This sounds like the fudge I used to make when I was younger, only I found out through experience with it to add a tbsp. karo syrup and it made the fudge creamier and less grainy.

I like the old fashioned hersheys cocoa fudge better than using the marshmallow fudge. Just harder to make but easy once you get the hang of how long to cook and how long to beat. You can beat too long and it will start setting up before you pour it into your pan and will not have that real smooth surface, which I like.

If you like nuts, sprinkle them just before you start pouring it up or sprinkle them on the top.

Jeannie

I have taken over making my mothers (who is now 85) fudge. OMG this fudge is hard to get right. I have had to throw away a few batches because it is to sugary. Or it harden right in the pot and I had to push it down after pouring in the pan. How can you let it cool. Doesn't it harden. When I test it in the cold water it is very creamy, but it's sugary after it sets. I do not stir when it is cooking, but I do stir in the vanilla, butter and pour right away. My mother always added peanut butter and walnuts. It makes it really good. She made the best.

I had that happened when I made fudge recently after not having done it for a decade or two. When I researched problems, it said to check your candy thermometer and make sure water boils at 212 degrees. Been better mine was way off and when I replaced the candy thermometer and brought the sugar mixture up to soft ball stage and removed and let it cool to 110 degrees before whipping, it was smooth and creamy.

Make sure you stir the mixture constantly until it starts to boil then stop stirring and do not ever stir again until it is reached soft ball stage, you have removed it from Heat, and Let It Drop to 110 degrees. It might take a couple hours.

Make sure you add real butter and not marg. If you use marg. it will be sugary. I agree with Jeannie...add the karo and it will be smooth and not grainy. Also, use a candy thermometer.

Pamelia

My mother made this fudge every year, she had a special green dish it went into for cooling. We always looked forward to this. One xmas she gave me the dish, much to everyones surprise, including me. Well, that meant I was now the fudge maker! I tried, and tried and I hardly ever got it right. I gave the green dish back to mom. She resumed making the fudge to this day. Every xmas to perfection. She will be 90 next week, and I saw the green dish on her counter. Yum, yum!

Help. I cooked this recipe exactly as written BUT I've been beating x 1 hr. How do I get it stiff enough????

Stir constantly until the mixture begins to boil then do not stir again until it has reached soft ball stage, you had removed it from the Heat and it is lowered to 110 degrees. Might take an hour or two to do that.

This is absolutely the best recipe! My Dad used to make this for us five kids as a treat.. I have tried and tried to make it before but never could succeed! One time in my early newlywed days I had to even throw out a pan. Thank you! My pan was thin or cheap lol so I did the softball test at 17 min and it was perfect Thank you so much, I am a Grandma now so it took a long time

I add a handful of choc, vanilla or butterscotch chips when beating and it is very creamy and smooth

This is absolutely the best fudge recipe. I've made this for 50 years and here are some tips I've learned to make it come out perfectly almost every time...

1. Butter the side of the pan before you put in ingredients. I've used a pan spray with good results also.
2. Do Not stir after it starts to boil... even a small swish will make it turn to sugar.
3. When it reaches the soft ball stage take it off the heat and drop in the vanilla and butter (I've had it turn out just fine with margarine also). Don't stir these ingredients in, just let them sit as the fudge cools down. Don't move the pan again except to feel the bottom to see if it's at room temperature. Even then, move gently and don't drop it down on the counter.
4. When you start beating don't scrape down the sides or you might scrape undissolved sugar into the mixture and it may get sugary.
5. One thing you can do once the fudge has boiled down a bit is to use a pastry brush with a bit of water to wash down the sides so no sugar clings to it. This is optional.

The biggest mistake most people make when making old fashion fudge is to stir it after it's boiled and before it has cooled down.

I have been making this recipe for years since my mom stopped and it took a lot of practice but after all these years, I still use a candy thermometer and it works great every time.. Never sugary.

We love it sugary! Thank goodness for me, since I have taken up the candy making reins since Grandma passed. So if you happen to get sugary fudge... fear not(!), lots of people like it that way.

I aim for the sugary grainy texture - it melts in your mouth. I DON'T like the creamy stuff at all. My Mom made this every Christmas, that is a LONG time to wait for the next batch. It is tricky, I use the cold water and the thermometer and I make a butterscotch fudge to die for! CHEERS.

Yep, it takes awhile to master this fudge but it is worth it. As my 93 yr. old mother used to say... any idiot can make marshmallow fudge!! She was right. I inherited the making of this fudge from her; out of the 4 girls she had. My daughter expects this fudge on her birthday, Christmas, valentines day, you get the idea. Thanks Hershey!!!

I followed this to a T...it was perfect! I had serious doubts about the not stirring and also the cooling ...also I beat it some but it made my arm soooo tired so I poured it into my dish and thought "well...it probably isn't going to set up...its still shiny.."I had only made peanut butter candy and not fudge so I guess I thought it would be similiar....but it was perfect! Thank you.

I followed this recipe to a "T", the tips also helped, it was still glossy when I poured it into my candy dish. I wasn't sure if it would set up but it did. It took me back to my childhood and the fudge my grandma and mom would make, it was so good... I recommend this recipe to anyone. This was my first time making fudge this way, I've only made fudge with the marshmallow creme before but I wanted to try to get that old fashioned taste back and with this recipe I accomplished it... Thank you so much. I will only be making my fudge this way now...

If the fudge turns out grainy you over cooked it! I have been making this fudge since I was 12yrs old. That's too many years to count up! I don't use a candy thermometer, I just wait until the bubble's spilt three ways and I know the fudge is done to perfection!! Oh yes add a good size dollop of creamy peanut butter to the cooked fudge and stir like crazy until it is stirred into the fudge (as you beat the fudge). Tastes like a reeses peanut butter cup!!

This is the best chocolate fudge I've ever tasted. I have been making this recipe since I was 10 years old. It is trickier to make than peanut butter fudge but oh, my, it is just sooooo good!!!