Part of the pleasure of making Christmas fudge is deciding who you’re going to give it to. It’s a fudge you make for how it looks, with red and green swirled through white chocolate.
It’s about 15 minutes of work, then three hours in the fridge, so a batch started after lunch can be cut and boxed by dinner. One pan cuts into 64 creamy white chocolate squares.
Read Before You Start
Once the fudge comes off the heat it starts to firm up, and there isn’t time then to go looking for bowls or start prepping pans:
- Line an 8×8-inch straight-sided pan with parchment, leaving enough hanging over the sides to lift the fudge out later. You’ll be able to cut it on a board instead of trying to work a knife around the edges of the pan.
- I also set out the two bowls for coloring, the gel colors and a skewer or butter knife before turning on the stove. The mixture starts to firm as it cools, so you want everything within reach once it comes off the heat.
Buy The Right Milk, Chips And Coloring
Sweetened condensed milk: Use one 14-ounce can. Sweetened condensed milk and evaporated milk come in cans that look a lot alike. However, evaporated milk is thinner and unsweetened, and fudge made with it won’t set.
White chips: I use two 11-ounce bags of Ghirardelli Classic White chips. I usually love store brands, but this isn’t the ingredient to cut costs on. I find good-quality chips melt much more smoothly than generic ones, and white chocolate is fussier on the stove than milk or dark chocolate. It’s the same base I use for my Grinch fudge.
If you do end up using another brand, check the weight rather than assuming two bags will be the right amount.
Food coloring: Use red and green gel food coloring. Start with ¼ teaspoon of each in its own portion, then add a little more as needed.
I use AmeriColor. A small amount gives you a strong color without adding extra liquid. Liquid coloring adds moisture, and Ghirardelli warns that even a drop of water or other liquid can make chocolate seize.
Recipe Testing: Last Update September 2026
This recipe was originally published in October 2019 using white chocolate chips and a tub of vanilla frosting. However, I wasn’t happy with the consistency as the frosting made the mixture thick like dough.
I had Karen, an independent recipe tester, make the frosting-based recipe and she found she could press it into the pan, but spooning in dollops and running a knife through the colors wasn’t working. It did set, but the finished pieces were grainy and crumbly.
For fudge you’re making to give away, the texture and appearance both matter. I wanted creamy squares with red and green swirls you could actually make at home.
I redeveloped the recipe with sweetened condensed milk and butter in place of the frosting and the recipe was updated for the 2024 holiday season. The photos are new, taken in September 2026.
Melt Everything Together Over Medium-Low Heat
Put the white chocolate chips, the sweetened condensed milk and the cold cubes of butter in a medium saucepan and set it over medium-low heat. Stir constantly, reaching across the bottom and into the corners so nothing sits against the hot pan for too long.
This should take about four to six minutes, but take the pan off the heat as soon as the chips have melted and the mixture is smooth. Too much heat can turn the mixture into a stiff paste.
White chocolate burns and seizes easily, and once it seizes there’s no saving it. You’d have to start over with fresh chips.
Making The Fudge Look Like It Was Store-Bought
Work quickly, because the mixture keeps firming up as it cools. If a bowl gets too stiff to spoon before you’re done, warm it in the microwave for 15 to 20 seconds and stir it well. Don’t go longer than that, or the white chocolate can burn or seize.
I’d avoid adding sprinkles to the top. The swirls are pretty enough as is. When I made my gingerbread fudge, the sprinkles bled into the fudge while it chilled in the fridge.
Let The Fudge Set Before You Cut
A cold surface alone doesn’t tell you the middle is ready.
Put the pan in the fridge and leave it there for the full three hours. Fudge that’s still soft won’t cut into clean squares, and clean squares are what you want going into a gift box.
The fudge is ready if it’s firm enough to lift out in one slab and hold its shape when sliced. If it still feels soft or starts to bend as you lift it, lower it back into the pan and return it to the refrigerator.
Lift It Out And Cut 64 Squares
Once it’s set, lift it onto a cutting board using the parchment. Cut eight rows in each direction for 64 small squares. This is sweet fudge, and those one-inch pieces are a good size to serve alongside cookies or other Christmas candy.
For extra batches, make each one separately in its own 8×8-inch pan. That keeps the thickness the same and gives you one pan at a time to color and swirl before it firms up.
Make Ahead And Pack It Cold
Air dries fudge out, so it needs to go into something that closes tightly. For gifts, put the cold fudge in small paper candy cups, or layer it with waxed paper in between, then place it in an airtight container.
Keep it chilled until you’re ready to serve or pack it. In an airtight container, it keeps in the fridge for one week and in the freezer for two months. Thaw it completely in the refrigerator before serving or packing.
Whoever gets the box never sees the recipe, so add a tag. Something like: “Christmas fudge, made on (date). Keep refrigerated in an airtight container and enjoy within one week.”
Mail It At The Start Of The Week
For family too far away to hand a box to, fudge is among the foods that ship well. Cushion the bottom, sides and top of the shipping box with bubble wrap or crumpled paper so the container can’t shift.
Send it early in the week so it isn’t sitting in a mailing facility over the weekend.
Because you keep this fudge in the fridge, make sure the tag tells the recipient to refrigerate it when it arrives.
More Christmas Fudge
- Candy cane fudge has peppermint and chopped candy canes stirred right into the white chocolate.
- Sugar cookie fudge gets its flavor from sugar cookie mix and is topped with red, green and white sprinkles.
- Hot chocolate fudge is made with milk and semi-sweet chocolate, with marshmallows on top.
Christmas Fudge
Equipment
- 8×8 straight-sided baking pan
- parchment paper
- medium saucepan
- two small bowls
- wooden skewer or butter knife
- cutting board
Ingredients
- 22 ounces white chocolate chips (two 11-ounce bags, Ghirardelli brand used)
- 14 ounces canned sweetened condensed milk
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cut into small cubes
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon red gel food coloring (AmeriColor brand used), start with ¼ teaspoon and add more until you reach the color you want
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon green gel food coloring, start with ¼ teaspoon and add more until you reach the color you want
Instructions
- Line an 8×8-inch straight-sided pan with parchment paper, leaving extra hanging over the sides. The overhang lets you lift the set fudge out in one piece for slicing.
- Put the white chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk and cold butter cubes in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir constantly for four to six minutes, until the chips are completely melted and the mixture is smooth, then take the pan off the heat.
- Scoop one-third of the melted mixture into a small bowl. Stir in ¼ teaspoon of red gel food coloring, adding more as needed for the color you want, until the color is even with no white streaks.
- Scoop another one-third into a second small bowl and stir in the green gel food coloring the same way, until the color is even with no white streaks. The last third stays white.
- Spoon the white, red and green mixtures into the lined pan in random dollops until all of it is used.
- Gently drag a wooden skewer or butter knife through the dollops to swirl the three colors into a decorative pattern across the top.
- While the fudge is still soft, lay a small piece of parchment paper on top and press gently to smooth the surface, taking care not to smudge the swirl.
- Refrigerate for three hours, until the fudge is set.
- Use the parchment overhang to lift the fudge out of the pan and onto a cutting board. Cut it into 1-inch squares, 64 pieces in all, and serve.
Notes
- Work quickly once the mixture is off the heat, because it starts to firm up fast. If a bowl gets too stiff, microwave it for 15 to 20 seconds and stir well. Overheated white chocolate can burn or seize, and then you’ll need to start over with fresh chips.
- Use good-quality white chocolate chips. I find they melt much more smoothly than generic or lower-quality brands.
- Use a good-quality gel food coloring, not liquid. Liquid adds moisture that can make the white chocolate seize. Shades vary by brand, so start small and add a drop or two at a time.
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week, or freeze for up to two months. Thaw frozen fudge in the refrigerator before serving.
- For a twist on Christmas fudge, my gingerbread fudge uses the same chips and sweetened condensed milk, with molasses and warm spices added.
Nutrition
Comments
Shaunda Snider says
These would look beautiful in a gift box for Christmas!
Karen says
I would top this fudge with red and green sprinkles!
Teresa Gerber says
I would prefer chocolate fudgebut this is a great des for xmas gifts!!!
Maureen says
This fudge looks so festive. I would have to top with crushed pepperment candies on top. That would be the finishing touch. These would be a great gift for my neighbor who loves fudge.
Thanks for another Christmas recipe. Can’t wait to try it.
Molly says
These are so pretty. I bet they’d be lovely with those silver ball sprinkle toppings too like ornaments ❤️💚🎄
Debbie says
These would make such lovely gifts for everyone, in cute litte boxes to gift the season
Becky says
I would just add some crushed peppermint all over the top before cutting and boxing up for christmas gifts for neighbors!
Barbara Schnoor says
I am going to make this and place in cute boxes to give as gifts for Christmas.
kymm says
I love the recipe and it is so simple
I would not add candy cane or anything to it
The fudge would be great in candy wrappers or cupcake holders in a pretty gift box as a gift
It is a comfort recipe and brings me back to the special season of chjildhood
Kay says
Looks like an easy fudge recipe for Christmas. I will have to try this.
Thank you