-- Old Hershey fudge

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: HERSHEY FUDGE : -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : 2/3 c. Hershey's cocoa : 3 c. sugar : 1/8 tsp. salt : 1 1/2 c. milk : 1/4 c. butter or margarine : 1 tsp. vanilla : Lightly greased 8 or 9-inch square pan. Thoroughly : combine dry ingredients in heavy 4 quart saucepan; stir in : milk. Bring to bubbly boil over medium heat, stirring con- : stantly. Boil without stirring to 234 degrees (soft ball stage) or : until small amount of syrup dropped into very cold water forms : a soft ball. Bulb of candy thermometer should not rest on : bottom of saucepan. Remove from heat; add butter and vanilla. : Do not stir. Cool at room temperature to 110 degrees. (Pan is barely : warm to touch.) Beat with spoon until fudge thickens and loses : its gloss. Quickly spread in prepared pan. Cool completely, : cut into 1-inch squares. : -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : FUDGE FAILURE : You know the pattern. You might have even experienced it yourself: You decide to make fudge. : Despite the naysayers, despite your own better judgment., you decide to make fudge. You recall the fudge your Grandmother used to make and you get that silly smile. "It's going to be great!" you think. : You get the recipe, make a list, and head to the store to spend about $8-$15. The kitchen gets messier than you imagined but everything seems to go well until the fudge is poured. Then it happens. The doubts. The self-effacing statements. The dread of wonder, "...will it set?" : The goofy smile is gone, replaced by a disbelieving scowl. "I'll just refridgerate it," you think. Yeah, that'll do it. It's firm now and you cut a piece. Tastes good, must be okay. You take it from the refrigerator and set it on the counter. Ten minutes pass when you notice that there's not longer any open slot where you used to be able to see the bottom of the pan as the fluid fudge has filled in the empty space. You try to recall if anyone saw you make the fudge thinking it's not a "fudge failure" if no one knows about. But YOU know about it. That tree in the woods has fallen -- a no one around to hear it --but You heard it. Your brow beads with sweat. You suddenly experience a respect for your Grandmother that you never had before, and you wonder... Why is Fudge so hard to make? : Consider some definitions before we tackle this problem... : Fudge Failure : Failure of the fudge to set. The objective standard by which failure is measured is this: after the fudge has cooled a small square is cut from one corner. If after an hour the remaining fudge has shifted into the missing square area then the fudge is considered a 'failure.' Typically this is the time the stories begin... What went wrong? What could I do differently? Did anyone see me make this stuff? Who can I blame? : Fudge is meant to be sent to friends and relatives. Sure, you make some for yourself, but really you should spread the love around and get the fudge out to others. This means using the US Postal Service. Fluid Fudge will make a mess of any package in which you sent it. : : Fluid Fudge : Failure of the fudge to set and you try to mask the problem by putting in the refrigerator (or freezer) in a futile attempt to fix it. It gets firm enough to cut when cool but then begins to resemble a squashed bug as it warms to room temperature. This is typically (but not exclusively) the result of way too much butter, too high a water content, or the substitution of an inferior margarine for superior butter. : : Fudge Disaster : A fudge disaster is not the same as a fudge failure... it's something much worse. Fudge Disaster is a fudge which should never have been made in the first place. These disasters come in three (3) grades. : Grade I: Fudge which tastes bad but doesn't set. : Grade II: Fudge which tastes bad but does set. : Grade III: Fudge which tastes bad, sets, and was sent out by the US Postal Service to a valued friend or relative. : Fudge which doesn't set is unlikely to be given away so it poses little risk. Fudge which sets is at risk of being sent out but if you taste it (be honest now) you'd never send it out. Bad tasting fudge which sets and is sent out can be a time bomb. Words of Wisdom: Regardless of the time, expense, or good intent - DON'T send out bad fudge. You will regret it. (And don't feed it to the dog, it's not good for them. Cats won't eat fudge which gives me even more reason to wonder about the loyalty of cats.) : : : Faux Fudge : False (fake) Fudge. Also called "Pseudo-Fudge" or "No-Fail Fudge" or "Fail-Proof Fudge." Also called "Frosting" or "melted Chocolate Chips." These are confections (and some of them okay) which are not true fudges. A Fudge, by definition, requires a sugar, a liquid, and a flavoring. I could butter a Hershey bar and sprinkle sugar on it. Would that make it a fudge? No. The broader definition requires the Big Three components, but also requires a boil, the creation of a 'set-able' sugar slurry, and separate flavor base. Most of what passes for Fudge is either a Frosting, a Fondant, or a Flavor Base (like Chocolate Chips) with nuts. : : Never Fail Again: Do you want to make fudge that will set everytime? This web site is dedicated to the fudge making novice and those purists who love fudge and the inner peace of watching a batch set into robustly fudgey squares. You'll find out why your last batch never fully set and what can be done to prevent it in the future. Read on brave warrior. : : -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : THESE FUDGE LESSONS : If Fudge Failure has never happened to you then consider yourself lucky. If you're a microwave fudge maker and have "never had a batch fail" then you're either not making enough fudge -or- you're making something other than fudge -or- you're putting the runny failure into the refrigerator and living in denial. [Side Note: "fudge" also means to falsify, as in, "fudge the numbers." When people tell you they've never had a batch fail... they're probably fudging.] : People who live at sea level and in dry climates or more likely to have their fudge set firmly by random dumb luck than those who live at high altitudes or in humid environments. Why is it harder to make fudge in Atlanta, GA, than in the Mojave, CA? There's a good reason. My hope is that by the end of these lessons that you'll be able to create a luxurious fudge which sets as your cast (pour) it and ready to serve in hours sans refrigeration. : : -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Overview : This lesson in Fudge is given as a tutorial/critique using a popular fudge recipe, Fantasy Fudge. I use this mental construct (sugars, flavors, helpers) to give order to the fudge making process and the things which can go wrong. We'll go one step at a time and tease out many of the important factors which can make the fudge fly or fail. : This recipe can fail even if carried out exactly as the directions specify. : : MENTAL CONSTRUCT: : Any Fudge consists of three basic components: : SUGAR SLURRY : A mixture of milk, sugar, and butter. This combination is typically brought to a boil and held there for 5-11 minutes. The purpose of boiling is not to dissolve the sugar but to reduce the amount of water and supersaturate the sugar slurry. : : FLAVOR BASE : Typically chocolates of different sorts. Since the Sugar Slurry contains milk(s) it will convert a semi-sweet chocolate base to a more milk-chocolate flavor. Similarly, a milk-chocolate base (i.e., Hershey's milk-chocolate chips) as a base will result in a very milky-chocolate mix. Flavors other than chocolate (e.g., vanilla chips, butterscotch chips) can be used. Some flavors were just never meant to be (more on that later). Essential Flavors/Oils such as Vanilla, Mint, Lemon, Orange, Almond, Cherry, and Rum are minor flavoring agents and they act as accents to the major flavor base. If no major flavoring agents are used (i.e. no chips, no chocolates) then you're left with a fudgey Sugar Slurry known as Opera Fudge. : : HELPERS : Additives to the final mixture which add texture, character, or additional flavor to the fudge. Common helpers include walnuts, almonds, raisins, cherries, orange peel (aka orange zest), and pecans. : : : Only the first two are actually required to create a fudge although as you gain experience you'll want to start using Helpers to give your fudge that distinctive character. Most of the most memorable fudges I've ever made were simple fudge bases with a creative mix of Helpers. : : -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : A Simple (Faulted) Recipe - Fantasy Fudge : 3/4 : cup : Butter or Margarine : : 3 : cups : Sugar : : 2/3 : cup : Evaporated Milk : : 12 : oz. : Chocolate Chips : : 7 : oz. : Marshmallow creme : : 1 : cup : Walnuts (chopped) : : 1 : tsp. : Vanilla Extract : : Directions: : Lightly grease or butter a 13 x 9 inch pan and set aside. Mix butters, sugar, and milk into a 3 quart saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Continue to boil for 5 full minutes on medium heat or until the candy thermometer reaches 234°F. Remove from heat and stir in chocolate chips until melted. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Pour into the prepared pan. Cool at room temperature. NOTE: Do NOT substitute Sweetened Condensed Milk for the evaporated milk. : : This very popular recipe called Fantasy Fudge and is available everywhere. Backs of Chocolate Chip packages, evaporated milk cans, condensed milk cans (but they caution the use of evaporated milk), marshmallow bag & marshmallow creme jars, cook books, the internet... I mean everywhere. Only a few problems: This recipe has a 50% failure rate. So I'd like to take you on a Fudge Journey of how to make this recipe better.

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