Recipe: Old-Fashioned Hershey's Cocoa Fudge
Julia
Bronze Post Medal for All Time! 146Posts
June 14, 2010
With my mother's help, this was the first candy that I ever made and it brings back more memories than I can count. We always made fudge for Christmas for the family as well as for neighbors and as gifts for many people. We could never make it on a rainy day though as it wouldn't set up properly, so on rainy days, we made cookies.
There was a time when ladies took their well-behaved children and visited other mothers. They'd spend all afternoon making candies. Fudge, Divinity, and Sea Foam Candy. Much of it went into CARE packages for our men and women overseas, but we children could always look forward to having a few pieces in our Christmas stockings. Today, with such a bountiful array of every imaginable kind of candy so readily available at every drug and grocery store, we don't make homemade candy that much anymore. It's still the best candy in the world though, and every child should know the difference IMHO.
Ingredients:
- 3 cups sugar
- 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa (Hershey's)
- 1/8 tsp. salt
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 1/4 cup butter (half stick)
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 Tbsp. Karo white corn syrup (or other white syrup)
Pookarina's Note:The syrup was not added when I was a child, but I learned in later years that it helped with over-crystallization of the sugar. It still remains an optional ingredient and is not absolutely necessary. The original recipe on the backside of Hershey's Cocoa cans did not mention anything about Karo syrup.
Directions:
Line an 8 or 9 inch square pan with aluminum foil, butter the foil.
Mix sugar, cocoa, and salt in a 4 quart saucepan, add milk and corn syrup (if using). Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture comes to a full boil. Boil without stirring until mixture reaches 234 degrees F on a candy thermometer (soft ball stage).
Remove from heat, add butter and vanilla; do not stir. Cool at room temperature to 110 degrees F.
Beat with a wooden spoon until fudge begins to thicken and loses its gloss. Spread quickly into pan, let cool to room temperature, then cut into squares.
Pookarina's Note: We used a buttered heavy platter for fudge. If I were making it today, I'd still use a buttered platter. The butter aided in being able to cut and remove the pieces from the platter. Today, you only have to lift the foil along with the candy, place it on the counter top and allow it to cool thoroughly.
Once in a while, we slipped up on the weather conditions, and our fudge wouldn't set up, so we ate it with spoons while watching one another like hawks to make sure no one got more than they were supposed to be getting. The boys were terrible little piggies.
| Servings: | 16 |
| Time: | 20 Minutes Preparation Time
35-40 Minutes Cooking Time |
Source: Hershey's Cocoa (back of the can in 1940)
By Julia from Boca Raton, FL
Read More CommentsRecipe: Chocolate Marshmallow Fudge
littergitter
Silver Post Medal for All Time! 418Posts
December 21, 2011
I have been using this fudge recipe since 1961. It is a creamy type fudge and very easy to make.
Read More...Recipe: Grandma Nellie's Old Fashioned Fudge
It's chocolate fudge, yum! It brings back memories of my childhood. It's very fattening, but we all deserve a little indulgence sometimes.
Read More...Recipe: 5 Lb. Fudge
Robin
Diamond Post Medal for All Time! 5,887Posts
May 11, 2007
Combine sugar and evaporated milk together in heavy pan and boil for 8 minutes. Pour the above mixture over the chips, butter, marshmallow creme, vanilla and nuts and stir.
Read More...Recipe: Old Fashioned Chocolate Cream Fudge
Judy = Oklahoma
Gold Feedback Medal for All Time! 509Feedbacks
February 1, 2010
This fudge is not smooth and creamy (equals slimy to me), it is the old fashioned stuff that was made before marshmallow creme. It is absolutely delicious and the grainy texture is not from the sugar not dissolving, it's made to be this way!
Read More...Recipe: Butter Rum Fudge
Connie
Silver Post Medal for All Time! 361Posts
December 6, 2007
Line an 8-inch square baking dish with foil and spray with non-stick spray. In saucepan melt butterscotch chips and stir in vanilla frosting. Stir in nutmeg and rum extract.
Read More...Question: Old Fashion Fudge Recipe?
I am looking for a recipe for easy old fashion fudge.
Answers
Hello
Bronze Post Medal for All Time! 107Posts
December 8, 20180 found this helpful
this looks promising: www.thefedupfoodie.com/.../
Dad's fudge recipe since 1975.
FAQs
Condensed milk is thicker and sweetened. If you want it to be the right consistency and flavor do not substitute. How can I make a fudge recipe without using evaporated milk? Evaporated milk is used to richen the texture of the fudge.
Why is my old fashioned fudge not hardening? ›
Fudge Didn't Set
If your fudge turned out super sticky, or it didn't set as it cooled, it probably never got hot enough. This mistake is super easy to avoid if you use a candy thermometer and cook the fudge to the temperature specified in the recipe (usually between 234 and 239°F).
What is traditional fudge made of? ›
At its simplest, fudge is a dense, soft candy, often made with sugar and dairy products like butter and milk. Nowadays, fudge is usually flavored with chocolate, but you can utilize pretty much any flavor, such as peanut butter, pumpkin, even birthday cake.
What not to do when making fudge? ›
7 Common Mistakes to Avoid for Candy Shop-Worthy Fudge and Caramels
- Using the Wrong Pan. All candy and confections start by melting sugar. ...
- Stirring the Sugar. ...
- Not Using a Candy Thermometer. ...
- Leaving Out the Parchment Paper Lining. ...
- Skipping the Cooking Spray. ...
- Scraping the Pot. ...
- Using a Cold Knife to Slice.
Stir the ingredients to dissolve the sugar until the mixture comes to a boil. If your recipe uses milk, stirring will keep the mixture from curdling. But once it reaches about 236–238 degrees F/113–114 degrees C (the "soft-ball" stage), do not stir it or even shake the pan.
Can I use heavy whipping cream instead of evaporated milk in fudge? ›
With its very similar consistency, 1 cup of heavy cream can replace 1 cup of evaporated milk in sweet and savory dishes. While the flavor will be blander than evaporated milk's unique caramelized tones, the texture will be noticeably richer.
Why won t my condensed milk fudge set? ›
It sounds like your fudge simply wasn't heated enough. Fudge is basically a superconcentrated syrup, and it sets when sugar dissolved in the water (from the butter and milk) comes out of solution as the mixture cools and forms crystals.
How do you fix old fashioned fudge? ›
If your fudge is soft or runny, it probably didn't come up to a high enough temperature while it was cooking. Put it back into the saucepan and add 1–2 US tbsp (15–30 ml) of 35% fat whipping cream. Stir the fudge as it heats, but only until the sugar in the chocolate is completely melted again.
What is the secret to smooth fudge that is not gritty? ›
Once a seed crystal forms, it grows bigger and bigger as the fudge cools. A lot of big crystals in fudge makes it grainy. By letting the fudge cool without stirring, you avoid creating seed crystals.
What can I do with ruined fudge? ›
Good use of failed fudge: fudge that is too hard, too soft, too runny, too sugary, too chewy, etc. Proportions are as follows: for every 2 cups (roughly 1 pound yield) of any failed fudge that is not runny, you'll need 1 egg, ½ cup all-purpose flour, and ½ cup milk. If fudge is soupy, halve the milk (to ¼ cup).
Fudge almost always has a pretty high sugar content as well as having some cream in it—both fattening. If you compare that to eating pure dark artisanal chocolate, it is a no-brainer. Dark chocolate of 70% cocoa or higher is considered a health food and often contains only two ingredients: cocoa and organic cane sugar.
What makes high quality fudge? ›
It's the size of sugar crystals that makes the knees of fudge lovers buckle…the smaller the crystals, the less they are perceived on the tongue and the more the fudge tastes smooth and creamy. Cooking, and beating after cooking, is the key to successful fudge.
What's the difference between fudge and chocolate fudge? ›
Although fudge often contains chocolate, fudge is not the same as chocolate. Chocolate is a mix of cocoa solids, cocoa butter and sometimes sugar and other flavorings and is hard and brittle. Fudge is a mixture of sugar, dairy and flavorings that is cooked and cooled to form a smooth, semi-soft confection.
What does cream of tartar do in fudge? ›
Cream of tartar is used in caramel sauces and fudge to help prevent the sugar from crystallizing while cooking. It also prevents cooling sugars from forming brittle crystals, this is why it's the secret ingredient in snickerdoodles!
What gives fudge the creamy texture and dull appearance? ›
It's the size of sugar crystals that makes the knees of fudge lovers buckle…the smaller the crystals, the less they are perceived on the tongue and the more the fudge tastes smooth and creamy. Cooking, and beating after cooking, is the key to successful fudge.
What gives fudge its firm texture? ›
The key to creamy, luscious fudge is controlling crystal formation. If the sucrose (table sugar) crystals are small, the fudge will feel creamy and smooth on your tongue. But if the crystals are large, the fudge develops a crumbly, dry, or even coarse texture.
With my mother's help, this was the first candy that I ever made and it brings back more memories than I can count. We always made fudge for Christmas for the family as well as for neighbors and as gifts for many people. We could never make it on a rainy day though as it wouldn't set up properly, so on rainy days, we made cookies.