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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 Homemade Chocolate Candy.

I have been a big Candy lover for a long time, especially anything Chocolate such as these Easy Homemade Filled Chocolates or these Italian Chocolate Kisses / Baci.

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

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!  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 Fudge I have ever eaten”.

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

Be sure to watch the Video!

 

Old Fashioned Chocolate Fudge

pieces of chocolate fudge, one leaning against another

More Chocolate Candy Recipes:

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.  

How to make 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!

Adjusting the Fudge Recipe for High Altitude:

To adjust the temperature to your altitude, deduct two degrees from the temperature required for every one thousand feet of altitude above sea level. For example, in this Fudge recipe, if you live 5,000 feet above sea level, you would deduct 10 degrees from 234 degrees.

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.

What to make with fudge:

If by chance you have some leftover fudge or for some reason your fudge doesn’t turn out, don’t despair and certainly don’t throw it out! Cut up some fudge add it to some hot milk and stir until smooth and there you have some amazing hot chocolate, maybe the best you have ever had?

Or melt some of the fudge, either in the microwave or over a pot of boiling water and drizzle it over some ice cream or as a ganache on a cake. Hot fudge sauce never tasted so good.

Can I add Nuts or Peanut Butter:

Yes you can add nuts or Peanut butter the best time to add these ingredients is when you add the butter and vanilla.

How to keep your fudge from being Gritty:

  • Make sure the sugar has dissolved.
  • It could be the fudge wasn’t beaten long enough or hard enough.

Does the weather affect fudge?

Yes it does, on a humid day, once the candy has cooled it may start to absorb moisture from the air, so on a humid day the candy will end up being softer than it is suppose to be.

Therefore it is always better to make candy (fudge) on dry days. Although if you have no choice but to make candy on a humid day then cook it to the highest recommended temperature (which is 237-240F)

Cool weather also helps the candy cool faster that way it has a lesser chance to form the dreaded crystals. 

I hope you enjoy this Homemade Chocolate Fudge!

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

Old Fashioned Chocolate Fudge, creamy and slightly crumbly this melt in your mouth homemade fudge is the best.
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4.82 from 33 votes

Old Fashioned Chocolate Fudge

Old Fashioned Chocolate Fudge, creamy and slightly crumbly this melt in your mouth homemade fudge is the best. 
Course Dessert, Snack
Cuisine American
Keyword chocolate fudge, fudge, homemade fudge, old fashioned fudge
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings 20 pieces
Calories 154kcal
Author Rosemary Molloy / An Italian in my Kitchen

Ingredients

  • 3 cups granulated 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

  • Line an 8 inch square pan with buttered parchment paper.
  • 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).
  • Cook over medium heat stirring continuously until mixture starts to boil (a strong boil), approximately 15 minutes.
  • Turn heat to low and continue to cook without stirring until temperature reaches 234 °F.  Approximately 30 minutes.
  • 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).
  • 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.
  • 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!

Video

Notes

For High Altitude - to adjust the temperature to your altitude, deduct two degrees from the temperature required for every one thousand feet of altitude above sea level. For example, in the recipe that follows, if you live 5,000 feet above sea level, you would deduct 10 degrees from 234 degrees. https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1988-01-28-8803260034-story.html 

Nutrition

Calories: 154kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 7mg | Sodium: 43mg | Potassium: 67mg | Sugar: 30g | Vitamin A: 100IU | Calcium: 25mg | Iron: 0.4mg
Did you make this recipe?Mention @anitalianinmykitchen or tag #anitalianinmykitchen!

Updated from November 18, 2017.

Comments

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  1. laurie says

    4 stars
    my mom always made “real fudge” no marshmellows . Her recipe is same ingredients but different amounts.
    One thing you rub the butter on the sides of a cold kettle. then place sugar, milk and cocoa and salt in kettle and heat with out stirring to a boil, then stir once or twice and put candy thermometer in. cook to the soft ball stage but you always had to check it with cold water too. then when reached stage shut off and pour in vanilla. set in pan of cold water and beat till lose glossy shine. pour in pan. I will cherish the memories of making fudge and i am the one that recieved her “fudge kettle” a heavy clubware kettle we all knew it by that name.

    Reply

  2. Mimi H. says

    So.. would you add a few degrees (240*) above soft ball stage for dryer candy if living below sea level or when the climate is humid?? Will that effect the consolidation of your Fudge??

    Reply

    • Rosemary says

      Hi Mimi, actually it is always best to make fudge or any candy on a dry day but if you must then yes a few degrees higher (237-240F) would be a good idea. I usually make candy on a dry day so I am not sure how it would turn out on a humid day. If you try it let me know.

      Reply

  3. Anna says

    Will this recipe still work if I don’t put cocoa? I just want a plain one. Should I change anything then? thanks!

    Reply

  4. Sarah says

    Ive never made fudge before and I’ve tried to make this twice now, but both times just have not been able to get the mixture to heat past 223°F. Today it was bubbling away for over an hour before I gave up!! What am I doing wrong?

    Made delicious fudge sauce instead though, so not totally disappointed 😊

    Reply

    • Rosemary says

      Hi Sarah, the only way that I think it didn’t reach further is because you have to let it go longer. Because if your candy thermometer is good it should. Hope that helps. Sometimes it takes longer for others.

      Reply

    • AnneMarie says

      5 stars
      Turn the eye up. If it isn’t 234 in 30 minutes, then it’s cooler than the “low” called for in the recipe. Try medium low. You can actually cook it on high to 234 (as high as 240 actually…) and it will work just fine, it’s just very difficult to pull it off at the right temperature when the temp is rising quickly.

      Reply

    • Megan says

      Same here. Would only get to 220 and it had been going for 45 minutes or more. I turned the heat up and it started to smell burnt but didn’t reach 234. I called it quits and went on with the rest of the recipe. When it came time to stir in the butter I was stirring and it suddenly turned to concrete. I’m wondering if high altitude is the culprit for this fudge fail.

      Reply

  5. Chris O. says

    5 stars
    This recipe’s very very close to the recipe in an old Farm Journal candy cookbook I picked up in an antique mall once, and I make it all the time. (Old Farm Journal cookbooks are excellent, pick them up if you ever run across them… The candy cookbook’s worth seeking out for the Oklahoma Brown Candy recipe, but I digress)

    Anyway, the cookbook goes into a bit of the theory of candy cookery and crystallization and warns against beating the fudge before it cools to lukewarm, or not beating long enough, or not cleaning stuff off the edges of the pan, and following that advice this recipe turns out perfectly every time. Only time it ended up grainy was when I forgot about it for a couple hours and it had cooled to room temperature.

    And the best tip I can contribute is KitchenAid stand mixers work well for beating.

    Reply

  6. Lee Stern says

    5 stars
    I think I understand what this recipe has meant to you. When I was a kid, we lived in Tuscany. We didn’t have a television set, so we spent a lot of evenings playing games, telling stories and looking at family photos. Sometimes we’d all make a dessert or candy together. Some were great tasting and fun (lemon meringue pies of surprising daintiness, or cream puffs that started with a commercial brand of pastry dough that came in sticks like butter). Some were not so good, but still fun: My sister’s Girl Scout handbook provided a recipe for lollipops that turned the kitchen into a sugary spider web. My favorite was a fudge like no other: not overly sweet, very chocolate-y and very firm but ready to melt in your mouth. It may not have been the best fudge, but it was the recipe I’ve been craving. Thank you for finding and publishing this recipe. As I read your blog, I recalled the Hershey’s can sitting on an enameled-steel table; handling Mom’s battered Mirro measuring cups; buttering the inside of a Club aluminum saucepan (perfect for candy); my parents dropping syrup dabs into water and conferring solemnly; watching the candy poured onto a buttered cookie sheet to cool and be broken apart like peanut brittle. I was there again. Even before a low-humidity day finally arrived like a gift, and I tried the recipe, I was THEN again. The recipe didn’t disappoint, either. Sure, I waited too late to pour and it is one big knuckle of fudge, but it’s really good. Any problems are solely the result of seeing the process from two feet higher and 50+ years later. The recipe, it’s a keeper. I wonder if I can tear the grandkids away from their media long enough to make a memory.

    Reply

    • Rosemary says

      Hi Lee, that was so well said, this is the only fudge my kids eat and love. They won’t touch the other stuff! I hope you can get your grandkids to give it a try. Happy New Year.

      Reply

  8. Catryna says

    I do not have a candy thermometer and we have an electric stove, not a gas one, and I am adding peanut butter to the butter and vanilla stage, like a 1/2c how should I. Alter the recipe to achieve best results?

    Reply

    • Rosemary says

      Hi Catryna, I would say to add the peanut butter with the butter and vanilla and just continue with the recipe. I actually advised a reader to use 1 cup of peanut butter and she said it worked perfectly. Hope that helps.

      Reply

  10. Becky Brown says

    Thank you so much for this recipe!
    Do you think it would work with 2% milk? That’s all I have and I really don’t want to run to the store 2 days before Xmas! 🙂

    Reply

  11. patricia baker says

    I tried to make this Vegan for my son it didn’t set.. I used the cooking almond milk and avocado butter.. I am sad that it didn’t work.. not sure if I should of tried with other substitutes Or not..

    Reply

    • Nancy Blondin says

      4 stars
      Try it again. More likely, you didn’t get it up to the right temperature. I’ve failed many batches of fudge the same way and I’m experienced at making fudge. It should work.. The sugar is key here though. It has to be cane sugar, not beet sugar. The butter only serves to stop the boiling process. Maybe try palm shortening or chilled coconut oil. I also wonder if there is something about the avocado that doesn’t make it harden enough. Also, you can re-boil that failed batch up to temperature and get a slightly imperfect version of the intended fudge so you don’t have to throw it away. Also, if you like harder fudge you can go up to 235 degrees so maybe with this combination of ingredients try 235.

      Reply

  12. Mandie says

    4 stars
    The first time I made this, it never set up. I blamed the thermometer because the liquid wasn’t deep enough for a good reading.

    I tried again. This time I used our digital meat thermometer. When I turned down to low, it just got colder (218 when boiling, 208 on low after 20 minutes). So I turned the stove to 2 and checked it again in 20 minutes. It had come up to about 222. It took another 40 minutes (and turning the stove up to 3) to reach 234. So the 30 minute approximation is way off.

    Cooling it down to 110 took over an hour as well (again, the recipe approximation was way off). I stirred it for at least 10 minutes and it still looked glossy to me, but I put it in the pan because by this point I was once again frustrated. Hopefully it sets up.

    From what I ate while still warm, it does have an amazing flavor and the texture is extremely smooth. If it sets up, it will be a major hit at Christmas (I might not share it after the hours that went into it). But the recipe should be more accurate in the duration of time it takes to make this and the finicky nature of fudge.

    Reply

      • Alexandra says

        I tried making this yesterday and it hasn’t set. I thought I read my thermometer right but I’m guessing no. I used s candy one like the article suggests. I may try it once more before I try another recipe but I also went over the time and I was patient so I’m not sure I want to waste the money and effort. We’ll see..

        Reply

  13. Michelle says

    5 stars
    I have made this several times through the years with ooor results. Last night—perfection! The key must be the copper pot! It is only a 2.5 quart, so had to be careful not to boil it over, but so so worth it! Total boiling time for me was 35 minutes, and tested with cold water and soft ball stage (when I dropped a dollop of mix into the water, it didn’t cloud the water, but landed in a clump that turned flat when picked up.). Take off heat immediately, then. I immediately added the butter/Van to the top, but didn’t stir for about 10 minutes until it cooled. Delish!

    Reply

  14. Marri says

    5 stars
    This is THE recipe for fudge! About the only thing which would make it better is cooking cooling and beating it in a copper kettle. Somehow, for some reason, that makes the best fudge. I’ve bought so many bags of fudge over the decades and none have lived up to the creamy chocolate fudge I used to purchase in Downtown Chicago back in the 70s. It was in the confectionary section of I think, Woolworth’s on State Street. They had a copper kettle, and a marble cooling table. Once the fudge reached a certain state, they would turn it out onto the marble and then with huge scrapers they would spread, fold, turn, spread… And then the magical moment they scooped it into different sized boxes (with its own little knife) or cut into pieces. That fudge was heaven! As is the fudge this recipe produces. Last night my husband and I were shopping and I told him I had such a taste for an old fashioned creamy fudge. He asked where would I get it. I replied, have to make my own! He laughed and said that was the best way to get what I want. So, off to make my own!

    Reply

      • River Song says

        Hi Rosemary,

        I am so excited to try this recipe of your amazing looking fudge, so tomorrow is the day! My Mother and Grandmother both made awesome fudge, and I am hoping this is the exact recipe I’ve been looking for so, so long now! They were both the type who could make the majority of their recipes from memory ~ and if my OWN memory is still any good, THIS is it!! Wish me luck, I’ll let you know how well it turned out after all my family is here on Christmas! Unless I sneak a piece before then!

        Merry Christmas to All!!!
        🎅🎄🤶🎁👼🕯🥂🍾❤

        Reply

        • Rosemary says

          Hi River, thanks so much, I wish you luck and just remember be patient and give it time. Let me know how it goes. I hope you love it. And Merry Christmas to you and your family. 🙂

          Reply

  15. kitchen admin says

    5 stars
    This is an easy recipe that even I, who has never made fudge, will attempt to make this for Christmas. Can I add a dash of peppermint for flavor, will it blend well in the recipe? Thank you.

    Reply

  16. TAMMY HOWARD says

    Hi Rosemary-
    Could you please email me the recipe for the old fashion peanutbutter fudge? My son loves peanutbutter fudge and I wanted to try the old fashioned fudge recipe with peanutbutter but I don’t know how much to use and when to add it. Thank you so much.
    -Tammy

    Reply

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