Chocolate Fudge

Fudge.  Ugh.  My Grandmother used to make the most amazing fudge you have ever tasted.  It was smooth and creamy and always came out perfect.  As a child I figured that was because it was easy to make.  As an adult I realize it was because she knew exactly what to do and when to do it.  When my Grandmother passed away, her recipes skipped over my mother (who doesn't cook) and on to me.  Try as I may, I just could not make her fudge.  It would turn to grains or never set.  After 5 or 6 trys I just gave up.  My Mother is here visiting now and we somehow got on the subject of Grandma's Fudge again as I was flipping through the March issue of Food Network Magazine.  There is was... a recipe for Fudge!  I had all the ingredients on hand so I left Mom in charge of the kids and headed to the kitchen.
I started by reading through the recipe a few times first to make sure that I really knew what I was going to do and I suggest you do that as well.
Here is there recipe word for word.  My pictures and finished product are to follow.

Chocolate Fudge
Active time 1 hour - Total 3 hours - Makes 1 1/2 pounds
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into small pieces and softened, plus more for brushing
3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, very finely chopped
1 tsp. vanilla, mint or almond extract
1/8 tsp. salt
1 cup half and half
2 1/4 cups sugar
2 Tbsp. light corn syrup
Assorted toppings - Crushed sandwich cookies, crushed graham crackers, white chocolate chips, sprinkles, peanut butter drizzle, or mini marshmellows

1. Line a 9x5 inch loaf pan with foil, leaving a 2 inch overhang on all sides, lightly brush the foil with butter.

2. Lightly brush the bowl of a stand mixer or large metal bowl with butter.  Add 2 tablespoons cut up butter, the chocolate, extract and salt; set the bowl aside.

3. Heat the half-and-half in a medium pot over medium high heat until hot but not boiling.  Stir in the sugar and corn syrup and bring to a boil, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon; boil, stirring, until the sugar is completely dissolved, about 3 minutes.
Reduce the heat to low; run a pastry brush dipped in water around the sides of the pan to disolve any sugar crystals clinging to the pan.
Clip a candy thermometer to the pan, simmer the mixture, undisturbed, until the thermometer registers 234-238 degrees 20-30 minutes, watching the temperature closely as cooking times may vary.  (This is the soft ball stage.  To test for doneness, drop some of the mixture into cold water; you should be able to form a soft ball.)

4. Quickly pour the sugar mixture over the chocolate butter mixture in the bowl (do not scrape the sides or bottom of the saucepan in case any sugar crystals formed.)  Clean the candy thermmemter then clip it to the bowl.  Let the chocolate mixture cool, undisturbed, until it registers 110-115 degrees, about 1 hour.  (For faster cooling, set the bowl in a larger bowl of cold water.)

5. Brush the paddle attachment or mixer beaters with butter.  Beat the mixture on medium speed until just incorporated, about 1 minute.  Reduce the mixer speed to low and beat until the fudge just begins to lose its sheen and holds its shape. 5-15 minutes.  Do not over mix or the fudge will become hard.  Use a buttered rubber spatula to scrape the fudge into the prepared pan and pat down into an even layer, smooth the top.

6. Press one or more toppings into the fudge, if desired (about 3/4 cup total.)  Let sit at room temperature for 1 hour then score the fudge into small squares with a knife.  For the best texture, let sit at least 1 more hour before slicing.  Wrap leftover fudge in plastic wrap and store in an air tight container for up to 1 week at room temperature or 2 weeks in the refrigerator.  Bring to room temperature before serving.



So to start I used parchment paper instead of foil.  I just like it better.  I gave a light spray of non-stick spray to the pan before setting the paper down inside.  The spray will help it stay in place.

I buttered my mixer bowl about 3/4 of the way up the side.

I chopped the chocolate and put it on top of the butter - added the vanilla and salt.

I didn't have any half-and-half so I used evaporated milk instead.  Next time I will use a bigger pan since I had some boiling up when things were getting hot.

I checked 3 times to make sure all the sugar was dissolved.  Normally on my stove a low simmer is a 2 but it got stuck around 200 for about 15 minutes.  Turning the heat up to 3 brought it up to 234 degrees.  It took about 45 minutes to get there.

I poured the hot sugar into the bowl and put the bowl in the sink with about 2 inches of cold water.  This helped bring the heat down in about 15 minutes.  It was hard to resist stiring but I did it!

I beat the chocolate until the sheen went away, its hard to see with the flash but was easy to tell when doing it.

I poured into the pan and let it sit on the counter for 2 hours.  It was still a bit soft but firmed up perfectly overnight.

Soft and creamy!

I totally recommend giving this recipe a try.  It took some hands on time and I hovered a bit since it was my first time but I think next time will be much easier.  I found my fudge confidence with this recipe!

Enjoy!