I would just like to comment to all who have make fudge before, this is the best recipe and please, please, please....if you have to put your fudge in the fridge to get it to set....follow the directions next time. Dad chose this over cakes and pies and pudding - his fave!

My dad used to make over 30 batches of this fudge every Christmas and pass them out to family and friends. We could never get enough! My dad has been gone 14 years and we sure miss the fudge. I think I may give it a try this year in dad's memory.

One of my dearest memories is my mom making this fudge for me and my sister. We didn't have a lot of money but we always had the ingredients to make this fudge.

As a child of the 40's I too grew up with this fudge as an annual Christmas treat. It was a wonderful family event to make the fudge and share with neighbors and friends. When I grew up my mother gave me an old empty Hershey tin with the recipe on it. It was a prize possession as they no longer printed the recipe on the new container. To my horror a good friend found this empty old tin in my cupboard and threw it out. What a sad day! It took a long time searching flea markets and antique shops to find an old original tin but I did and still have it to this day. It's nice to have the recipe now on your website but I will always proudly display my old tin and know it holds the secret to the best fudge ever.

This is the only fudge my husband liked after making different kinds. My daughter and family always wants me to make this, and I make it just without the cocoa and add peanut butter (I dont measure) and with the cocoa and peanut butter. I make one of each, but the cocoa with peanut butter is the favorite. One thing I found out years ago, you can't use just any sugar.... has to be cane sugar and I only use domino as I know I will have success with it after buying another cane sugar and it didn't set up. I put mine on a buttered plate and it comes off easy.

Sounds like this recipe brings back wonderful memories for everyone . As good and unique as it is - most of us like it because our grandmothers and great-grandmothers and our own moms make it . Many of us remember when the recipe was on the cocoa box - and then had to hunt it down - Thank GOD they still had it!!!

I learned how to make it because my grandma could not beat it any more - and she would make it to that point and then I would get to beat it - I would always hope it was enough - and she would look and say " nope - a little more "

I have learned a few things making it on my own.

If you live in a humid climate (like us - Miami ) definitely wait for a high pressure, low-humidity day.

It seems a little more reliable (thermometers can be off) to use the soft ball method - easy to overcook it with a thermometer alone - test it even BEFORE the thermometer says 234°F.
Lee and Deanna - RELAX - it is FUDGE and Christmas !!! BAH HUMBUG!!!

This is indeed the best fudge ever. I am the designated fudge maker now. Try using a tallist heavy pan, smear a little butter inside the top of the pan (to wash down crystals) and warm the milk first. Mix cocoa, sugar and salt thoughroughly in a bowl and add to warm milk. Stir till dissolved then bring to your boil and stop stirring till soft ball stage. Never rely on thermometers- test for soft ball stage - (drop in cold water, lift out the ball and it should slowly droop over your thumb). If it's not cooked enough all the beating in the world won't make it set up. ("That's what she said")

I can tell you how to test the softball stage, drop a drop of the fudge in a cold glass of water then roll it in your fingers. If it sticks together then the last part of the recipe can then occur. No candy thermometer needed.

I began making this recipe in 1959 when I was pregnant with my son. I craved it and sometimes made it evey day. Still so good!

I love this fudge. I add peanut butter to make mine. I would never change this recipe. This is the only thing I can make my sister can't. We come from a line of really good country cooks.

The only difference to my fudge recipe is I use 1/2 and 1/2 rather than milk. Also ALWAYS use a wooden spoon when making candy. Keeps the candy from sugaring. Better under cooked than over. Here in Michigan I cook to a softer ball than described in the recipe.

My mom made this fudge when i was young i'm now 57 and she been gone for 5 years.I make it for my children and grandchildren they love it.

I stopped making this fudge years ago then, also years ago, missed it so much I bought a can of Hershey's cocoa and - horrors, the recipe was no longer on the can! I just realized yesterday, that everything is on the Internet and - voila! Here it is! I am so happy! My holidays are now complete. I put pecans in it after I beat it and just before it's ready to pour. Or not. I love it either way. The secret is to not heat it too quickly, not stir it while the butter is melting, and most of all, heat it to 234°F exactly before removing it from the heat. I use half whole milk, and half cream. Lovely!

This fudge is a wonderful part of my childhood memories. Every school party the teachers and our classmates requested that my siblings and I bring my mom's fudge to the class parties. We are a large family so my mom would use a 9X13 pan. Delicious! We still make this fudge today.

My mom used to make this recipe but she used to "burn" it for us. She burnt it on accident one time and my siblings and I loved it that way and we made her burn it every year. It was kinda dry and crumbled when u picked it up, but now that shes gone we can't figure out how she did it, she used to tell us "I just cooked it too long". Does anyone know what she ment by that...? Happy holidays