A woman I know lamented to me that she adored fudge but could no longer have it due to allergies. No, not the chocolate. She’s allergic to corn, soy and milk. Corn syrup is a common ingredient, soy lecithin a stabilizer in a lot of chocolates and milk, butter or both are in pretty much every recipe you find.
I took this as a challenge. What purpose, I wondered, does corn syrup serve? It turned out to involve the chemistry of sugar crystslization. Corn syrup is an interfering agent, keeping the sugar from crystalizing too quickly and forming large clumps. That was something I could work with. There are other invert sugars, among them brown rice syrup and Golden syrup. First substitution determined.
Onward…what does the milk do? It provides a certain sort of protein, which almond milk also contains. I like the flavor of almond with chocolate, so I don’t care if my fudge has an almomd undertone so long as the texture is right. Second substitution found.
The last one was the easiest. If I use a recipe with unsweetened chocolate instead of semi-sweet, I don’t have to worry about lecithin. It will be somewhat tirckier than fudge made with marshmallow fluff and the best bittersweet or dark chocolate I can find, but that’s okay.
I found rice syrup at the grocery today. Next up will be acquisition of an instant-read digital candy thermometer, and then the ultimate test of whether theory survives first contact with reality. I’m looking forward to the experiment!
How did it come out?
Haven’t made it yet, just figured out the theory. I’ll probably try one modification at a time, so that if I have a problem I’ll know where to start rethinking.
I still have a problem eating fudge after I ate 3/4 lb of it at my mom’s one Saturday when I was 4.
LOL! Scarred you for life, eh?