An Opera Fudge recipe is essential to those who love eating sweet, chocolate-rich treats. Eating chocolate is important and actually has the ability to affect our negative moods. Foods that contain chocolate usually put people in a better mood due to containing serotonin, which is an antidepressant. Not only that, chocolate has been widely known to lower risks of heart disease. So it’s not just about being delicious, but chocolates carry many health benefits for us. Flavonoids contained in chocolates are identified as having antioxidant, anti-allergic, anti-tumor, anti-viral, and anti-inflammatory benefits to it. That’s why eating chocolates are not to be messed with.
Before baking this Opera Fudge recipe, it’s important to know what they are. Nobody actually knew where the name came from, origins are also unknown. The Wertz family first provided a recipe for Opera Fudge, and it remains up to this day. Wertz Candies are famous for selling fresh Opera Fudges. They are a vintage candy store who has operated for 85 years and the biggest Opera Fudge producer. This candy store first opened in 1931 by Billy Wertz, located in Cumberland Street downtown Lebanon. Wertz Candies usually sell these Opera Fudges in boxes. But now anyone can make their own Opera Fudge.
Ingredients:
- ½ cup (or 1 stick) of unsalted butter, cut and kept at room temperature. More for the baking sheet
- 4 cups of granulated sugar
- 2 cups of light cream
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, pure
- 1 pound of baking chocolate, unsweetened
- ½ ounce of food paraffin
Preparation Directions:
- Use butter to rimmed baking sheet; put aside.
- Prepare large saucepan, heavy-bottomed. Add in cream and sugar, mix them inside.
- Set saucepan to medium-low heat, bring mixture into boiling.
- Throw in butter, cook it without stirring. Continue until mixture reach 240 degrees, use a candy thermometer (takes about 50-60 minutes).
- Pour previous mixture onto another baking sheet, even-layered. Let cool for 2 hours.
- Use a large bowl to transfer mixture, stir in vanilla extract.
- Use hands to press and pull mixture. Continue kneading and pulling until color lightens, loses shine, and no longer sticky. Takes around 15-45 minutes long.
- Roll mixture and shape them into small balls, approximately 1 inch diameter. Put on a baking sheet (parchment-paper-lined one), refrigerate for 10 minutes until cold and firm.
- Prepare heatproof bowl over simmering water, melt food paraffin and chocolate into it. Stir until well-combined and smooth.
- Use toothpicks to dip each ball into above chocolate mixture, return it to baking sheet.
- Refrigerate for 30 minutes until fudges are chilled and chocolates are set.
- Keep at room temperature before finally serving Opera Fudge recipe.
With this recipe, no one has to go far only to have a taste of Opera Fudge in Wertz Candies anymore. Although the taste might be slightly different, but it proves to still be a delicious, sweet treat. Show this off to people you know and share the taste of Opera Fudge recipe too.
