This best chocolate fudge is heaven for the true chocolate lover.
If you plan on doing the cold-water test to determine that the fudge is ready, go ahead and fill a pyrex measuring cup with water and put it in the freezer so that it’s ice cold when you need it. This recipe is from Patricia Mitchell’s article Chocolate Fudge Tests Candymaking Skills.
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup cocoa powder
- 3 cups sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1-1/2 cups milk
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Butter an 8-inch square pan or dish. If you plan on performing the cold water test, go ahead now and set a Pyrex measuring cup with about a cup of water in the freezer so that it is cold when you need it.
- Thoroughly combine dry ingredients in a large, heavy saucepan. Stir in milk.
- Bring to a full rolling boil on medium heat, stirring constantly. Then boil, without stirring, until mixture reaches soft ball stage (234°F on a candy thermometer). Bulb of candy thermometer should not rest on bottom of pan. (See Note, below, for cold-water test instructions.) Do not stir. Remove from heat.
- Add butter and vanilla to mixture, but do not stir. Allow mixture to cool, at room temperature, to 110°F degrees (pan is barely warm to the touch).
- Beat until fudge thickens and begins losing its gloss.
- Quickly spread in pan. Let harden, and cut into squares.
How To Determine Soft Ball Stage
The cold-water test for soft ball stage is this: Fill a clear cup with ice cold water. (I use a Pyrex measuring cup). Spoon a small amount of the boiling candy mixture into the water. If the syrup forms a soft ball in the water that flattens when removed, it is at soft-ball stage. If you drop it into the water and it forms “threads” then the temperature isn’t hot enough yet.
Quickly remove your candy from the heat, or you will find yourself at hard-ball stage, and your fudge will be too hard.