Three ingredient fireball fudge, filled with cinnamon whiskey, is sure to be a conversation starter at your next party.
Grown-ups only for this boozy, no-bake dessert, please!
fireball fudge
If I'm making a boozy fudge recipe, I want my fudge to taste like booze. This fireball fudge delivers.
It tastes strongly of Fireball whiskey, and yet the combination of chocolate, sugar, and booze is so crazy delicious.
We're all about easy fudge on this blog, and this fudge couldn't be easier.
I came up with the three-ingredient boozy fudge recipe a few years ago on my other blog, and I've tried all kinds of booze. Instead of whiskey, you can use gin, tequila, vodka, Schnapps... Choose your liquor! Fireball whiskey fits right in.
If you're still feeling bold with fudge, check out this Velveeta fudge! Everything you need to know about how to make fudge can be found on this FAQ page.
Watch this quick video to see how to make fireball fudge
How to make fireball fudge
you will need:
confectioner's sugar
Also called powdered sugar and icing sugar, this fine sugar is perfect for fudge. You'll need two pounds, so I suggest purchasing the 2-pound bag for easy measuring.
Fireball whiskey
Use any of your preferred brands of whiskey. Make sure the liquor is at room temperature.
semi-sweet chocolate chips
Any of your favorite brands work. I use the Nestle brand. Be sure not to over-melt your chocolate.
cinnamon candies
Cinnamon candies are optional, but they decorate and spice up the fudge nicely.
tools you'll need:
- 9 x 13 inch baking dish
- non-stick aluminum foil (lightly greased parchment paper or regular foil work too)
STEP ONE: MIX YOUR SUGAR AND WHISKEY
Line the baking dish with non-stick aluminum foil and set aside.
In a large bowl, place two pounds of confectioner's sugar. Stir in one cup of room-temperature Fireball whiskey and mix very well with a large whisk.
The mixture will look like icing.
STEP TWO: MELT THE CHOCOLATE
In a microwave-safe bowl, place 12-ounces (about 2 cups) of semi-sweet chocolate chips.
Microwave for 90 seconds at 70 percent power. Stir, using the residual heat to fully melt the chocolate chips. If needed, microwave for additional 15 second intervals.
Alternatively, melt the chocolate chips in a heat-safe bowl on top of a saucepan of simmering water on the stove-top.
Don't overheat the chocolate. Use the residual heat and keep stirring to fully melt the chocolate chips, rather than to keep adding heat.
STEP THREE: MIX IT ALL TOGETHER
Let the chocolate cool just a bit before mixing into the liquor and sugar mixture. This will help prevent the chocolate from stiffening too quickly, as will the room-temperature liquor rather than chilled.
Scrape the melted chocolate into the sugar and liquor mixture and stir very well.
Pour into the prepared pan and smooth with a spatula.
If desired, press cinnamon candies into the top of the fudge.
Chill until set, about 2 hours.
Cut into pieces. Makes about 54 pieces.
help! My fudge is too thick!
It's possible to have trouble with the chocolate seizing, or the chocolate stiffening too quickly when added to the liquor and sugar mixture.
Mixing melting chocolate with liquid is risky for this reason.
Traditional boozy fudge recipes incorporate sweetened condensed milk, which is an ingredient that mitigates the seizing.
However, by not using the sweetened condensed milk, I'm able to double the booze in the recipe, which gives it the strong taste I prefer.
If you want to try this recipe and minimize the chances of chocolate seizing, try these tips:
- Use room temperature booze. Cold booze can trigger seizing.
- The key to success is in the chocolate! Chocolate that is too hot or overheated can also trigger seizing. Use the residual heat (or, leftover heat from time in the microwave or on the stove over a double boiler) as much as possible. And when the chocolate is melted, let it cool slightly before adding to the booze and sugar mixture.
- If your fudge has thickened too much to manage, you can try to re-melt the fudge in a heat-safe bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water.
- If your fudge is just a little thick, and only a little difficult to spread, it will still work! Scrape the mixture into the baking pan, place a piece of wax or parchment paper on top, and smooth with your hands
- When you mix the booze and the sugar, whisk it very well. It should look like thin icing. If it's at all thick, add more booze, a tablespoon at a time, until it thins. (Check out the video to see what the consistency should look like.)
What liquor is best in fudge?
As I mentioned above, I've tried just about every liquor in my boozy fudge recipes.
For the best consistency, the pure liquid alcohol is the best, meaning the vodka, gin, rum, tequila, whiskey, etc.
Coffee liquors such a Bailey's work very well, but make a fudge a bit thicker.
I like the fun of fudge tasting like booze, but for the best chocolate and liquor flavors that are complementary, think of more fruity flavors, such as Amaretto or Cointreau.
Interestingly, I found wines and champagne did not work well in this recipe.
How do you store fudge?
Can you freeze fudge?
YES. You can freeze fudge.
Because this fudge is strong and I can't eat too much of it at once, and because this batch, made in a 9 x 13 inch baking pan instead of the square baking pan, makes so many pieces, I usually freeze some.
I use a freezer-safe plastic or glass lidded container and layer the fudge between pieces of wax paper.
Let thaw at room temperature in the container. It should keep in the freezer for 2 to 3 months.
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Printable fireball fudge recipe
Three-ingredient Fireball Fudge is easy to make and filled with Fireball cinnamon whiskey and topped with cinnamon candy.
- 2 pounds confectioner's sugar
- 1 cup Fireball Cinnamon Whiskey
- 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips 12-ounces
- cinnamon candies optional
Line a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with lightly greased parchment paper or non-stick aluminum foil.
In a large bowl, place the confectioner's sugar. Pour in the fireball whiskey and mix very well with a large whisk. The mixture will look like icing.
Next, melt the chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 90 seconds at 70 percent power, or until the chips are about three-quarters melted. Stir, using the residual heat to fully melt the chocolate chips, until the mixture is smooth.
Alternatively, melt the chocolate chips in a heat-safe bowl on top of a saucepan of simmering water on the stove-top.
Scrape the melted chocolate into the sugar and liquor mixture. Stir very well.
Pour into the prepared pan and smooth with a spatula. If desired, sprinkle the top with cinnamon candies and gently press into the fudge.
Chill until set, about 2 hours. Cut into squares.
Combining melted chocolate with liquid (in this case, booze) can be risky. The chocolate can seize and thicken too quickly. To prevent this from happening, make sure to use room temperature alcohol and do NOT overheat the chocolate. Melt the chocolate slowly, using the residual heat as much as possible to fully melt the chocolate chips. Let the chocolate cool slightly before mixing in to the liquor and sugar mixture.
This recipe for Fireball whiskey was originally published in August 2018 and updated in May 2021.
more whiskey recipes
Looking for more ways to cook with whiskey?
- This chocolate whiskey cake looks divine.
more easy fudge recipes
If you try this fireball fudge recipe, let us know in the comments! Looking for more easy recipes?
- Pistachio fudge - February 2, 2023
- chocolate pecan fudge - January 26, 2023
- chocolate frosting fudge - January 24, 2022
Kennedy
Boozy fudge? What a concept!😋
Beth
I know you'll like this boozy fudge! 🙂
Louise Jackson
Love this idea. Have tried several of your easy fudge recipes and love them. I will try this one too.
Shauna
Can this be halved easily or will that ruin the integrity of the recipe? I don't want to make such a large batch, I just want to give it to my 21 yr old niece as a gift in her "Turning 21 Survival Kit"
Thanks!
Meaghan
Ha, I love this idea for your niece! Also, great question! I make a lot of boozy fudge (https://thedecoratedcookie.com/category/food-crafts/other-sweets/fudge-shots/) and after making the fireball fudge recipe, I wanted to halve the recipe to use an 8-inch square pan instead of 9 x 13-inch when I found I consistently had leftovers. However, it's not a straight halving. I played around with the chocolate a bit for the right consistency. If you choose to halve it, I'd follow the how-tos for this vodka fudge (link below) and sub the whiskey!
https://howtomakeeasyfudge.com/vodka-fudge/
Shauna
Thanks so much!
Claudio
I just finished making this fudge and wowza, it has a great boozy flavor. My friends are going to love it. Thanks for the easy recipe.
Beth
I'm so glad you loved this fireball fudge recipe. I hope your friends do too!
Jordan
I had to work really quickly to get this fudge to come together but it turned out great! It is seriously boozy!!!!
Jesse
I just tried to make this fudge, the flavor was delicious but it is not smooth and all crumbles. I am so disappointed. I mixed and mixed but it turned so hard and chunky. Any other ideas of what I could make with the crumbles? I hate to throw it away.
Meaghan
Hi Jesse, Yikes, I'm so sorry this happened to your fudge! I had one other person message that something similar happened to her, and I need to get back in there and make this fudge a million more times to see if it happens to me. I've used the recipe dozens and dozens of times with different boozes and it always works so flawlessly. BUT, as I had this discussion with the other comment-er, my only guess is that the chocolate is the culprit. Chocolate and liquid can be a risky combination, because liquid can make chocolate seize up, and it sounds like that happened to you. Seizing chocolate. I've been lucky that it hasn't happened to me when making boozy fudge, but maybe that really is just luck. It's extremely frustrating. This particular recipe I like, because as you said, it's delicious and the whiskey taste is strong. The traditional whiskey fudge uses half the liquor and a can of sweetened condensed milk. (Here's an example of that recipe: https://www.wineandglue.com/easy-fireball-fudge-recipe/). A fudge made with sweetened condensed milk is much less likely to seize, but, sigh, I just like the stronger, less sweet fudge myself.
I'm going to need to dedicate myself to the boozy fudge mission of coming up with ways to prevent chocolate seizing. You and my other reader have inspired me! I'm so sorry that this happened to your fudge. Hmmm... what to do with the crumbles. I wonder how they work if you used them as "chips" in chocolate chip cookies?
Keep me posted, and when I solve the seizing problem, I'll send you a message! Thank you so much for taking the time to come back here and leave feedback.
Mimi
always a hit, every time I make it. I've made it with milk chocolate chips, as well as white and dark chocolate chips. love every version! I also mix the cinnamon candies throught the fudge as it settles instead of just placing them on top. This recipe is definitely a keeper!
Edgar
I just made this and had the same problem... I added a bit more liquor and still couldn’t use a whisk. The chocolate solidified too fast so I heated the final mixture back up and that helped while I mixed it together.
Meaghan
Hi Edgar! Beth and I are brainstorming now what the problem could be. I'm going to update the post above with tips and tricks! Ultimately, I think the melted chocolate-liquor combination is risky because of seizing (like I mentioned in another comment, the traditional boozy fudge recipe, like most on this site, use sweetened condensed milk, which mitigates the seizing). But I prefer this recipe simply because by using just sugar and liquor, you can use more liquor. And I love the stronger taste. Thank you so much for commenting and letting us know! I'm going to add some more information in the blog post to help prevent this from happening to other readers.
Mia
I can't wait to share this fudge with my friends. It has a really intense boozy flavor which I loved.
Laura
I made this tonight. It got really thick but I was able to thin it out with a bit more fireball and it was fine. It's very sweet but incredibly boozy too. It could be a bit more chocolatey for my liking but my husband thought the strong fireball flavor was great.
Latonya
My friends thought this fudge was amazing! I made it to bring to a party and every piece was gone. It sure is boozy, and I think that's what everyone liked so much.
Elizabeth
This is the booziest fudge ever!
Rosaria Ohara
My fudge was a bit dry so I just added more booze! Not a bad thing. HaHa. It's was very sweet but had a really intense Fireball flavor which we liked.
Meaghan
Ha, perfect!! I'm always OK with "more booze"! And yep, that can happen. The booze/chocolate combo is always a bit temperamental because you're combining liquid and melted chocolate, which can seize. But the only alternative to avoid that is to add sweetened condensed milk, and I don't want to do that because I want to taste the intense booze flavor you mentioned! I've also tried it with gin, tequilla, vodka, rum... So good.
Kelly
Ugh, whisked the sugar in with the whiskey and it just became a massive ball of boozy sugar. Added more, same thing. Added the chocolate and everything just became unmanageable and refused to pour. When I got it into the pan, I pressed everything flat and slid it into the oven for about 30 seconds on low heat. It melted a little, but I'm still not really sure about this recipe. Would melting the sugar and whiskey together first and then cooling them to room temp before adding the chocolate work?
Meaghan
Hi Kelly, Hmm. Were you using confectioner's sugar?? Confectioner's sugar is so fine that it should mix easily with the booze. Heating the sugar would crystallize it and could also heat out the alcohol, so I don't think that would work. If mixing the confectioner's sugar and liquor didn't work, then yep, I'm sure adding chocolate into the mix at that point would be a disaster. I've made this so so so many times and have never experienced a reaction like that between the confectioner's sugar and liquor. Was the liquor cold? I wonder if that affected it? But the key question is to make sure you use confectioner's sugar and not granulated.
Debbie Hidalgo
I would love to try the fireball fudge using white chocolate, red food coloring and fireball whiskey, resembling peppermint when finished. Your suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Please and thank you!
Meaghan
Hi Debbie, that should work very well! I would prepare the fudge using white chocolate. Remove about one-third and tint it red. Pour the white chocolate into the prepared pan. Drizzle the red over it and swirl with a knife.
Barbara
My son loves peanut butter fudge, can I just switch out the chocolate chips for peanut butter?
Meaghan
Hi Barbara! Peanut butter and melted chocolate chips have different consistencies, so I'm not sure the substitution would work. However, if you can find peanut butter "chocolate" chips, that would be your best bet!
Amanda Cruz
Maybe try using the Skrewball Peanut Butter Whiskey. That's what I am going to try 🙂
Meaghan
I have never heard of Peanut Butter whiskey, but oh my goodness, I bet it will taste so so good!
Sheri Skains
I've made your recipe for Fireball Fudge for several years now and always to rave reviews. I thank you for the recipe! I get the best results using approximately 1-1/4 C of liquor. Mixing the powdered sugar and alcohol together, I try to get to the consistency of sweetened condensed milk. It also helps to have someone pour the melted chocolate into the sugar mix while I stir. No matter the temperature, it almost always seizes and has to be mashed into the pan, using gloved hands helps with this.
Meaghan
Argh... this is the fundamental risk with this fudge and not tempering the chocolate. I LOVE the boozy fudge recipes (I've tried just about every alcohol with great success) because they require actual booze and no sweetened condensed milk to dull the taste, and the alcohol shines, but you've hit upon the most finicky part. I've had the chocolate seize a bit, but not that dramatically. It sounds like you're on top of the liquor temperature, but perhaps the culprit is too-hot chocolate? Are you using the microwave or a double boiler? I might suggest a double boiler and letting the chocolate melt only partially, and stirring to use the residual heat to melt the rest.
Terrilyn
Made this two yrs in row now, if it's too thick I just keep adding booze before adding melted chocolate. Came out perfect each time. Very very strong lol but delicious. I just kept adding fireball until consistency of condensed milk/thin frosting. It has set up perfect each time. Reminder tho- very strong lotta whiskey in these.
Mimi
I cannot emphasize enough how much I absolutely love this recipe!! I have used it so many times, substituting white chocolate and dark chocolate chips as well as other liquors and it ALWAYS comes out fabulous! My friends and family have requested it so much for potlucks that whenever I sign up for a dish to bring, I just write Mimi's usual, and everyone's face lights up with anticipation. I also mix red hots in the fudge mixture instead of adding them on top as suggested, and it gives the fireball fudge an added kick. I have made pina colada, Cosmopolitan and margarita fudge, and they are all hits! I love this recipe!
Meaghan
I love it Mimi! I'm so glad it works so well for you! I'm the same. I'm a boozy fudge fan. I've tried gin, vodka, lots of other alcohols. I'll add some other flavors, too, like gin and coconut. I have a bunch more recipes here: https://thedecoratedcookie.com/category/fudge-shots