Hershey’s Old Fashioned Cocoa Fudge is the only real chocolate fudge in my opinion. It’s made with pure unsweetened Hershey’s cocoa and with each creamy bite you experience nothing but that pure rich cocoa flavor. No corn syrup, chocolate chips, or marshmallow creme. Just pure cocoa goodness!!
Hershey’s Old Fashioned Cocoa Fudge is without a doubt my all-time favorite chocolate fudge. Why? Because cocoa fudge doesn’t contain any corn syrup, chocolate chips, or marshmallow creme. What you get is the pure taste of rich bittersweet cocoa.
Cocoa fudge is not your typical 5-minute fudge on the stove. It’s a little more involved. In fact, I’ve had friends, relatives, and followers tell me they’ve flopped this fudge too many times and finally gave up on trying to make it. But guess what? Most of them really didn’t flop this fudge. They just gave up too soon!
I’ve made this fudge for decades and when I first started making it, I too pitched a few batches. But after a few “so-called” flopped batches, I was determined to get it right!! After all, Hershey’s cocoa isn’t exactly cheap and neither is sugar. After I finally realized what I was doing wrong, I realized those “so-called” flopped batches didn’t flop after all.
With that said, I want to walk you through the steps of making this insanely delicious fudge today, and if you’ll follow along and read my tips, I promise that you can make perfect cocoa fudge!!
After reading my tips and instructions, if you are still afraid of making this fudge, or if you’d rather have an extra sweet fudge made out of chocolate chips, feel free to make this Chocolate Fantasy Fudge recipe. However, I promise that if you follow my tips and try making this fudge just one time, you will be hooked for life. It’s that good!
Before we get started, allow me to elaborate on testing this candy. I test many different candy recipes in cold water, including some fudge recipes, but this is one candy recipe that does not test well in cold water for me, due to the thinness of the cooked candy. The candy should form a soft-ball when dropped into cold water but it doesn’t. It dissolves into the water, even when has reached a soft-ball stage. Therefore, I advise using a candy thermometer for this recipe.
INGREDIENTS
- 3/4 cup Hershey’s unsweetened cocoa
- 3 cups sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans, optional
INSTRUCTIONS
- Line an 8 inch square baking dish or pan with foil. Allow the foil to hang over the sides. Lightly grease the foil with butter.
- Add cocoa, sugar, salt and milk to a medium heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat stirring constantly. This will take up to five minutes. Once mixture comes to a boil, continue cooking without stirring until mixture reaches 234 degrees on a candy thermometer or forms a soft ball in cold water.
- Remove from heat and transfer pan to a sink with at least two inches of cold water. Add the butter and vanilla but do not stir. Allow pan to set in cold water until mixture reaches room temperature.
- Remove pan from cold water. Using a wooden spoon mix to incorporate the melted butter and vanilla. Beat the mixture with a wooden spoon until the mixture begins to lose its shiny glossy appearance and starts to take on a satiny sheen appearance. This can take a while. See notes below the recipe.
- Add nuts if using, and immediately spread fudge into the prepared dish. Allow to sit for at least an hour before cutting into pieces.
- Store in a candy tin or airtight container.
NOTES
- Parchment can be used in place of foil. There is no need to butter parchment paper.
- Yield depends on size of cut pieces.
- Here’s my tip for beating this fudge. Beat for about 30 seconds. Give yourself a break for 30 seconds and beat again. This is one fudge that will tire your arm. It will slowly change from a shiny gloss to a more satiny sheen. The change will be subtle. Be ready to add your nuts immediately, if using, and spread in dish.