Chocolate Fudge!

So I finally came into possession of some good old-fashioned, granulated white sugar, and what was the first thing on my mind? Fudge. I had just made some delicious Brown-Sugar Fudge, but I was really craving that rich, creamy, but above all chocolatey taste of regular chocolate fudge. So, I whipped out my handy dandy Googling machine, and went searching for a nice, basic chocolate fudge recipe.

I found tons. But despite my new preponderance of white sugar, I didn't have any of the things these recipes wanted of me. I didn't have marshmallow creme, or chocolate chips (quickly remedied, but not before I made the fudge), or really any of the delicious staples I needed. Being in something of a time crunch, I picked one and ran with it. My result:


This recipe is the one I ended up choosing. Simple, fast, not too many ingredients, it was perfect.

Perfect except for one thing: I didn't have smooth peanut butter. Unfortunately, I didn't realize this crucial fact until the milk and sugar were on the stove. Okay, what now? Substitutes for peanut butter? Not much comes up. What I really need is another creamy, fatty, butter-like substance. That's when it hits me. How about actual butter?

It was at this point that I realized that my recipe for chocolate fudge was turning into the same recipe as my Brown-Sugar Fudge. I quickly looked up the recipe I had just used, made a few creative modifications, tasted, added chocolate, tasted, added sugar, tasted, and finally decided that this fudge was just as delicious as the brown sugar variety (if not tastier).

So, here's my modified recipe for basic Chocolate Fudge: (warning, makes a large amount of fudge. You have been warned)

1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk
4 1/2 cups white sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups butter
salt*
vanilla extract*
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar (sifted)

The method here is exactly the same as before: Combine the milk, sugar, cocoa powder, butter, and salt in a saucepan over medium-high heat until the sugar dissolves and then simmer it until you reach the soft-ball stage. (You should be able to pick up a drop of the mixture after it's been dropped in cold water, but it can still squash between your fingers) Take it off the heat, and beat in the vanilla and powdered sugar with an electric beater. Pour it into a pan large enough to hold it all, and put it in the fridge to set.

Make sure you taste-test along the way -- not only is it fun and delicious, but it'll help you keep closer to your personal sugar limits. These are my own personal measurements for sugar content, but others may want to cut down on (especially) the white sugar, if not the powdered.

This is actually some of the easiest, tastiest fudge I have ever made. I'll definitely continue to play around with this recipe, but for now I'm incredibly happy with the result. Cut yourself a piece and enjoy, guys!

~Chef G

*You'll notice I don't provide measurements for salt or for vanilla extract. I'm of the school of thought that says that measurements for these things are impractical. Put enough salt in to balance out the sweet. It's not that much, but it's more than just a sprinkle. Put enough vanilla in to make it tasty. Vanilla especially is a judgment call. Don't get too hung up about teaspoons/tablespoons/soup-spoons. The baking gods are kind.