Fudge

Recipe adapted from Hershey's Rich Cocoa Fudge recipe.

Recipe

Step 1

Gather the ingredients from Section 1. Combine the cocoa, sugar and salt in your heavy pot. Stir until the powder is more or less uniform. This helps the cocoa dissolve, otherwise it can be kind of a mess. Add the milk and stir until everything is mostly dissolved. Add the corn syrup and then turn your stove to medium-high heat. The syrup with help the fudge set properly later on, and is the major departure from the original recipe. Continue to stir until the fudge come to a boil.

Step 2

Once the fudge is boiling, stop stirring and reduce to medium heat. Add the candy thermometer. You can slowly bump up the heat, but be sure that the fudge doesn't boil over. Once the fudge reaches 234f (112C), cut the heat and remove from heat source. You can push this up a few degrees, but try and keep it below 245f (118 C). If it is humid out, or raining, go ahead and bump it up a few degrees. As the fudge boils, it will slowly fall back down into the pot. Use the brush and water to brush the inside of the pot and clean off the fudge that has stuck to the walls. Note that every time you do this, the temperature will lower, so do so sparingly. I try and wait until it hits like ~225 F (107C) before doing this, and then only doing it if absolutely necessary after that. The less crud on the walls the less likely that the fudge will set too early.

Step 4

With the fudge off the heat, toss in the butter and let it cool. Do not stir it, don't mess with the thermometer, just leave it alone. Take this time to prepare the mold. Get a square of the parchment paper, put it on a cutting board and place the 9" x 9" pan on top. Use your knife to cut the paper 4 times, starting each cut from each corner of the pan and going out at a 45 degree angle. Use some spray oil or some extra butter to grease the inside of the pan and place the parchment paper in the pan. The grease should help the paper stick to the bottom and the walls, and the slits should help the paper fit nicely into the pan.

Step 5

Once the fudge hits 120F (49C), add the vanilla extract. I've seen recipes call for +/- 10F (5C) on the temperature to start this process, but found 120F (49C) works fine. Beat the fudge with a wooden spoon until it loses its gloss. This isn't really a great metric for me, so I also look to see the fudge "hold" it's shape if I lift the spoon out and allow it to drizzle back in the pot. If it immediately settles back down to a smooth surface, it still needs more beating. Warning, if you are using the same spoon that you did when the fudge was boiling, make sure it has been cleaned and dried. Any dried fudge from earlier will generate massive sugar crystals and result in a grainy texture in the final product.

Step 6

Pour the fudge into your mold, loosely cover and then let it set at room temperature (several hours). Resist the urge to scrape down the sides. You can definitely use your spoon to help the fudge into the mold, but try to leave a little bit on the walls/base of your pot. There is always a chance some large sugar crystals formed here. Do not place in the fridge, as the humidity in there might prevent the fudge from setting. Once the fudge has set, remove it from the mold, remove the parchment paper and cut it into squares. I usually try for around1/2", but whatever floats your boat. Once cut, store in an airtight container. You can also place it in the fridge now, if you'd like.

Trouble-shooting:

Fudge is too grainy?

Somehow, the sugar crystals in your fudge grew too large, and are now detectable when consumed. I've tried to include the techniques I use to mitigate this risk in the recipe. They include:

• Including the corn syrup

• Not stirring during the boil

• Washing down the sides of the pot during the boil

• Not touching the pot as it cools

• Over-beating it

• Beating it at too high a temperature

• Not scraping the sides aggressively while pouring into the mold

If this happens, you can repeat the boil and try again. Do NOT add more butter as it cools, but DO add more vanilla. The vanilla will boil off if you re-boil it.

Fudge didn't set, it's all soupy/gooey

You have too much moisture in there. Maybe it was a super humid day, maybe you didn't hit a high enough temperature before taking it off the heat, maybe your thermometer is off. If this happens, you can repeat the boil and try again, but try and hit a few degrees higher on this boil. Do NOT add more butter as it cools, but DO add more vanilla. The vanilla will boil off if you re-boil it.

It tastes burnt?

You heated it too aggressively, and burnt it. Throw it away and try again.