Oh Fudge! A hard to beat, sweet dairy treat

When you think of tasty desserts that are made with dairy, I am sure the first thing you think of is ice cream. But what about fudge? Fudge seems to be an overlooked dessert and I am not sure why. I know it’s not because of the taste, we all know that fudge is delicious. But, it may be because good fudge is difficult to come by and people find it difficult to make.

Going to the 8th Street Artisans located at 345 N 8th Street could solve this fudge related issue. The Artisans sell locally made fudge from Valley Fudge and Candy located in Coon Valley near La Crosse. They get monthly shipments from Valley Fudge and sell around 156 bars a year. The most popular flavors the Artisans sell are the chocolate based fudges.

Valley Fudge and Candy is owned by Linda Shulte and has been up and running for 6 years. Linda is joined by a small group of team members, one member being her husband Steve. They ship fudge to all 50 states and sell around 10,000 pounds of fudge a month. They use locally sourced ingredients in order to support their community. Their secret but not so secret ingredient is a local butter from Westby Cooperative Creamery.

Valley Fudge has 75 different flavors of fudge with peanut butter chocolate being their most popular flavor. They make classic flavors like chocolate and peanut butter but they also make more interesting flavors like strawberry margarita and cotton candy. If you want to get into really interesting flavors, you should try their dill pickle fudge that is actually a pretty popular flavor.

“We make all of our fudge fresh to order,” said Courtney Moser who is the digital marketing strategist at Valley Fudge. The fudge is kettle made in small batches. After the fudge is made it has about an 8 week shelf life, but I doubt anyone could go that long without eating it.

“Buy fudge from us.” This is Moser’s advice to anyone that has had a difficult time trying to make their own fudge at home. Making fudge can be a difficult process and she believes that purchasing their fudge is the best option to ensure that you get a perfect fudge every time.

So, now you know that if you ever have a craving for fudge you can stop by the 8th Street Artisans or order online from the Valley Fudge and Candy website.