Up until this point, I really thought fudge came from only two places: Mackinac Island (a car-free island in Lake Huron known for its absolutely incredible fudge) or my mother’s kitchen (specifically peanut butter fudge, in that case). But it turns out Trader Joe’s makes fudge. And they recently started selling maple-flavored fudge, just in time for sweater season. Let me just say how pleased I am that Trader Joe’s is not selling pumpkin spice fudge. I’m sure it came up in pitch meetings and I applaud the company’s restraint. Pumpkin spice may still be enjoying a bit of a spotlight, but maple is timeless. No one can argue with maple. I snagged a box of the new Trader Joe’s maple fudge and gave it a try. Here’s my review.
Let’s start with the bottom line: If you like the maple candy that you can get around Christmastime, you will like Trader Joe’s maple fudge. Now let’s get into a bit more of a nuanced review. It is sweet. It is very, very sweet. But that’s the nature of fudge. Fudge is sweet. Even though this fudge comes in craggy die-sized hunks, I prefer to eat it by the sliver. That’s about as much as I can handle. But once you get past the sweetness, there’s a creamy butteriness to the fudge that lets you know it’s not just sugar. It really tastes homemade—like something you’d get at a country market on your way to a cabin in Vermont. (Even though it’s apparently made in the UK and fudge is a British tradition, which is news to me.) I think this is a perfect late afternoon treat with a mug of hot mulled cider or chai.
Pros: The buttery texture is creamy and melts on your tongue. It seems very artisanal and is a unique offering that you can’t get from other stores. And it really is a lot like those maple candies you get at Christmas!
Cons: It’s so very sweet I absolutely could not finish one square by myself. After a couple of nibbles I could feel the sugar coursing through my veins. One box of these will last a very long time if you aren’t a huge sugar fiend.
Justine Sterling is the editor-in-chief of Sporked. She has been writing about food and beverages for well over a decade and is an avid at-home cook and snacker. Don’t worry, she’s not a food snob. Sure, she loves a fresh-shucked oyster. But she also will leap at whatever new product Reese’s releases and loves a Tostitos Hint of Lime, even if there is no actual lime in the ingredients.
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