Walnut, maple and milk chocolate fudge

Ingredients

• 600 ml thickend cream (40%-45% fat) (2 cups)
• 85 ml maple syrup
• 1 tbsp golden syrup
• 1 tbsp vanilla bean paste or scraped seeds of 2 vanilla beans
• 60 gm butter
• 720 g caster sugar
• 160 gm couverture milk chocolate buttons or couverture chocolate, finely chopped
• 90 gm walnuts

Directions

1. Heat cream, maple syrup, glucose, vanilla and butter gently in a large saucepan over low heat then, when the liquid begins to boil, shower sugar into the saucepan, and stir gently and calmly until incorporated. Bring to the boil, then leave it alone and brush down sides of pan with a clean pastry brush dipped in boiling water to remove crystals. Increase heat to medium and occasionally push a heatproof rubber spatula along the bottom of the pan in a criss-cross pattern to prevent fudge catching on the bottom. Boil until mixture reaches 116C on a sugar thermometer (15-20 minutes). Remove from heat and cool for 5 minutes without stirring.
2. Melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water (3 minutes) and line a 20cm x 20cm slice tin with greased baking paper.
3. Stir fudge slowly until it starts to thicken. As soon as the spatula starts to leave a trail, add chocolate and fold a few times until smooth and combined. Pour into prepared tin, press walnuts into the top and leave overnight at room temperature to set. Cut into 5cm x 3cm pieces or into bars of your desired size for friends and family to enjoy at Easter. Fudge will keep stored in an airtight container for 2 weeks.