It's a homemade candy with a terrific flavor combination. Easy to make and creamy, it has a velvety texture and makes a great holiday gift and dessert. If you've never tried dulce de leche, you're in for a treat. Take it to potlucks and bake sales, or make it for snacking during back-to-school season and game days. It's always a favorite and keeps well for a few weeks.
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Unique flavor
This is the simplest 2-ingredient fudge recipe with white chocolate and dulce de leche. It's sweet, rich and melt-in-your-mouth creamy with a toffee-like flavor.
Like any other fudge recipe, it can be used for different occasions, from Christmas to potlucks or game nights.
No advanced skills or thermometer are required: this is the best part of fudge made with melted chocolate; you simply melt, mix, and refrigerate until set.
If you don't know what dulce de leche is, think of caramel with a milky tone. The literal translation from Spanish is milk jam; some call it milk spread. The flavor is not caramel, but it can sometimes be substituted.
We have many recipes using it, from dulce de leche brownies to alfajores (dulce de leche cookies).
It has the nostalgic flavor of old-fashioned fudge but doesn't require time at the stove if you use the microwave.
Gift this unique fudge for the holidays and watch people's faces lit up.
Ingredient Notes
- White chocolate chips, callets or bars: I like using melting chocolate, wafers or callets because I find they melt faster and better. If using white chips, beware of those that don't melt well. A premium white bar can also work.
- Dulce de leche: You can make homemade dulce de leche by following my tips. It's not hard at all and uses few ingredients. You can easily buy it online.
- Salt: just a pinch to cut through the sweetness. I like using kosher salt or fine sea salt when baking. Regular salt is too astringent and metallic for my taste.
Quantities are listed in the recipe card towards the end of this post. The Ingredients page has more details and lists the brands we use.
Variations
- Chocolate: dulce de leche works wonderfully well with semisweet chocolate as it balances the very sweet nature of it. Use bittersweet chocolate for a sharper flavor. Milk chocolate (also a sweet chocolate, similar to white but less cloying) can also be used.
- Nuts: add ½ cup chopped nuts before spreading on the pan. Or sprinkle them on top before letting the fudgy firm up. Walnuts are my favorites but it's just as easy to make a pecan, almond or hazelnut fudge. And just as delicious.
- Coconut: together with dulce de leche it's a mind-blowing flavor combination. Add some of it to the fudge mixture before spreading it in the pan. It's different from the dulce de leche fudge truffles, as they are sweeter and softer.
How to make dulce de leche fudge
There are 2 ways to melt the chocolate:
- Microwave: Melt the chocolate on high for 10 seconds, then remove it and stir well. Repeat until all the chocolate is melted. Be careful not to scorch it, so it's important to mix it well between each heating.
- Stovetop: put the bowl with chocolate pieces over a smaller pan with a few inches of water. Over medium heat, let the chocolate melt, stirring occasionally. Make sure the bottom of the bowl doesn't touch the water and that no water gets into the bowl. If the water boils too much before the chocolate is melted, turn the heat off and let the hot vapor melt the remaining chocolate.
Melt the white chocolate, dulce de leche, and salt in a bowl. Stir with a spatula or whisk until completely integrated.
Spread the mixture on a parchment-lined square pan (glass or metal). At this point, it needs to solidify in the fridge or at room temperature, where it can stay covered in plastic wrap for up to a week.
FAQ
To achieve neat squares, use a sharp, large kitchen knife dipped in hot water and wiped dry before each cut. If the fudge is cold, wait a little after taking it out from the fridge to cut it more easily. Wiping the knife between cuts helps maintain a smooth appearance.
You can (usually) salvage grainy fudge by adding a small amount of warm milk or cream and gently re-melting it over low heat while stirring constantly. Then, re-pour it into the pan and allow it to set again. It depends on how scorched the chocolate is.
Storage
- Keep the fudge in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks and in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- When fresh out of the fridge or freezer, let the fudge warm up a bit, or it will be a little hard.
- Avoid dryness: once you cut the fudge, don't leave it out long or it will dry up quickly.
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Dulce de Leche Fudge (easy, 3 ingredients)
Ingredients
- 13 ½ ounces dulce de leche, 1 can of Nestle Dulce de Leche or other brands like dulce de leche Chimbote, dulce de leche Cachafaz, and San Ignacio milk caramel spread.
- 20 ounces white chocolate, I use Callebaut white chocolate wafers or premium chips like Ghirardelli white chocolate chips. I find that some brands don't melt easily or well.
- pinch of salt, kosher or fine sea salt
Instructions
- Line an 8-inch square pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Place the white chocolate in a medium mixing bowl and melt in the microwave or the stovetop. See Notes below.
- Add the dulce de leche and salt. Stir well to combine all ingredients until smooth and even-colored. The mixture might looks greasy and blotchy. The smoothness depends on the type of chocolate and dulce de leche you use.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Place a piece of plastic wrap or freezer sheet on top and press to even it out.
- Let solidify at room temperature or chill in the fridge until set. It can take anywhere from 1 to 4 hours.
- Using a sharp kitchen knife, slice the fudge into 1-inch pieces. For easier cutting, place the knife under hot water for 10-15 seconds, wipe clean and cut. Do this as often as needed.
Notes
Microwave: Melt on high for 10 seconds, remove it and stir well. Repeat until all the chocolate is melted. Be careful not to scorch it. That's why it's important to mix it well between each heating.
Stovetop: Put the bowl with chocolate pieces over a smaller pan with a few inches of water. Over medium heat, let the chocolate melt, stirring occasionally. Make sure the bottom of the bowl doesn't touch the water and that no water gets into the bowl. If the water boils too much before the chocolate is melted, turn the heat off and let the hot vapor melt the remaining chocolate. Salt: I like using kosher salt or fine sea salt when baking. Regular table salt doesn't have the same mouthfeel and is too sharp for my taste.
Anne Marie says
Delicious!!!!!
Jon says
In the "How to make" and the "Notes" part of the recipe you mention mixing the chocolate with the butter for the stove top method, however both times you list the ingredients there is no butter mentioned. Can you please clarify what type of butter and how much is required?
Paula Montenegro says
Hi Jon! There is no butter, just chocolate and dulce de leche.