Fudge

Classic creamy fudge made with condensed milk and demerara sugar, boiled to the soft-ball stage and beaten until thick.

Ingredients

Line a 20 cm square tin with baking paper.
Put all the ingredients in a large non-stick saucepan and melt over a low heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
Bring to a steady boil and cook for 10–15 minutes, stirring continuously and scraping the base of the pan so it doesn't catch. It's ready at 113–115°C on a sugar thermometer. Without one, drop a little into a bowl of ice-cold water. If it forms a soft, round ball that doesn't stick to your fingers, it's ready.
Take the pan off the heat and leave to cool for 5 minutes.
If you're adding extras such as nuts, natural flavourings or chocolate chips, stir them in now.
Beat the mixture for 5–10 minutes, until it just loses its shine and becomes very thick. The longer you beat once it thickens, the more crumbly the fudge. For smooth fudge, stop as soon as it comes away from the sides of the pan and sticks well to the spoon.
Press into the tin with the back of a spoon and leave to set before cutting into squares.