Hershey's Chocolate Fudge Recipe

Chocolate Fudge

One of the first things I ever made using a recipe was chocolate fudge. The recipe I used appeared in the user manual of an electric frying pan. I distinctly remember the fudge being slightly crumbly, not chewy at all and melting quite quickly in the mouth, unlike the stuff available now. And it was made from cocoa powder, not chocolate. Unfortunately the frying pan is long gone, along with the user manual.

Recently I started looking for the recipe online and came across a recipe on Hershey’s site. I don’t remember if the recipe I used was different from Hershey’s but it looked pretty good. The fudge turned out as I hoped, crumbly, not chewy at all and melting quite quickly. 

According to Hersheys, this is one of their most requested recipes, but also one of the most difficult. The recipe suggests using a candy thermometer. I don’t have one and managed without it. Perhaps I was lucky. If not done properly the fudge can turn out soft or rock hard. If it is soft it will be a delicious chocolate sauce. And if it turns hard you can use it for self-defense. Death by chocolate!

This may sound like common sense, and it is, but I will mention it anyway. Use a very clean saucepan. My chocolate fudge had a very faint fishy aroma. It took me a while to realize that I had used the same saucepan earlier to cook salmon. I washed the saucepan but obviously not thoroughly enough. The fudge picked up some of the scent. The salmon I cooked earlier didn’t have a fishy smell but the fudge had a subtle but stronger fishy smell, if that makes sense. It smelt more like anchovies. The smell was subtle so it didn’t bother me. If fish flavoured chocolate fudge comes on the market I won't be jumping up and down with excitement.

Chocolate Fudge

Recipe source: Hersheys

Ingredients

3 cups sugar

2/3 cup cocoa

1/8 teaspoon salt

1½ cups milk

¼ cup butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Line 8 or 9 inch square pan with foil; butter foil.
2. Mix sugar, cocoa and salt in heavy 4-quart saucepan; stir in milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to full rolling boil. Boil, without stirring, until mixture reaches 112°C/234°F on candy thermometer or until small amount of mixture dropped into very cold water, forms a soft ball which flattens when removed from water. (Bulb of candy thermometer should not rest on bottom of saucepan.) 
3. Remove from heat. Add butter and vanilla. DO NOT STIR. Cool at room temperature to 43°C/110°F (lukewarm). Beat with wooden spoon until fudge thickens and just begins to lose some of its gloss. Beat too little and the fudge will be too soft. Beat too long and it will be hard and sugary.
4. Quickly spread into prepared pan; cool completely. Cut into squares. Store in tightly covered container at room temperature.

Chocolate Fudge

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