This playful Christmas coal candy turns silky white-chocolate fudge jet-black for a tongue-in-cheek holiday treat that’s rich, creamy, and ridiculously easy. With a gentle, low-heat melt and an overnight chill, you’ll get smooth texture, sharp edges, and that perfect coal look—sprinkles optional.
Why This Coal Candy Works
No thermometer needed – Fudge and candy making are notoriously known for being finicky and difficult. For this one, no candy thermometer is needed and it’s super easy.
White chocolate flavor – With this recipe, you get a deep, creamy white-chocolate flavor in a fun “coal” look.
Make-ahead & giftable – With the clean cuts clean after chilling, this fudge is perfect for making ahead and gifting during the holidays.
What You’ll Need
You only need a handful of easy to find ingredients to make this Christmas coal candy. A full list of ingredients with measurements for this recipe is available in the printable recipe card below.
- Sweetened condensed milk – This easy fudge recipe uses a fudge making hack, sweetened condensed milk, unlike traditional fudge that melts sugar with sugar corn syrup. You don’t have to be as vigilant with the temperature or technique and it has a lot more forgiveness.
- White chocolate chips
- Unsalted butter
- Fine sea salt
- Vanilla extract
- Black food coloring
- Sprinkles
Test Kitchen Notes
I’ve tested this Christmas coal candy in my kitchen so that I can provide you with these helpful tips and tricks.
- Patience > heat: High heat can scorch your fudge or turn it oily or grainy; so patience is key when melting chocolate and making fudge.
- Jet-black finish: Start with a deep gray color, then whisk in tiny dabs of gel until it reaches the desired black color.
- Clean edges: To ensure clean cuts, chill your fudge overnight and use a warm, dry knife and wipe between cuts.
- Altitude: If you’re at a higher altitude, your melt may take longer- keep it low and steady for smoothest results.
- Grainy/oily: This generally means you overheated it. Rewarm gently off heat, then whisk in 1–2 tsp condensed milk or a dab of butter.
- Too soft: You probably just need to chill longer; next batch add a few tablespoons more chips or use a smaller pan.
- Streaky color: This just means you didn’t mix in the coloring enough. Whisk thoroughly off heat.
Perfect Pairings
If adding this christmas coal candy to a cookie tray, consider adding other fun cookies like Melted Snowman Cookies, Cream Wafer Cookies, Pignoli Cookies or Quick Sugar Cookie Fudge.
And if you have someone on your NICE list, consider making them these adorable no Bake Santa Cookies, Meringue Christmas Trees, Christmas Tree Cake Cones or even Homemade Hot Chocolate Bombs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Fudge has some water in it and if it goes through extreme temperature changes, it will produce sweat.
Using either or milk or dark chocolate will give you a darker base so presumably you’ll use less black tint. I preferred the white chocolate so I had better control over the color.
The short answer is yes. But no more than anything else with food coloring or a lollipop.
More Easy Fudge Recipes
When Christmas rolls around, fudge is my go to dessert to both make and eat! Here are some of my favorites.
Christmas Coal Candy Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 cups white chocolate chips
- 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons gel black food coloring
- Black or silver sprinkles or sanding sugar , optional
Instructions
- Line an 8×8 square baking dish with parchment paper.
- Heat the 3 cups white chocolate chips, 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk, 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, ½ teaspoon fine sea salt and 2 teaspoons vanilla extract in a heavy bottom sauce pan.
- Stir constantly until mixture is smooth, approximately 5-7 minutes. Keep over low heat, the process it slow, but if you turn up the heat you run the risk of scalding the mixture. It WILL melt… slowly. If you are at a high altitude, this may take longer than stated, be patient.
- Remove from heat and whisk in 2 teaspoons gel black food coloring. You may need more or less depending on the brand. See notes.
- Pour into parchment lined dish and spread evenly.
- Sprinkle with black or silver embellishments, if desired. Allow to cool fully before covering and chilling for a minimum of 8 hours.
- Lift parchment out of the pan and cut into 1-inch squares.
- If you’ve tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was in the comments or ratings.
Notes
Nutrition
My brother Loves black licorice so I used Anise oil instead of vanilla. I didn’t want to alter the licorice flavor by using milk or dark chocolate so I used the black candy wafers used for making chocolate and I did not need any food color. My brother thought it was the best gift in his box of goodies I sent him.
You have a section in this article labeled Storage & Freezer but then under that it doesn’t say anything about the freezer. How long can I keep it in the freezer? I want to make this today but want to be able to share and gift it in 5-7 days too.
Hey Jen- thanks for letting us know! We’ll add that right in. Wrap it well in aluminum foil or wax paper and place it in a freezer bag, releasing as much air as possible. Air is the enemy! Thaw at room temperature.
The bad thing about this fudge, and the reason I won’t make it, is that it will turn your mouth and teeth black.
Nothing a swig of water and brushing won’t fix. So does wine, and I still drink it 😉
I am definitely going to try this recipe. To lessen the chance of changing the texture, would dissolving black cocoa in two teaspoons of hot water (then letting it cool to room temp) have the same affect as using liquid food coloring?
It would be brown, not black. Not a deep enough color.
Using water in chocolate would seize the chocolate doesn’t matter if its hot or not, it makes the fudge clumpy. and if you are not using pure vanilla extract you are just using vanilla flavored water
I have black food coloring but itit’s not Gel. Can I use that? If yes, what amount differential if any?
Hi Norma, they all vary just a little. I’d just add it until it turns black. Start with 1 teaspoon.
Definitely going to try this recipe for the holidays this year!! Just wondering if it’s possible to use black cocoa powder?? I’ve used it to make black frosting for cakes. Just not sure how to add it so it’s doesn’t change the consistency of the fudge since it’s a powder. Any suggestions?
I haven’t tried it- I’ve clearly used regular cocoa powder, but not black. If you only think you need a tablespoon or so, you’ll be okay, but more than that will make it to doughy. It also will need to dissolve to not be gritty. Come back and let us know how it works!
This is such a cute and fun way to make Christmas treats! I love this! So excited to make these with my kids!