Old Fashioned Chocolate Fudge
Old Fashioned Chocolate Fudge, this is the best, creamiest chocolate fudge, made the old fashioned way! And only 6 ingredients. The perfect Homemade Chocolate Candy, one everyone will love.
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 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.
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!
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 usually made with sweetened condensed milk, just like my Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge or this Easy Walnut Fudge I wanted that crumbly melt in your mouth 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.
Recipe Ingredients
- Sugar – granulated
- Cocoa powder – unsweetened dutch processed
- Salt
- Milk – whole/heavy milk
- Butter – I use salted – room temperature
How to make Chocolate Fudge
Line a square pan with buttered parchment paper. In a medium heavy saucepan stir together the 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. Turn heat to low medium and continue to cook without stirring until the correct temperature is reached.
Remove the pot from the heat, add the butter and vanilla. Do not stir. Cool to room temperature. Then beat with a wooden spoon just until mixture begins to lose some of it’s gloss.Spread the fudge quickly in the prepared baking dish and let cool completely, even overnight (at room temperature). Cut it into squares.
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.
How to Store Homemade Chocolate Fudge
Wrap the cut pieces in parchment paper or aluminum foil 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 placed in an airtight container. In the fridge fudge will last 2 – 3 weeks.
How to freeze it
Freeze the fudge in a double bag, well wrapped. You can freeze it either in pieces or the whole slab. Fudge will keep for up to 3 months in the freezer.
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.
Fudge makes a wonderful gift idea. Wrap it with some transparent wrapping and tie with a bow, or place on a decorative plate or how about place a stick in the middle and make fudge pops!
Can I add Nuts or Peanut Butter
Yes you can add nuts such as walnuts, hazelnuts, pecans, pistachios, peanut butter, mini marshmallows, dried cranberries or even broken candy canes. The best time to add these ingredients is when you add the butter and vanilla. I would also recommend roasting the nuts first to give the best flavor to your fudge.
If you prefer peppermint fudge then substitute the vanilla extract with peppermint extract or even almond or orange.
How to roast nuts
Place nuts in a single layer on an ungreased baking / cookie sheet. Bake in a pre-heated 350F/180C oven for 5 to 8 minutes or until they are golden brown, remove immediately from the pan to a clean bowl to cool.
How to keep your fudge from being gritty or grainy
- 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 supposed to be.
Therefore it is always better to make candy (fudge) on dry sunny days. Although if you have no choice and you must make it on a humid day, then cook it to the highest recommended temperature, which is 237-240F / 114 – 115C.
Cool weather also helps the candy cool faster that way it has a lesser chance of forming crystals.
Why is my fudge soft?
Most of the time the reason is because your fudge has not reached the right temperature, it is very important to use a good candy thermometer for this.
I hope you enjoy this Homemade Chocolate Fudge! And let me know how you like it. Enjoy!
More Chocolate Candy Recipes
- Homemade Chocolate Mint Filled Chocolates
- Chocolate Torrone
- Creamy Old Fashioned Caramel Candies
- Homemade Italian Chocolate Kisses / Baci
Old Fashioned Chocolate Fudge
Ingredients
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup cocoa (unsweetened dutch processed)
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- 1/4 cup butter* (I use salted) (room temperature)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
*if you use unsalted butter then increase the salt to 1/4 teaspoon.
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 medium and continue to cook without stirring until temperature reaches 234 °F (112C) Approximately 30 minutes.
- Remove pot from heat, add the butter and vanilla. Do not stir. Cool to room temperature (110°F/43C), 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!
Notes
Nutrition
Updated from November 18, 2017.
BEST RECIPE I’VE TRIED BY FAR!! TOOK A FEW TRIES BUT WHEN I FINALLY GOT IT RIGHT IT WAS AMAZING!! WORTH ALL OF THE WORK!!
Thanks Heather, so glad to hear it. We love it too. Have a happy Holiday Season.
I made this recipe and it came out runny so i baked it at 425 for 13 minutes and added a cup of powdered sugar and it turned out to be fudge!
Can you double and/or triple the batch just by doubling or tripling the ingredients?
Hi April, I think it would work doubling the recipe but I wouldn’t triple it. Let me know how it goes.
Best fudge I have made! (I make fudge every year and this one WINS!!!). I won’t have to look for another recipe EVER. Confession: I used heavy cream instead of milk. 🙂
Hi Lynn thanks so much, I will have to try it next time with cream!
I was wondering if I can add caramel and when and how to do it. Thank you!
Hi Darlene, I think you can add caramel, the best time to add it is when you add the butter and vanilla. Let me know how it goes.
I couldn’t get it to solidify. I just had fudge sauce. I made a triple recipe of it as well so i had a ton. I tossed in about 4 cups of flour, 4 eggs, and 2 tablespoons of baking powder and made delicious brownies.
Then I called my stepmom and she tweaked the recipe a bit, shr recommended I use 1 cup evaporated milk in place of whole milk and cook the butter into the fudge. And cook the fudge a bit longer. With her tweaks, the fudge was perfect.
Definitely loved those brownies though!
PS I forgot to mention that we always added a 1/4 tsp of cream of tartar to help emulsifying the candy and reducing the chance of sugaring.
This is essentially the recipe my mother-in-law made. She was raised in upper Michigan where the best fudge is made IMO. I make it with skim milk, she made hers with whole and claimed to have made it with water when they ran out of milk! Mine is very good, but hers was sublime!
If you want to make a lot of it, save time and work and increase the quality, I suggest beating it with your Kitchen Aid mixer (Don’t wreck your shoulder.) When it begins to lose its shine, turn it out on a piece of marble. (Look for marble scraps from making vanity tops at garage sales or invest in a scrap from a marble countertop installer.) Take a wide putty knife and scrap it under the fudge and turn it over as they do in the fudge shops. Cut it into pieces before it cools completely.
Don’t panic if it is a bit grainy. Store it in the refrigerator in a sealed plastic or metal container and it will very creamy by morning.
Hi Nancy, thanks what a great idea with the kitchen Aid Im going to have to try that. Mom’s recipes are always the best. 🙂
Super easy and fun to make but I can’t get the fudge to harden I left it out for 24hrs But is still goo,do you know why that is.i also live in Florida just Incase that’s a factor
Hi Terry, fudge is really unpredictable, if it was a humid or rainy day that could effect it, if you live in a high altitude part of the country that could also affect it. Did you let the fudge get to the proper temperature? Let me know.
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.
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??
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.
Will this recipe still work if I don’t put cocoa? I just want a plain one. Should I change anything then? thanks!
Hi Anna, unfortunately you won’t be able to just remove the cocoa and make vanilla, because the other ingredients need to be changed also.
Thanks Rosemary! I just wonder maybe you could provide one?
Hi Anna, I have never made this recipe but it does look good. https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/3148690/vintage-vanilla-fudge
great! thanks a lot
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 😊
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.
It always takes me a lot longer than 30 minutes of cooking on low to reach 234 degrees. I live at sea level.
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.
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.
Hi Megan, that is very interesting so I dug around a bit and I discovered this – 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 Hope this helps.
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.
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.
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.