Step 1: Set Up Your Situation

Line an 8×8 inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving overhang on two sides like little handles. This makes it stupid-easy to lift the fudge out later. Don’t skip this or you’ll be crying while trying to dig fudge out of your pan with a butter knife. Been there.

Lightly spray the parchment with cooking spray or brush with a tiny bit of butter. Fudge is sticky as hell and we want it to release cleanly.

Measure out your marshmallows and separate them—1 cup for folding into the fudge, 1/2 cup for mixing in, and 1 cup for topping. Keep them separated or you’ll lose track and your fudge math will be all wrong.

Get all your ingredients ready and within arm’s reach. Once the chocolate starts melting, things move fast and you don’t want to be frantically searching for vanilla extract.

Step 2: Melt Everything Into Chocolate Heaven

In a medium saucepan over LOW heat—and I mean LOW, not medium, not “kinda low”—combine the chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk, and butter.

Stir constantly with a rubber spatula. The chocolate will start to soften and get glossy. Keep stirring. This takes about 5-7 minutes. Don’t rush it or the chocolate can seize up and get grainy.

Once everything is melted and completely smooth—no lumps, no chunks, just pure silky chocolate—remove from heat immediately.

Add the cocoa powder, vanilla extract, salt, and espresso powder. Stir vigorously until the cocoa powder is fully incorporated with no lumps. The mixture will get even darker and more intensely chocolatey. Smell it. That’s what happiness smells like.

The mixture should be thick, glossy, and pourable. If it looks separated or greasy, you overheated it. If it’s grainy, same problem. This is why we use LOW heat and stir constantly.

Step 3: Marshmallow Magic Time

Working quickly (the fudge starts to set as it cools), fold in 1 1/2 cups of mini marshmallows. Use a gentle folding motion—don’t stir aggressively or the marshmallows will start to melt too much. You want them to stay somewhat intact as little pockets of sweetness.

Some of the marshmallows will start to melt slightly from the heat of the chocolate, and that’s perfect. It creates this incredible swirly, gooey situation that’s exactly what we want.

Don’t overthink this step. Just fold them in evenly and move on. Speed is your friend here.

Step 4: Get It In The Pan Before It Sets

Pour the fudge mixture into your prepared pan. Work fast—this stuff sets quicker than you’d think.

Use your spatula to spread it evenly into all corners. Don’t obsess over making it perfectly smooth on top because we’re covering it with toppings anyway. Rustic is charming here.

Gently tap the pan on the counter a few times to release any air bubbles and help it settle into an even layer.

The top will look glossy and slightly soft. Resist the urge to touch it. I know you want to. Don’t.

Step 5: White Chocolate Drizzle Situation

In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the white chocolate chips in 20-second bursts, stirring between each burst. This should take about 60-90 seconds total. Don’t overheat or white chocolate gets grainy and gross.

Once it’s melted and smooth, transfer it to a small ziplock bag or piping bag. Cut a tiny corner off the bag—like, really tiny. You can always make it bigger but you can’t make it smaller.

Drizzle the white chocolate over the fudge in whatever pattern makes your heart happy. Zigzags, swirls, random squiggles—there’s no wrong answer here. Just don’t drizzle it in perfectly straight lines unless you want it to look weirdly uptight.

Work quickly because white chocolate sets fast.

Step 6: Pile On Those Marshmallows

While the white chocolate is still wet, scatter the remaining 1 cup of mini marshmallows all over the top. Press them down very gently so they stick to the white chocolate but don’t sink completely into the fudge.

Place some strategically, throw others randomly. Make it look like a hot chocolate explosion happened on top of your fudge. This is art. You’re an artist.

If you’re using crushed peppermint candies (highly recommend for holiday vibes), sprinkle those on now too while everything is still sticky.

Step 7: The Waiting Is The Hardest Part

Put the pan in the refrigerator and let it chill for at least 3 hours, or until completely firm. I know this is torture. I’m sorry.

Don’t try to cut it too early or it’ll be a melty mess. Trust the process.

For best results, let it chill overnight. It’ll be much easier to cut into clean squares.

Once it’s completely firm, use the parchment paper overhang to lift the entire fudge slab out of the pan. Place it on a cutting board.

Step 8: Cut Like A Pro

Use a large, sharp knife. Run it under hot water, dry it completely, then make one cut. Wipe the knife clean, heat it again, dry it, make another cut. Repeat for every cut.

This hot knife method gives you clean, professional-looking edges instead of raggedy, crumbly ones.

Cut into whatever size squares you want. I like 1-inch squares because this fudge is rich as hell and a little goes a long way. You’ll get 64 small pieces. If you like bigger pieces, go for 1.5-inch squares and you’ll get about 28 pieces.

Don’t stress if some squares aren’t perfect. They’re going to get eaten in approximately 3 seconds anyway.

Step 9: Make It Extra Pretty

Put your cut fudge pieces on a serving plate or in a decorative tin.

Using a fine mesh sieve, dust the top lightly with hot chocolate powder. Just a light snow of cocoa, not a blizzard. This makes them look fancy as hell and adds an extra hit of chocolate flavor.

If you’re gifting these, place each piece in a mini cupcake liner. This prevents them from sticking together and makes them look bakery-professional.

Take 94 pictures because they’re ADORABLE.

Try one. Die of happiness. Question why you ever bought store-bought fudge.