Shortly after my mom and dad’s first child (my older sister) was born, they bought their first microwave. It was a big deal. This was in the late 1970s, and Microwave They were just beginning to be produced and sold at low prices—that is, consumers began to buy them en masse.
My mom decided to take a microwave cooking class. She still has her handwritten recipes from that class, but the one she made the most, and the one my siblings and I started making for ourselves and our families, is a bowl of chocolate fudge.
This microwave fudge recipe only has six ingredients, takes about 5 minutes of active cooking time, and did I mention it only requires one bowl? Some recipes call for melting the chocolate over a double boiler. It doesn’t. Some require breaking out the candy thermometer. It doesn’t. Some require a hand mixer. It doesn’t.
Simply add the ingredients to a bowl, microwave, mix, repeat, and the fudge mixture is ready to be poured into a pan and cooled. Near instant gratification.
How to Make My Mom’s One Bowl Microwave Fudge
For an 8×8-inch pan, or about 36 small servings, you’ll need:
- 32 ounces of powdered sugar
- 1 cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
- 1 cup small marshmallows
Line an 8×8-inch baking pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper.
Combine powdered sugar, cocoa powder, milk, and vanilla in a large microwave-safe bowl. Add the butter last so it sits on top of the other ingredients. Do not cut the butter and do not mix the ingredients.
Microwave on high for 2 1/2 minutes. Remove the bowl from the microwave and mix until most of the sugar lumps have dissolved. This takes about a minute of vigorous mixing. Stir in marshmallows.
Return the bowl to the microwave and cook on high for 20 to 30 seconds until the marshmallows are melted. Stir well again. Add any additional mix-ins if you like, such as nuts or shredded coconut. Pour the fudge mixture into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
Chill in refrigerator for at least 2 hours. Remove the parchment paper or foil from the pan. Cut the fudge into bite-sized squares and enjoy. This fudge is best stored on the counter, tightly wrapped, for 1 week. If you want to keep it longer, refrigerate it for 2 to 3 weeks. It can dry out a bit in the fridge, so keep it wrapped tightly.
Tips for making this easy fudge at home
Don’t waste time cutting a stick of butter here. After adding the first four ingredients to a microwave-safe bowl, add the butter last. Sitting on top of other ingredients, it melts over everything as it cooks. Magnificent
Be creative. You can easily add 1/4 cup of nuts or Shredded coconut. If you’re adding the latter, note that this fudge is already pretty sweet! You may want to use unsweetened shredded coconut. You can also add a teaspoon of peppermint extract. For all of these additions, add last before mixing and pouring into the pan.
Finally, don’t be afraid to double up. In an 8×8 baking dish, the fudge is not too thick. It works well because it’s so rich, a small, thin square can be enough. But if you want to double the batch, you can still use the same size pan for extra thick slices.