About a year and a half ago I shared my fave caramel fudge recipe. I have extremely fond memories of school fairs and fetes and ‘helping’ my mother prepare batches of caramel and chocolate fudge for fundraising stalls. They were her forte and she didn’t veer from her winning produce. I can’t recall her trying coconut ice or other delicacies. Instead she stayed true to my her own first love. Fudge.

Mum’s fudge was special. Not like that mass-produced crap you can buy at supermarkets or sweet stores. Nope… this was the good stuff. Homemade, compliments of some 1958 recipe which came with her Sunbeam mixmaster.

While on recent mother-sitting duties (ie. staying with mum after her hip replacement operation) I pulled out the ancient recipe book and decided to try my hand at chocolate fudge.
You will note that the recipe actually involves raisins and nuts. Mum obviously ignored the non-necessities and focussed on the good stuff! Plus I don’t like fruit or nuts ‘in’ things!

Ingredients

2 cups of sugar (so… not a recipe for those doing the “no-sugar” thing!)
1 tablespoon of cocoa
1/2 cup (125ml) milk
1oz (30g) butter
vanilla essence

The how

1. Put the sugar, cocoa and milk into a large saucepan on the stovetop (turning a hotplate on first of course!).
2. Eventually the mixture will darken and the sugar will dissolve.
3. When the mixture boils add the butter and vanilla essence.
4. Keep stirring until the mixture thickens.
5. Test the mixture by putting a blob in a bowl of chilled water (if it stays in a blob and doesn’t spread completely – ie. remains a soft firm ball), it’s ready. 
6. Remove from heat and beat mixture.
7. When the mixture is thick enough to start setting but still able to be poured, pour into greased tin.
8. Cut into squares before the mixture hardens completely.

Lessons learned
I must confess that it wasn’t – ahem – entirely successful:

1. I overdid the cocoa powder. I was too lazy to find a tablespoon so used a couple of dessert spoons. #Meh. (As an aside, do they still even make dessert spoons?)
2. I used a too-large tin (mum later told me she used to double the recipe when she made it). She also added cream of tartar apparently, but I ignored that bit, though did add a bit of extra milk as per her handwritten suggestion!
3. I beat it a bit too long so it started to set and was hard to pour. That was when I panicked and made my recuperating mother take over.

However, although ‘thin’ and a little over-candied in places, it was as good as I remember and so ridiculously easy I could make it myself (ie. without the hovering supervision of my mother). Better still, even I would generally have the ingredients required on hand, and I could halve / quarter the amount as an occasional treat or dessert, without making the entire batch.

Now I know I’m far from a food blogger and these pics confirm that; but… given that even I didn’t stuff this up (completely) is evidence that ANYONE could try this at home!

Are you a lover of chocolate or caramel fudge? 
Are you a connoisseur of fine fudges?