Pumpkin Fudge

Had a relaxing day yesterday so I made some Pumpkin Fudge.  Just another stop on the Pumpkin train.  I just can't seem to get enough of this stuff when Autumn rolls around. 

I must admit that I had never made fudge before and was a little intimidated by the recipe.  (Exact boiling times and temperatures...not for me) As much as I love baking, I have a tendency to measure however I feel like measuring.  A dash of this and a pinch of that, instead of exactly one tablespoon.  This is not always the best strategy for baking where very precise measurements are a must. 

So lately I've been trying my hardest to measure everything exactly how the recipe says, and it's been going well so far. 

From what I've gathered on other blogs and recipe sites is that fudge can go very wrong, very easily.  So just follow the recipe and you'll be ok...I think!

Ingredients:
2 Cups sugar
1 Cup brown sugar (packed)
3/4 Cup butter (MUST be real butter)
2/3 Cup evaporated milk
1/2 Cup pumpkin puree
1 1/2 tsp. Pumpkin Pie Spice
12 oz. (one package) white chocolate chips
7 oz. (one small jar) Marshmallow Creme
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 Cup nuts (pecans or macadamia) - optional

Special equipment: candy thermometer

1) Butter a 9x13 baking dish or line with wax paper and butter.
2) In a heavy saucepan combine the first 6 ingredients.  Cook over MEDIUM heat until boiling. Stir constantly.  
3) Place the thermometer in the sugar mixture and boil until the 234-243 degrees F (the soft-ball stage). Note: be patient, this can take up to 30 minutes...don't rush it or the fudge can get grainy or very crumbly. 
4) Remove from heat and stir in the white chocolate until they are all melted and mixture is smooth.
5) Add remaining ingredients and mix well. 
6) Pour into the prepared pan and let cool to room temperature. 
7) Cut into squares and store in an air tight container. 

As you can see by my first picture, the fudge is not very orange.  I was expecting it to come out a little brighter.  It also would have been nice because people wouldn't have to ask what kind of fudge it is. 

To counter this, I figure you can just add some orange gel food coloring when you are adding the marshmallow fluff until it reaches the desired orange color.

Other than that, I had no problems with making the fudge...it turned out great!