When I was a kid, my mom made a lot of fudge. It was simple to make. It didn’t use a lot of ingredients and therefore it was cheap. My mom made it in a big, heavy saucepan. Sometimes chocolate. Once in a while peanut butter. It was better than good. A pan of fudge didn’t last long around our house.
For years I have occasionally bought fudge at shops that I’ve come across. Some of them can be seen stirring it on large tables in their front window proving, I guess, that it’s made on the premises. Each shop promises “homemade” taste. Each promises to be “the best.” But it’s usually too sweet and the texture is too soft. And that’s because none of them make real, old fashioned fudge.
For starters, real fudge does not contain marshmallow cream, sweetened condensed milk or chocolate chips. It’s not that sophisticated. The one thing you do need is a candy thermometer. Below is my mother’s recipe for old-fashioned chocolate fudge. This is the same recipes she used all those years ago.
Old Fashioned Chocolate Fudge
- 2 cups sugar
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- Dash of salt
- 1 tsp. light or dark corn syrup
- 3 Tbsp. butter
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1/2 cup broken nuts (optional)
Butter the sides of a heavy saucepan. In it combine sugar, milk, cocoa, salt, and corn syrup. Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly untilsugar dissolves and mixture comes to a boil. Cook to the soft ball stage (234°), stirring only if necessary. Immediately remove from heat, add butter, and cool to lukewarm (110°) without stirring.Add vanilla. Beat fudge vigorously until it becomes very thick and starts to lose its gloss. Quickly pour into a buttered pan or plate. Score when warm. Cut when firm. if desired, sister in 1/2 cup of broken nuts at the end of the beating time.
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