Brown sugar fudge, also known as penuche, is an old-fashioned candy with rich caramel notes and the nuttiness of walnuts or pecans. This decadent candy is a delicious addition to your holiday dessert table.
Add the brown sugar, half-and-half, and butter to a medium-sized saucepan. Place over medium heat. Allow sugar and butter to melt, stirring occasionally.
Place a candy thermometer in the pan, making sure that the tip of the thermometer is covered by the sugar mixture but is not touching the bottom of the pan.
Bring mixture to a boil, and allow to cook until it reaches the soft ball stage, or 234°F. Once it reaches this stage, remove from heat and allow to cool to 110°F. DO NOT STIR it during this time! This particular stage will seem to take forever, so feel free to walk away from it. Go wash some dishes, sweep the floor, read a book...go do something else and check on it every few minutes. Just don't stir it.
While the candy is cooling, grease (1) 8x8-inch pan and line with parchment paper.
Once the candy gets down to 110°F, add the vanilla and the chopped nuts and, with a wooden spoon, stir vigorously until the mixture thickens, loses its glossy appearance, and starts to take on a "creamy" look. This may take 5-10 minutes, and will get tougher as the mixture cools.
Pour the candy into the prepared pan and smooth out the top with a spatula. Allow to sit at room temperature for several hours (overnight is even better) to allow it to set. Once set, remove from the pan (the parchment paper should make this easy), and cut into small squares. Place in airtight containers lined with waxed paper or parchment paper and store at room temperature.
Notes
You can use light or dark brown sugar in this recipe. Light brown sugar is more common, while dark brown will yield a sweeter candy with more molasses flavor notes.Half-and-half is a mixture of milk and cream that is sold here in the US. If you cannot find half-and-half, substitute with 3/4 cup each whole milk and heavy cream.