Gumdrop Fudge is a creamy Vanilla Fudge filled with colorful gumdrop candy pieces! So pretty for gift giving or for sharing with the kids over the holidays.
Love making homemade Christmas candy? You’ve got to try our classic Divinity recipe! Or for something easier, you can’t go wrong with rocky road fudge!
Easy Fudge Recipe
I saw a recipe for Gumdrop Fudge on Taste of Home several years ago and tucked it into my brain for future use.
Using that recipe as inspiration, I added gumdrops to my favorite vanilla fudge recipe. I tell ya, knowing how to make fudge is useful when you have crazy ideas like this.
At first I was a little concerned that chewy, fruity candy doesn’t belong in fudge. Fudge should be filled with chocolate, nuts, or dried fruit, like in my Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge, Pistachio Fudge and Cherry Fudge with Dark Chocolate.
But guess what? I was wrong. White chocolate fudge is the PERFECT base for your favorite fruity candy. Skittles, Jelly Beans, Mike and Ikes, throw them in!
Or make some colorful fudge using gumdrops like I did. The chewy candies tasted delicious nestled in squares of velvety fudge!
No candy thermometer or special ingredients needed.
Ingredient Notes
- Marshmallow Cream – Also called “marshmallow fluff“, this is my secret ingredient for easy homemade fudge without needing a candy thermometer.
- Heavy Whipping cream – Be sure to use real cream, not milk or half-and-half.
- White chocolate – The morsels or chips melt the easiest. You could also use bars of white chocolate broken up into small pieces.
- Gumdrop candies – I chose to make my Gumdrop Fudge with a whole rainbow of colors, but you could easily pick your colors based on what occasion you want to make Gumdrop Fudge for! Try red and green for Christmas, or your favorite colors for a birthday party.
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1. Get the ingredients ready
Add the white chocolate chips and marshmallow cream in the bowl of your stand mixer. You definitely want this ready to go before you start on the other steps.
Make sure your gumdrops are also chopped and ready to go, too.
Step 2. Heat butter and cream
In a saucepan, bring the butter, cream, sugar and salt to a boil and cook for 5 minutes. Remove this mixture from the heat and immediately pour it over the waiting white chocolate and marshmallow cream.
Use the mixer to beat everything together until the white chocolate and the marshmallow cream are thoroughly melted and everything is combined. Then gently fold in the gumdrop pieces.
Step 3. Set and Cut
Pour the fudge into a prepared baking pan and let it set in the refrigerator for about 2 hours. Once set, you can cut it into pieces and package it up!
Tips and Tricks
- Gumdrop Fudge would be a great gift to give to neighbors and friends. Fill a mason jar, add a lid, wrap some ribbon around it and give it away! Depending on the size of jar you use, you can make several jars of gifts from this recipe. Add some whole gumdrops as filler and more color too!
- Not a fan of gumdrops? No problem! So many colorful fruit candies would be delicious folded into white chocolate fudge. Try Skittles, orange Jelly candies, Mike & Ike’s. . .you name it!
- If you won’t be giving this away or enjoying the fudge right away, I like the slice the fudge just before eating for best freshness.
- Use a sharp knife with a straight edge (not serrated) to cut Gumdrop Fudge.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, I find that Gumdrop Fudge tastes best if stored in the fridge. It’ll keep well for about 2 weeks.
Nope! That’s one of the reasons I love this easy method for homemade fudge so much.
Make sure to use a very SHARP knife to cut this fudge. The gumdrops make this a little tougher to slice than your average fudge, but a sharp enough knife and a little pressure will do the trick.
More Holiday Recipes
- Cookies and Cream Fudge– my kids favorite!
- Cream Cheese Mints
- Christmas Meringue Cookies
- Christmas Crack
- Cool Whip Candy
- Lemon Meringue Fudge– gorgeous AND delicious!
Holiday Candy
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Gumdrop Fudge
Ingredients
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- ¾ cup heavy whipping cream
- ¾ cup unsalted butter
- pinch of salt
- 1 bag white chocolate morsels 11 ounce
- 1 jar marshmallow cream 7 ounce
- 1 ½ cup gumdrops chopped
Instructions
- Prepare an 8-inch square baking dish by lining it with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Add white chocolate morsels and marshmallow cream to a large mixing bowl. Set aside.
- In a large, heavy saucepan, add butter, cream, sugar and salt. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring frequently. Once boiling, continue to boil for a full 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and pour over white chocolate and marshmallow cream. Using an electric mixer, blend for about one minute, until morsels are melted and mixture is smooth.
- Add gumdrops and fold them in with a spoon, gently. Pour mixture into prepared baking dish and refrigerate for two hours (or overnight), covered with a piece of plastic wrap.
- Once set, cut into bite sized pieces and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
Notes
Nutrition
As pretty as a Christmas tree and as delectable as can be, Gumdrop Fudge adds color and whimsy to any holiday candy tray. Make enough to give away. . . but don’t forget to save a few squares for yourself!
I made this and All my gumdrops sank to the bottom. Is there a way to prevent this from happening in the future?
I made the fudge, tastes good. I put the parchment paper in the pan like it said, but the fudge just doesn’t want to come out in whole little squares when you cut it? Is it not set up right? It does seem a tad soft to me?
Did you boil (rolling boil) the butter mixture for the full time? Sometimes if that hasn’t boiled completely it won’t set properly.
Are chocolate morsels same as chocolate buttons or drops ?
I have never seen anything like this! Cute and colorful and I’m sure they are beyond DELICIOUS! What a fantastic idea….must try! Thank you for sharing 🙂
I’ve almost given up on fudge. I just made this and it’s in the fridge. The recipe is so easy to follow even a fudge wrecker like myself can make it!
Can’t wait to try it (well besides licking the beaters)! 😉
This is the cutest fudge ever! It reminds me of sugarplum fairies and winter wonderlands heehhee. 😉
Oh my gosh, this reminds me of a candy that I ate growing up as a child, I can’t remember what they were called, but they were my favorite. I TOTALLY forgot about them until now. I need to make these! Love the idea of combining gumdrops and chocolate. Sugar + Sugar = yes.
Was it those little Brach’s nougats with the chewy gumdrops inside???? Yumm!!
Oh my gosh! The colors are so cute! I never would have thought to use gumdrops in a fudge.
I know, whole new world of possibilities!!
You’re basically a fudge goddess. And I mean that in the best way possible 🙂 I LOVE this idea, Aimee! Gum drops are one of my favorite holiday candies. My grandma used to buy bagfuls of them and only use them as table displays for some reason — who displays candy not meant for eating?! Anyways, I always snuck handfuls of gumdrops. Obviously she found out who did it when her display disappeared, but thankfully she didn’t act like she knew and kept replenishing the bowl 😉
Can I wear a sash and crown?? Love your grandma story 🙂
There is something about gumdrops that make me nostalgic for childhood! These are gorgeous and very clever!!!
Thank you Renee!!!
Gumdrops are one of those things I think I don’t like…until I’ve eaten 50. I need to get a bag!
Kinda like Candy Corn….
This is so fun with all the different colors 🙂 thanks for sharing.
Oh MY GOODNESS this is the cutest fudge ever! Soooo pretty!
I have had gumdrop fudge and yes, they belong together for sure!!! My kids don’t like gumdrops either, but I happen to love them. Good and bad for me for sure!
Yet another terrific fudge recipe! Love it.
This makes me want to make homemade nougat with the jellies in it by brachs.
I don’t like gum drops, but I absolutely love how colorful and pretty they are in the fudge!
Beautiful! They remind me of stained glass!
I love how colorful this is. I have never been succusfull with making fudge 🙁 Hopefully this year will be different.
I have a recipe for chocolate squares with marshmallows that would easily convert to this. My recipe is 1 can of sweetened condensed milk, 8 squares of dark chocolate and 3 cups or marshmallows. Melt the chocolate and combine the milk and then marshmallows. Sprinkle graham crumbs in the container you plan to use (mine is an old bacon keeper from tupperware, 10ish by 7ish) and sprinkle graham crumbs on the top… Anyways… this recipe could easily be done by using white chocolate and cut up gumdrops with the sweetened condensed milk. Just keep them chilled.
Every year when I was a kid we use to have a gum drop tree for Christmas. I can’t believe I forgot about that. Thanks Aimee for bringing back sweet memories to me! This is a great kind of fudge!