Looking for a laugh or practical joke around the holidays? Give the gift of coal with this Christmas Coal Candy!
Coal for Christmas
This isn’t your typical stinky ore. No, it is a delicious vanilla fudge tinged black with sparkly glitter sprinkles. Not really a punishment, is it?
How did the folklore of coal get started in the US? Some beleive that the tradition of coal started in Holland in the 16th century.
In the days leading up to Christmas, children would leave out their shoes. The children would get coal for bad behavior, but if they were good they got a toy, cookies or candy.
Sinterklaas
In fact, one of our closest friends is Dutch and his family still has this tradition. Sinterklaas (a version of Santa Claus) and his elves arrives by boat on December 5th for a big festival to kick off the season.
He wears a fancy red cape and is surrounded by his elves, the most famous is named Pete. Up until a few years ago, the elves wore black face paint to symbolize ash from sliding down a chimney, but the times caught up with traditional and now the elves just follow Saint Nick without their makeup.
It’s available streaming every year, totally worth watching to kick off the holiday season and also give the kiddos some cultural education.
This easy fudge recipe uses a fudge making hack, sweetened condensed milk, unlike traditional fudge that melts sugar with sugar corn syrup. You don’t have to be as vigilant with the temperature or technique and it has a lot more forgiveness.
While the definition of fudge doesn’t actually include chocolate, many folks automatically connect fudge with chocolate. For my Christmas Coal, I did use white chocolate along with black food coloring.
Black Food Coloring
I will not tell you that you only need a drop. You’ll need a good amount to achieve a black, and not gray, fudge. I topped mine with metallic gray sprinkles to give it a little bit sparkle.
I’ve now made this recipe several times to troubleshoot some common issues and with that, I’ve also tried several types of food coloring.
Gel in a Tube– Black gel worked the best for flavor and color. You’ll only need to use 2 teaspoons and you won’t get the bitter aftertaste. I did notice that going in it looks a little dark navy, but it will ultimately dry black.
Liquid– You’ll find this by McCormick. It looks like an extract bottle but is just black food coloring. You’ll need to use more of this, about 2 tablespoons, and it does give off a bit of a strong aftertaste.
Gel in a Tub– This works just as well as tube, but is a little harder to get out.
Couple of other common questions regarding the food coloring…
Activated Charcoal- I’ve also had folks ask if they can use activated charcoal or black cocoa to get this signature hue.
Also, both of these are a powdered form and adding a dry ingredient to this recipe would totally throw off the texture.
What does black food coloring taste like? Historically, black food coloring doesn’t taste great, but now days and using this recipe, which is admittedly heavy on the sweet stuff, you can’t taste it that much.
You can also use a stronger flavor, like licorice or peppermint, to mask it.
Will black food coloring stain my mouth? The short answer is yes. But no more than anything else with food coloring or a lollipop.
Where do I buy the sprinkles? These are the ones I use (affiliate) SPRINKLES!
Can I use Milk or Dark Chocolate? Using either or milk or dark chocolate will give you a darker base so presumably you’ll use less black tint. I prefered the white chocolate so I had better control over the color.
How to Make
To make this Christmas Coal Candy, start by lining an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper. This helps the fudge to release from the pan much easier.
Next, heat white chocolate, sweetened condensed milk, butter, salt and vanilla extract in a heavy bottom sauce pan. Make sure you are (while still over the heat) stirring constantly until the mixture is completely smooth.
Do this over low heat to prevent scalding. Also, don’t stop stirring to prevent scalding. It might takes 5-7 minutes of stirring before the mixture it totally smooth.
READER TIP: Use milk chocolate or dark chocolate to reduce the amount of black food coloring needed.
Remove the pan from the heat and stir in black food coloring. Depending on which brand you use, you might need more or less than I did. Just use enough to get it to the desired shade.
After the food coloring is evenly distributed throughout the Christmas Coal Candy mixture, pour it into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the top with black or silver sprinkles to give your fudge a glittery effect (and a nice crunch)!
I got an awesome suggestion from a reader to roll the chilled fudge into asymmetrical balls and then the sprinkles to get the shape of rocks instead of classic fudge.
Place in the refrigerator and allow to cool completely before cutting. This should take a minimum of 8 hours.
Once completely cooled, you can cut and serve (or prank)! This Christmas Coal Candy would be perfect to serve at any holiday gathering (especially an ugly sweater party!)
Imagine the look on your kids faces when you tell them to go grab a lump of coal. Priceless, I’m sure!
Flavoring
vanilla is the most classic, but feel free to be a little bold and use other flavorings.
- Black licorice
- Peppermint
- Almond
- Pumpkin pie spice
- Rum
Why Didn’t My Fudge Set?
The number one reason fudge doesn’t set is because it wasn’t cooked for long enough or at the right temperature. It must reach the correct temperature for the right amount of time to have water evaporate enough to set the way fudge should.
If you have already put it in the pan and it didn’t set, you can actually transfer it back to a saucepan, add a SMALL amount of water so it doesn’t burn immediately and go through the cooking process again.
I’ve made this recipe multiple now (and today while it was raining and 98% humidity) and had no issues.
Storage & Freezer
But if you aren’t eating it right away, be sure to store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
How do you store fudge? I like to store mine in the fridge in an airtight container. Allow it to sit for 15 minutes or so before serving to come to temperature.
Can fudge sit out? Yes, you can let fudge sit out, it is cooked. Some folks don’t refrigerate it at all.
How long does fudge last? I would say 2-3 days before it starts to dry out.
Why does my fudge sweat? Fudge has some water in it and if it goes through extreme temperature changes, it will produce sweat.
How do you freeze fudge? Wrap the fudge well in aluminum foil or wax paper, then place in an airtight plastic freezer bag. Push out as much air as possible. Freeze for up to 6 months. Thaw at room temperature.
If you love fudge as much as I do, check out these other delicious fudge recipes:
- Christmas Fudge Recipe
- Easy Peanut Butter Fudge
- Rocky Road Fudge
- Old Fashioned Chocolate Fudge
- Eggnog Fudge
- Maple Walnut Fudge
- Fantasy Fudge
Easy Peppermint Fudge Recipe
Nutella Fudge Recipe
Gingerbread Fudge
And if you have someone on your NICE list, consider making them these adorable no Bake Santa Cookies, Meringue Christmas Trees, Christmas Tree Cake Cones or even Homemade Hot Chocolate Bombs.
Christmas Coal Candy
Ingredients
- 3 cups white chocolate chips
- 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons gel black food coloring
- Black or silver sprinkles or sanding sugar , optional
Instructions
- Line an 8×8 square baking dish with parchment paper.
- Heat white chocolate, sweetened condensed milk, unsalted butter, fine sea salt and pure vanilla extract in a heavy bottom sauce pan.
- Stir constantly until mixture is smooth, approximately 5-7 minutes. Keep over low heat, the process it slow, but if you turn up the heat you run the risk of scalding the mixture. It WILL melt… slowly. If you are at a high altitude, this may take longer than stated, be patient.
- Remove from heat and whisk in black food coloring. You may need more or less depending on the brand. See notes.
- Pour into parchment lined dish and spread evenly.
- Sprinkle with black or silver embellishments, if desired. Allow to cool fully before covering and chilling for a minimum of 8 hours.
- Lift parchment out of the pan and cut into 1-inch squares.
- If you’ve tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was in the comments or ratings.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
I cannot wait to give this to my teenagers. They will LOVE it and have a good laugh. Thanks for a harmless and delicious Christmas prank. This is going to be the best!
Let us know how it goes!
You can use color gel by Whitley. It only takes a very small amount. Can be found at Walmart or even Michaels.
You can order it off Amazon too.
Where can the black or silver glittery sprinkles be found/purchased?
I got them at Michaels craft store, but you can also buy them on Amazon. Here is the link (affiliate): https://amzn.to/358AJsZ
Looks awesome but if you print the recipe is says you only need 3 ounces of chocolate and not 3 cups. So I made it with 3 oz and of course it did not set. So to repair it I melted the additional chocolate then added the previous mixture to it. Although I had sprinkled black sugar on top so it is not throughout the recipe plus what I added on top with the second try. It is in the fridge and looks better now.
We just noticed this issue and corrected it! So sorry and I hope the second batch turns out better!
Oh my goodness, this is not what I expected- half of 8” pan and really tough. Are you sure that you mean 3 OUNCES of white chocolate? When this failed, I went looking for other fudge recipes with sweetened condensed milk. They pretty much all called for 12 to 14 oz of chocolate or 3 CUPS of chips. Is this recipe right at 3 OUNCES of chocolate? It failed for me 🙁
I’m sorry to hear that Deborah- let me go back and test that out.
Unfortunately I had the same problem as one of the others who commented, my fudge never set up
Hi Chris, it was just one other person. Are you at high altitude as well?
Hi Chris and Marion- this is what I’ve come up with AND updated the recipe for anyone else having the same issue! I’ve made this a number of times and so have others with no issues, so I wonder if it is the brand of condensed milk you are using or if maybe the mixture didn’t come to right temperature, which can take considerably longer at high altitude.
The number one reason fudge doesn’t set is because it wasn’t cooked for long enough or at the right temperature. It must reach the correct temperature for the right amount of time to have water evaporate enough to set the way fudge should.
If you have already put it in the pan and it didn’t set, you can actually transfer it back to a saucepan, add a SMALL amount of water so it doesn’t burn immediately and go through the cooking process again to reach the right temperature for the right amount of time.
DO NOT allow your candy thermometer to touch the bottom of the pan. Then you are getting a reading for the hot metal, not the actual candy mixture.
The second attempt was done with a candy thermometer and I dont let it hit the pan …never., but I did get a sticky licorice texture this go round. The 3rd go round I added 2 c of marshmallows for a thicker mass and it set up so fast I almost didn’t get it in the pan. However I will keep trying out this recipe till it comes out right. (That is when I acquire more white cho.chips) .
Could you please give me the length of time you cooked it for for high altitude ,I wrote the recipe down but I have many foot notes on all of my recipes and all of my other fudge recipes are ancient but all have the mesurements and altitude conversion already in them. Oh by the way merry christmas.??
Hi Marion, thank you for this feedback. It is hard for me to test or write about altitude since I am not above altitude, I can’t test it. I feel terrible this isn’t working for you knowing that it has worked for so many others. What brand condensed milk are you using? I found one article with someone having a similar problem and they were using a generic milk. I used Eagle Brand. This is what I can find on the internet about altitude and fudge making:
To adjust the temperature to your altitude, deduct two degrees from the temperature required for every one thousand feet of altitude above sea level. For example, in the recipe that follows, if you live 5,000 feet above sea level, you would deduct 10 degrees from 234 degrees.
Reduce sugar: for each cup, decrease 1 to 3 tablespoons.
Increase liquid: for each cup, add 3 to 4 tablespoons.
Keep me posted- I am right here with you (in spirit!) But I am sure other high altitude dwellers will be grateful for your testing!
I made this but it didn’t set up like all of my other fudge recipes, I followed all of the directions, but I live in a high altitude and it’s only about a 1/4 in thick, what did I do wrong??? Its really sticky and wont come off of the parchment paper either . So I stuck the whole mess into the freezer hoping it will get hard enough tho cut.
Ah! I am so sorry, Marion. Let me do some research on the high altitude and making fudge. I live right at sea level so I am not sure about the conversions. It does take a while to set though. Did you grease the parchment paper really well?
Yes, but I bought the non stick parchment, I live at 5000 ft above sea level. If that helps, I’ll do some research as well , will try to stay in touch.
You are up there! I have it on my to-do list 🙂
Do you have to boil the mixture for 5 minutes?
The mixture really depends on the temperture, which can vary depending on your stove. This is just an estimate. The mixture needs to be smooth and creamy without any grainy pieces.
I use milk chocolate for this, it doesn’t need as much black coloring this way. 🙂
Very true!
I am loving how easy this is to make for teacher gifts!
Great idea!