Doodh Peda – now that’s good Fudge!

It’s Wednesday and time for a treat!  This is an easy version of a classic sweet Doodh Peda–the Indian version of Canadian Fudge.  Simple ingredients you probably already have at home and if not, easy enough to get from the local grocery store.  It took less than 1 hour to make, hard to believe given the taste of it.  Typically any Indian sweet of this nature takes hours to make, involves lots of stirring and lots of butter and sugar.  Here, I used sweetened condensed milk, milk powder and no where near the amount of butter we would have used for a toffee.  So give it a try.

I made different shapes to show the versatility in presentation.  Make whatever shapes you like, they won’t last long enough for you to decide which one you like best.  As always – enjoy!

Ingredients:
2 cups Powdered Milk
1 can Sweetened Condensed Milk (note the can says 300 ml, but I weighed it at 350 ml)
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 tsp Almond extract (optional)
2 teaspoons cardamom or cinnamon
Whole Almonds or Pistachios (quantity will vary with the quantity you get from this batch)

Combine the powdered milk and sweetened condensed milk in a medium non-stick pot. Stir with a wooden spoon or heavy duty silicone spatula. The mixture will be very thick – it will loosen up when you start to cook the fudge.

Once mixed, place the saucepan on low heat, add the butter – Stir frequently and watch carefully, any type of fudge or toffee will go from perfect to burned in seconds.

Continue stirring frequently until the butter is completely melted and incorporated into the mixture. Add the almond extract, let it get bubbly around the edges. It will start pulling away from the sides of the pan. This can take up to 10 minutes. When it pulls away from the edges of the pan it is ready – remove from the heat and allow it to cool 10 – 15 minutes or until you can safely handle the fudge without burning your hands.

Spread some butter on your hands, tear off a small piece of the fudge, roll it into a ball, place it on a parchment lined baking sheet or some other flat surface and push an almond into it – almost like a thumb print cookie.

Repeat these steps with the remaining dough until you’ve used it all. Alternatively, roll some of the dough on greased parchment paper into a 1/8″ to 1/4″ thickness. Using a pizza cutter, cut diagonals with the dough. You could also add a piece of chocolate to each piece of fudge after it’s cut.

Sprinkle the tops with a touch of cinnamon and let set for at least an hour, or until room temperature and firm to the touch.

Doodh Peda/fudge can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge. Use parchment or wax paper between layers to prevent sticking. Exposing it to air dries out the fudge. If they last that long, these will keep for up to a week.

Mixing the Condensed and Powdered Milks

Butter has been added to the pot, time to stir like crazy to incorporate. Using a non-stick pan and tempered silicone spatula makes an easy job of it.