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Old Fashioned Chocolate Fudge

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Old Fashioned Chocolate Fudge, this is the best, creamiest chocolate fudge, made the old fashioned way.  The perfect holiday candy.

Old Fashioned Chocolate Fudge, creamy and slightly crumbly this melt in your mouth homemade fudge is the best.

Old Fashioned Chocolate Fudge is everything a homemade fudge should be, so get your candy thermometer ready.

I have been searching and searching for the chocolate fudge that I had tasted when I was about 8 or 10 years old, if you can believe that!  It figures my biggest memory was food.

This fudge melted in your mouth and was just a little bit crumbly.

2 photos of making chocolate fudge, the mixture before boiled and when boiling

I can remember going to the Christmas Bazaar at the Church on Saturday afternoon with a couple of my school friends.

I bought my dime bag of chocolate fudge and I still remember thinking “this is the best thing I have ever eaten”.

And when we went back to get another bag, the lady was sold out.  A sad day for me.

Old Fashioned Chocolate Fudge, creamy and slightly crumbly this melt in your mouth homemade fudge is the best.

Another childhood memory I have was a Saturday evening with my sisters and one of my sister’s decided to make fudge. 

Can you imagine how thrilled I was thinking I was finally going to taste that incredible melt in your mouth creamy crumbly fudge once again!

Old Fashioned Chocolate Fudge

pieces of chocolate fudge, one leaning against another

Alas it didn’t happen, we or should I say they were too hungry to wait and devoured it even before the stirring was finished! Sisters.

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Easy Homemade Filled Chocolates

When you absolutely need some chocolate, come check out all these yummy dessert recipes, something for everyone, from light to heavy duty chocolate.

Creamy Old Fashioned Caramel Candies

Creamy Old Fashioned Caramel Candies, an easy homemade Caramel Candy Recipe. Chocolate dipped or plain they are a treat.

I think in my quest for “the One”  I tasted fudge from any and all chocolate stores.  And unfortunately they were all the creamy types just like my Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge.

I wanted that crumbly melt in your mouth fudge!

4 pieces of chocolate fudge

Fast forward to a few weeks ago and I decided I would google until I discovered my Chocolate Fudge.  And discover I did, thanks to Hershey’s, apparently it is their Recipe that gives you that divine fudge.  

A couple of important tips to make this the best Fudge.

  1.  Line your pan with parchment paper.
  2.  Use a wooden spoon and not a whisk or metal spoon.  Apparently it is easier on the fudge.
  3.  Once the fudge boils, stop stirring and continue to cook on low heat so you don’t burn the fudge.
  4.  Make sure your candy thermometer isn’t touching the bottom of the pot because you want the most accurate reading.
  5.  Stir only until the mixture starts to lose it’s gloss.
  6.  Be patient when making this fudge and enjoy every bite!

a piece of chocolate fudge up close

How to Store Homemade Chocolate Fudge.

Wrap the cut pieces in parchment paper and store in an airtight container or sealable plastic bag. Fudged stored at room temperature can last from 7 – 14 days.

Fudge can also be stored in the refrigerator wrapped and in an airtight container.  In the fridge fudge will last 2 – 3 weeks.

If you decide to freeze your fudge, make sure to wrap it up and place it in an airtight freezer safe container,  stored in the freezer it can last up to 3 months.

4.28 from 37 votes
Old Fashioned Chocolate Fudge, creamy and slightly crumbly this melt in your mouth homemade fudge is the best.
Print
Old Fashioned Chocolate Fudge
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Total Time
30 mins
 
Old Fashioned Chocolate Fudge, creamy and slightly crumbly this melt in your mouth homemade fudge is the best. 
Course: Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: American
Servings: 20 pieces
Calories: 154 kcal
Author: Rosemary
Ingredients
  • 3 cups sugar
  • 2/3 cup cocoa (unsweetened good quality)
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 cups whole milk
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
US Customary - Metric
Instructions

  1. Line an 8 inch square pan with buttered parchment paper.

  2. In a medium heavy saucepan stir together sugar, cocoa and salt, then add the milk and stir with a wooden spoon (not a whisk or metal spoon).

  3. Cook over medium heat stirring continuously until mixture starts to boil (a strong boil), approximately 15 minutes.

  4. Turn heat to low and continue to cook without stirring until temperature reaches 234 °F.  Approximately 30 minutes.

  5. Remove pot from heat, add the butter and vanilla.  Do not stir.  Cool to room temperature (110°F), approximately 30 minutes.  Then beat with a wooden spoon just until mixture begins to lose some of it's gloss (approximately 6-8 minutes).

  6. Then spread quickly in prepared cake pan and let cool completely, even overnight (at room temperature).   Cut into squares. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

  7. You can also freeze the fudge in a double bag, well wrapped.  Freeze either in pieces or the whole slab.  Can be frozen up to 3 months.  Keeps in an airtight container for approximately 2 weeks or in the fridge for 3-4 weeks.  Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts
Old Fashioned Chocolate Fudge
Amount Per Serving
Calories 154 Calories from Fat 27
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 3g 5%
Saturated Fat 2g 10%
Cholesterol 7mg 2%
Sodium 43mg 2%
Potassium 67mg 2%
Total Carbohydrates 32g 11%
Sugars 30g
Protein 1g 2%
Vitamin A 2%
Calcium 2.5%
Iron 2.3%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Old Fashioned Chocolate Fudge, creamy and slightly crumbly this melt in your mouth #homemade #chocolate #fudge is the best.
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Comments

  1. Rosemary, thanks so much for going to the trouble to search for and try out fudge revokes until you found “the one”. I am 64-years old, and I can still remember the taste of the old-fashioned fudge my first grade teacher, Mrs. Poole, used to bring in to treat the class. (Now I realize how generous that was of her!) I thought she was ancient, with her white-hair, but it was her mother who made the fudge, so she was probably about my age!
    This IS that fudge, and I am forever grateful to you for the recipe. I’ve tried that microwave/marshmallow fluff stuff that they try to pass off as fudge… this recipe is in an entirely different class. I will be gifting this to our closest friends, along with our homemade caramels, this Christmas.

    Reply

    • Hi Laura, thanks so much. I was pretty thrilled when I found it too. This is the one fudge recipes my daughters actually eat. And what a great idea as a gift idea.

      Reply

  2. Thank you! Your recipe served as the base for the fudge I made. I was craving something sweet and had no money to buy something, but I did have most of the ingredients in your recipe. I only had powered milk so I added a splash of oil when I mixed it up hoping to make it closer to ‘whole’ milk. I also didn’t have butter, only margarine and used that. Crossed my fingers and it turned out great, smooth and creamy and set up quickly….LOVE IT! I’ve recently moved to a new apartment and have to say I’m not happy having an electric stove (love gas stoves), I’m still trying to get use to it. I did notice one thing when cooking the fudge, the size of the burner seems to make a big difference. I started cooking it on a burner to small for the size of the pot I was using (I was worried about burning) but it was taking forever to cook so I moved it to a burner that totally encompassed the bottom of the pan and it cooked beautifully….still learning :-). Thank you again for posting your recipe. Five Stars!

    Reply

  3. Hi your recipe is wonderful, when I was 6 our neighbor would make fudge and when I found your recipe I knew right off this was similar to your. We would watch her make it till I was about 13 mow I’m 63 with 5 children and 11 grandchildren and now thanks to you, I can now make it for our family. If your readers follow your instructions completely with patience, this delicious decadent recipe will be their only recipe to make. Thank you so much for sharing.😊
    Pat from Pa

    Reply

    • Hi Pat, thanks so much, I knew when I made it too that it was “the one”. And yes patience is exactly what you need. Im sure your children and grand children will love it. Have a great week.

      Reply

  4. My first attempt didn’t go so great. It took FOREVER to get to softball temperature. It didn’t quite set (very soft/gooey and grainy. Not sure what I did wrong, going to try again tonight — any suggestions?

    Reply

  5. This brought back childhood for me..I always had to help stir the fudge…It is the same fudge my mother use to make..Delicious! It is easy and will come out right everytime with patience..it takes some time to get to 234 degrees. I went to 235 on my candy thermometer..and be patient and wait the 30 minutes to stir after putting the butter and vanilla in..Thank you for the recipe..The taste is heavenly..yummm..

    Reply

  6. I’ve never tried making fudge before, so I don’t know how its supposed to work. I just finished this recipe, I followed the instructions and temps, and it’s still cooling after putting in the pan, so I guess I’ll see later, but it really seems like it is more of a texture and consistency of a dk hardish caramel, not a fudge (little stiffer/harder/brittler)
    Should I wait and see if it gets more like that texture when it’s completely cooled?

    Reply

  7. Hi, is the butter salted or unsalted? I made this before but took it off before it reached 234 so I don’t want to fail this time. Thanks!

    Reply

  8. I made the recipe exactly how it says and also made sure it reached 240 temp and it still did not set! This is the 2nd time I tried. First time I did not have a candy thermometer so I tried with the ball test and it didnt set. So this time, I went out and bought a candy thermometer and still no luck! Going to try and put it back on the stove like one of the other ladies did and see how it goes. The flavor is amazing though!

    Reply

    • Hi Shelly, sorry it didn’t set, my house is really hot and I have a hard time with fudge during the summer months, could that be it? It might be best to wait until it cools down a bit. I know the flavour is delicious. Let me know how it goes.

      Reply

      • I am in Fresno Ca. It is still pretty warm here so our AC is always on inside. I put it in the fridge over night once it cooled to room temp and it almost set to the right consistency but not quite solid enough. I’m going to use up the rest of my ingredients and try again today. Thanks!

        Reply

  9. I followed this to the letter, and it worked perfectly. Thanks! I have a candy thermometer, and I think it’s necessary as it did take a while for the fudge to reach 234.

    Reply

  10. I tried making the fudge.I followed the directions,it never got hard.I read the comments and the question I have is do you put the butter and vanilla in when you have reached the 235 or do you wait till its 122.
    Thank you Jeff

    Reply

    • Hi Jeff, you add the butter and vanilla when it’s reached 235 right after you remove it from the heat, do not stir it and let it cool to 110F. Then beat with a wooden spoon for about 5 minutes or so until it starts to lose it’s gloss. Then continue with the recipe. Hope that helps

      Reply

  11. I have made alit of fudge using choc chips and after turning g it down you don’t stir for 8 minutes, if you do t have a termature do you let it boil about 8 minutes
    Pauline

    Reply

    • Hi Pauline, it depends on how long it takes it to reach 234 degrees F on a candy thermometer (without stirring). Then continue as written, hope that helps.

      Reply

  12. Hello! I’m going to try this tonight😊 But first- when you say cocoa- does that mean cocoa powder? And can I use a loaf pan instead of a square pan so that I get slabs of fudge instead of cubes or will it not set in a deep pan?? Thanks!!

    Reply

  13. I lost my mom’s old fashioned beaten fudge recipe and I have spent hours googling for it to no avail until today. As soon as I saw the recipe you posted I knew I’d found it. I remembered it was made with whole milk and that the butter and vanilla were not stirred in until the fudge had cooled to room temp. Maybe I’m lucky but this has only failed me one time and that was when a friend and I were trying to make some for a Christmas event at church. We got ahead of ourselves and stirred the butter and vanilla in before waiting for it to cool. All was not lost though, we spooned it over French vanilla ice cream and it was delicious. One of my favorite things about this, in addition to the taste of course, is that it is very inexpensive to make. I have one fudge recipe that is pretty good, but it is made with chocolate chips. It ends up costing about $9 per batch if you use good ingredients. Now I just have to go out to get some whole milk.

    Reply

    • Hi Patricia, haha I bet it was amazing over ice cream. I should try that. 🙂 And yes when I tried this recipe I thought yup this is it. The one I have been searching for. Let me know how it turns out. Have a great weekend.

      Reply

  14. So guys I tried it and I couldn’t get it to set. With that same batch I decided to just throw it back on the heat and repeat the heating and cooling process, figured it couldn’t hurt considering I was just gonna throw it away and it actually set the second time and it taste great so maybe if you batch doesn’t set if all else fails try this. Mine just didn’t get hot enough the first time.

    Reply

  15. I can’t tell if I’m making this right. My first 3 times were disasters (wouldn’t set, wouldn’t set, burnt). The 4th time someone told me to take into account elevation because I live 6,000 sqft above sea level I’m supposed to take 12 degrees off the 234 temperature. Well I wanted to be safe and do 220 so I did that and when I got to the stirring part it set in the pot after like 3 min, I tried to transfer it to the pan but it was too late. It tasted good but crumbled when I tried to transfer to the pan. Should I cook to even lower than 220? Or stir for only 2 min?

    Reply

    • Hi Julia, well since it didn’t burn then I would leave it at 220 maybe 218, but yes I would stir it for less, 2-3 minutes just until it starts to lose it’s gloss. Hope that helps, let me know. 🙂

      Reply

  16. Didn’t know if I was doing it quite right for most of the time, but in the end, it worked!! 🙂

    Reply

  17. My mother in law taught me to make fudge using this same recipe except using canned evaporated milk. For the first time ever I just tried to make it with whole milk, I will never try whole milk again. It didn’t fudge. I have always been able to spoon and make individual pieces of candy. Guess the mother in law knew something Hershey’s didn’t know.

    Reply

    • You must cook exactly as directed. The whole milk recipe works for me every time but you must use candy thermometer and beat it until it losses its gloss. It’s not easy but so worth it. It tastes so much better than the evaporated milk one. It’s the granulated sugar that makes it grainy and so much better than the smooth fudge when you use condensed milk or marshmallow creme.

      Reply

  18. How can I make the crumbly melt in your mouth peanut butter fudge? Please help! I AM TIRED OF SPENDING $50.00 FOR A POUND OF FUDGE & HAVE TO WIT FOR IT TO SHIP!!

    Reply

    • Hi Melanie, I’m trying a old fashioned homemade peanut butter fudge today, so fingers crossed it works out. 🙂 I know the cost of fudge is crazy.

      Reply

  19. I gave this a try over the weekend because I had a major chocolate craving lol and it was awesome – I followed the instructions exactly as you wrote them and didn’t have any problems.

    Reply

  20. This recipe!!!!!!!
    IT IS SOOOOOO GOOD!!!!!
    I used it at Christmas to make all of my neighbour gifts.
    Then again last week I made a batch up to take to a friend as a treat with coffee..
    Best ever recipe Thank you 😀

    Reply

  24. I want to use my baker’s chocolate as did my mother… alas I can’t find her recipe book…
    Help me. will this recipe allow for use of bakers chocolate…???

    Reply

    • Hi Bill, I would say yes you could use it. I have never used bakers chocolate (not available in Italy) but it just seems to be less sweet than regular. Let me know how it turns out.

      Reply

  25. I so wanted this to work. I followed the instructions very literally. As soon as it got to a strong boil, I turned the heat down, as per the directions. When you’re waiting for the temperature to get to 234 degrees, are you waiting for it to cool down to 234 degrees? Or are you supposed to let it cool a bit and then turn the heat up a bit to get it back up to 234 degrees? I have a very efficient induction stove top, and the temperature cooled rapidly to 234 degrees within a minute or so. In total, the mix was on the stove only for about five minutes. When I turned it down it cooled so fast, that I thought five minutes couldn’t be right, so I slowly turned the heat up again until it got to 234 degrees. Then I followed the directions very carefully. No hope of setting, even though I beat it for about fifteen minutes with a wooden spoon. Can you clarify about the temperature and also give an indication of times? Thanks.

    Reply

  26. This recipe sounds like what I am looking for but I love nuts in my fudge, when would you recommend adding the nuts to this recipe?

    Reply

  30. Whole milk is used in this recipe, often cream is used in fudge -why the ‘healthier’ version?
    Does it matter which is used?
    Thanks look forward to trying this

    Reply

    • Hi Karen, this is the original Hershey Recipe and it is whole milk, please do not substitute or it won’t work. This recipe needs to be followed exactly. I think it is made with milk because it has a longer cooking process. Let me know how it goes. Have a great week.

      Reply

      • Hi Rosemary,
        I just made the old fashioned fudge using coconut milk and palm oil, making it vegan. Guess what, it turned out so well you wouldn’t know it wasn’t made with dairy!
        Thanks for all you do in the kitchen. Love your blog!

        Reply

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