Chili Chocolate Fudge Recipe (2024)

Whenever I’m on vacation and there is a candy shop nearby, I like to buy some local fudge. I don’t make fudge often at home (probably because I’d eat it all), but I love it as a special treat! Over Thanksgiving, Matt & I took the kids to Great Wolf Lodge indoor waterpark and I hit the sweet shop for some treats. OMG, they had the most amazing fudge! Our favorite flavor was a dark chocolate spicy fudge. It was smooth and creamy with just a touch of heat at the finish. For Valentine’s Day, Matt requested that I buy him “some type of spicy dark chocolate”, so I decided to try my hand at making my own Chili Chocolate Fudge!

I modified the popular marshmallow fluff fudge recipe in order to create this fudge. It turned out perfectly! This fudge isn’t overly spicy (to our standards) so if you like a stronger finish you’ll want to add a bit more spice. If you like just a touch of heat after the chocolate has melted in your mouth, then you will love this!

This recipe works best if you take the time to get all of your ingredients ready to pour in beforehand. Honestly, I find that ALL of my recipes turn out better when I pretend I’m on a cooking show and get everything pour and sprinkle ready beforehand! Fudge is easy to make but it can also be tricky. If it’s not cooked properly it can turn out too soft, too crumbly, or my least favorite–grainy. This recipe is fairly foolproof. If you use a candy thermometer and stir it constantly, it should turn out perfectly.

Cook your fudge to “soft ball stage” which happens at around 235•F. If you don’t own a candy thermometer, cook your fudge at a rolling boil for around 6 minutes. Don’t forget to stir, stir, stir!

Remove the mixture from the stove and immediately add your chocolate chips and spices. Move quickly! It will start setting up immediately so don’t dawdle. Thoroughly mix in your spices and pour the fudge into your prepared pan.

At this point you can pop the fudge into the refrigerator for about an hour, or you can just be patient and allow it to cool on the counter. If you cool your fudge until it hardens in the refrigerator, the butter will harden and your fudge will be crumbly. When cutting your fudge, use a long butcher’s knife and wipe off the blade after each pass. This will help ensure that your fudge squares look beautiful.

Oh yum. Enjoy the deliciousness! This recipe makes about 3 pounds of fudge which is a LOT of fudge. Yikes! I’m going to need Matt to take his gift of fudge with him to work, so I don’t eat it all. Store your fudge wrapped in plastic wrap in an air tight container to keep it from drying out. You can also freeze any extras by placing them in an air-tight container.