Fudge Like Mom's

• My mother was the biggest sweet tooth ever, and everyone loved her baking and her fudge! 

Every year she would begin holiday baking after Thanksgiving and we lucky kids, ten of us, would come home from school to a warm house filled with aromatic smells of cloves, ginger, almond paste and chocolate.  The chocolatey fudge smell was the most irresistible of all!  

My brother and I would sneak down to the freezer in the garage where the crumbly pieces were stored in coffee cans until Christmas Eve.  

The essence of coffee and the slow melting in the mouth because they was frozen somehow just made it all the more yummy!  

Mom made the original and traditional recipe of something that was probably on the can of evaporated milk or a jar of recently invented marshmallow cream. The only thing I know for sure is that it had more butter in it than most fudge recipes.  

She had a few tricks to make it special.  One was to add a little salt, which back then was unthinkable.  The second trick, which was probably an accident that became a tradition, and that was making it harder and dryer by bringing the cooking temperature past the usual soft-ball stage on the thermometer (but not all the way to hard-ball). 

Here is my recipe that best mimics the results of her loved fudge as I remember it!  Fudge is very easy but also even easier to ruin!  The keys to good results are full preparation and details.  Measuring chocolate out of the cold fridge at the last minute would be enough for a disastrous result. 

Butter any rectangular 13 x 9 or something thereof, baking pan.  Or if you desire actual nicely squared pieces and less broken bits line the pan with foil and carefully butter the foil with soft butter.  Have ready a piece of wax or parchment paper and oven pads to help spread the hot mixture later. 

Prepare, measure and set aside:

2 cups, slightly warmed semi-sweet chocolate pieces.  Warming in the microwave for just 30 seconds or a very short time will make a big difference in incorporating chocolate into a hotter, dryer mixture that is more difficult to work with that the usual softy fudge others make.  Keep the chocolate warm on the back of the stove or nearby.

2 cups (also slightly warmed) mini-marshmallows, or a jar of marshmallow creme that has been sitting in a pan of hot water to warm.  You'll need the hot wooden spoon or spatula to dish that sticky mixture out of the jar later!

1 to 2 cups of walnuts (optional) broken into halves or pieces, --not chopped

Set nearby, a little bowl full of ice and cold water.  This is very important for testing the heated mixture and getting it to just the right temperature.

Find a light-to-medium weight saucepan that is easy to pick up to work with (not a heavy pan).  It should be of medium to large size.  No lid will be needed.

Add:

2/3 c. evaporated milk (forgot to buy evaporated? you can boil down 1 1/2 cups of regular milk until it is 2/3 cup.  Or you can also use one part cream or half and half and one part milk)
3/4 c. unsalted butter

3 c.    sugar (yep, don't try reducing this part, it takes a lot of sugar to get the consistency right)

Bring the three above items to boil on medium heat.  Watching carefully and stirring often.  As soon as the actual boil happens set the timer for exactly five minutes.  Continue to stir almost the entire five minutes.  At the five minute mark (the "regular soft fudge point") continue stirring and cooking. 

After another minute, using the bowl of ice water begin to test the mixture by dripping a small amount onto the ice with the spoon you are stirring with.  Repeat testing every 30 seconds or so.
 

As soon it the dropped mixture on ice immediately maintains its shape and is slightly chewy, turn stove off and remove the pan from the heat.

Quickly hand beat in the chocolate, then the marshmallow and lastly the walnuts.

Pour into the prepared dish.  Spread evenly.  Because this style of fudge is more difficult to work with you should cover it with a sheet of wax paper, then using an oven mit press away to get it quickly to the edges of the pan.

Salt the surface with a salt grinder or coarse salt lightly.

Let cool for about 15 minutes, then cut into the fudge, scoring small, candy sized pieces.  When fully cooled, place a cookie sheet or cutting board on the top and flip upside down and shake from pan.   Peel foil from the fudge.  Or individually dig the pieces out of the pan if foil wasn't used.

Store in a coffee can or add coffee beans to the bottom of the container to get the essence.  Freeze until ready to use.

Another tip:  If you choose to use a darker chocolate, you can and any chocolate made into small pieces or even melted lightly will do. It will (naturally) be less soft and more hard.  Adjust your cooking time for slightly less time as the overall mixture will harden more.  In other words, your chewy ball can be softer.

Mom always served the fudge on a plate of great honor.