients out ahead of time so you don’t have to step away from the stove and risk scorching.
• For ease in pouring and clean-up, grease saucepan.
• To ease scoring and lifting, line pans with heavy duty aluminum foil. Lift cooled fudge onto cutting board for easy scoring.
• Use a sturdy wooden spoon for stirring.
• To test for soft ball stage without a candy thermometer, add a teaspoon of sugar mixture to a cup of cold water. When sugar mixture forms a soft ball when prodded with a fork, it’s ready.
• To assist in cooling on warm or humid days, allow pans to cool beneath a ceiling fan.

My Tip for Success

• Keep open bag of milk chocolate chips out of reach of toddlers.

For more recipes, visit Stay With Me, The Recipes PART I, PART II, and PART III.