Mamie Eisenhower’s Million Dollar Fudge Is the Best Thing You’ll Make This Holiday Season

Every summer, my family loaded up our '90s station wagon and headed three hours east (or three Sesame Streets) for a week at the Jersey Shore. Days involved dodging jellyfish in the surf, and nights were spent shuffling around the boardwalk in sandy flip flops, hunting down my two favorite beach treats: salt water taffy and fudge. And ice cream, and also salt and vinegar fries. Everything's the best on vacation!

I specifically remember the glee in fishing through parchment paper-lined bakery boxes for the fudge bits with the chunkiest mix-ins. The melt-in-your-mouth factor was off the charts after surviving the rickety haunted house ride, which wasn't the slightest bit scary, except for the human staffer who scared the beezles out of us by just saying boo in a normal talking voice.

But a bona fide sweet tooth cannot be restricted to a single week of the year, and Mamie Eisenhower's Million Dollar Fudge slays the holiday baking season just like boardwalk fudge nails summer vacation.

Fans who have been making this old-fashioned fudge for generations—and testing it against all sorts of other versions—say the former first lady's recipe is the one they return to most. 

I love that Mamie's recipe was first published in a 1955 recipe collection called "Who Says We Can't Cook!" I even found an original print that only had notes on Mamie's recipe page. While she was known for her stylish bangs and her love of pink—she wore a cherry blossom 2,000-rhinestone inaugural gown, and completely decked out the White House in the rosy hue—she was never known for baking. But her fudge recipe that required zero fiddly candy-making skills became an instant hit all across America.

Made of dreamy marshmallow cream, chocolate morsels and bars, a little butter, and plenty of sugar, each chewy square is studded with just enough nuts to keep things interesting, while satisfying my bottomless chocolate craving (for today, anyway). It's so easy to make, I'm putting it on speed dial. 

How To Make Mamie Eisenhower’s Million Dollar Fudge

Prep a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray or butter. Chop the nuts and Baker's German's Sweet Chocolate Baking Bars. There's no real substitute for this brand of baking chocolate. It's available online at Walmart or Amazon. It's worth the trouble getting it.

Combine the chopped chocolate, chocolate chunks, and marshmallow cream in a big bowl. In a medium pot, bring granulated sugar, butter, salt, and evaporated milk to a boil. Keep a boil going for one minute, then simmer for an additional seven minutes, stirring constantly. 

Pour the hot mixture over the marshmallow and chocolate, then stir until silky smooth. Fold in the nuts, then pour everything into the prepared baking dish, and let it set overnight in the fridge before cutting. 

I use salted, roasted peanuts, but you can use your favorite nuts, or other mix-ins like chocolate chips, pretzels, toasted coconut, or chopped dried fruit. Crispy bacon crumbles? Can't deny a genius move.

Two pounds of fudge gets you stocked up for houseguests, Christmas cookie platters, and possibly opening a Ye Olde Fudge Shoppe. When I shared it with friends who I thought might find it too sweet, it was gone before I could say "Mamie Geneva Doud Eisenhower."

Yes, you can make this after two glasses of pinot grigio—I tested it for you. It's the kind of dessert that says, "Hey, girl, you deserve this," with each bite tasting like a million bucks.