Friday, January 01, 2021

Cocoa Fudge!

The recipe for cocoa fudge was on the side of the sugar bag. Usually I see fudge recipes with baking chocolate bar. I usually don't have it on hand, but I always have baking cocoa. I want to document this recipe for future reference. But if you are like me and want a cocoa alternative fudge recipe, this is it.


 However, if you are looking for an easy fudge recipe, this is not it. This is the recipe that you need a candy thermometer. If you don't have a thermometer, it can still be done. You put a drop of the candy in cold water. In the case of fudge, it is cooked to soft ball stage. This is when the candy form into ball when it hits the cold water, but flattens easily.  

Here is a reference I found on the web.

I had a thermometer, but not one that clips to the side. I checked the temperature every few minutes and I also use the cold water method. Over the years I have learned not to always trust the thermometer. Even though it takes a more effort to make this compared to other recipes out there, I think it is worth it. I like the texture of old fashion fudge. Also I usually have all the ingredients to make this if I have a sudden urge to make fudge. I usually don't have marshmallow fluff or sweetened condensed milk on hand, which is usually the ingredients found in easy fudge recipes.

Please try not to be intimidated by this recipe, I will try to help you this.

You will need:
2/3 cup cocoa
3 cups of sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cup of milk
1/4 cup butter
1 teaspoon vanilla

You will need at least a 2 quart size sauce pan. Anything smaller and the candy will boil over (I will not make that mistake again).  Butter the side of the pan, this keeps the candy from crystalizing, which is not a good thing in candy.

Combine the dry ingredients in the pan. Add the milk. Have  the candy thermometer clipped to side of the pan. Don't have the tip touch the bottom of the pan, you won't get an accurate reading. Bring the mixture to a boil.

Once it is boiling DON'T STIR.  Boil to soft ball stage, which is 234 degrees F. 
Remove from heat and the butter and vanilla. but DON'T Stir yet. Wait for the fudge to cool down to 110 degrees F. This will take a while, about an hour or so.

You need a buttered 8 or 9 inch pan to put the fudge in. I would used parchment paper to make it easy to lift the fudge out of the pan.

Once the fudge cools to 110 degrees, then it is time to stir. Right now the fudge looks glossy, you are stirring until the fudge looses its gloss. This is going to take a while if you are doing it by hand, I am going to say 5-10 minutes. If you own a hand mixer, feel free to use that. Once the fudge looses it glossiness, immediately put in the buttered pan.

However, it you are adding mix-ins like about 1 cup of chopped nuts, add it to the fudge at this time just before putting it in the pan. Don't cut the fudge yet, but do score it while it is still warm.

I store mine in an air tight container in the fridge.




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3 comments:

  1. Thank you for sharing at https://image-in-ing.blogspot.com/2021/01/classic.html

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  2. Sounds good, thank you for joining us at Handmade Monday :-) (and thanks for the tips for this recipe too)

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