My mother has made this fudge for years. She adds 1/2 c. peanut butter & 1 c. pecans for an even better treat!!!

Although this fudge is good it is not the best I have made from scratch. I have a life outside of the kitchen and the 2 hours this took to watch and for such a small batch was not worth the effort. It was actually a waste of my time. It's good, as I said, but I won't be making this any time soon. Still prefer the recipe for fudge on the side of the xxx sugar box. Easy, quick and delicious.

I'm 61 and I have cooked this fudge since I was about 12. I don't do anything different, except maybe add a touch more, Hershey's cocoa. Lee in PA; I don't know why you even responded. It takes 1 hour to cook; not 2!! You know when it's ready when you put some in a spoon, drip it down into the pan, and it forms a shape. Then, quickly add the butter. Add the vanilla and any additions, like coconut, nuts, etc. and put it right into a greased pan. I cut it quickly with a steak knife. In order to cut down on the sugary texture, don't stir but go around the sides of the pan with a spatula and it will all come together! This is soo good. There's nothing like Hershey's cocoa. I make my chocolate frosting with Hershey's cocoa, too. Yummy!

Deanna, I hope the moderator will allow me to defend myself. I responded firstly because this is a free country and not one person commenting said anything bad about it which is cause for concern because nothing is perfect and also because people looking for a fudge recipe need to know how long this recipe takes to make.

For ME it took 1 hour to come up to temp, then another hour to cool to 110 degrees. I am not a liar and resent that you called me one. You said "It took 1 hour to cook, not 2." YES IT TOOK 2 HOURS. Even you stated that it takes 1 hour to make this fudge which is a very long time for people that have things to do; in other words - a life.

All recipes should state approximate times to completion. There are many wonderful fudge recipes using cocoa - which is what I always use anyway - that this one should only be made by people with the time to do so. Thank you.

Lee, Sorry you are too busy to enjoy this recipe. Maybe, it's more about the memories, but I can tell you, this fudge is the only fudge that brings those memories to the for front. Again like most of the rest, I watched my mother make it. Maybe that's the difference Lee. I still have a can with the recipe on it. I haven't made it in years. I just don't eat much fudge because any other isn't the real deal (fudge). Do any of you out there agree about the humidity, being a factor in the out come?

I normally don't comment because there are so many, but I did get upset when someone said it took too long to make because they have a life outside the kitchen.

Lee: I remember my Mom making this and yes it took around an hour. When I make it, it takes about an hour. Not sure why it took so long for you to make. Personally I absolutely love this fudge. To me it's not so much that it tastes good (it tastes awesome to me) but the time that my Mom took to make something as a treat for me and her. It is special when someone takes that much time out of their day to create a special treat for people they love. I am really sorry that you feel the way you do. My live is never so busy that I can't make the time to create a special treat, especially if they are having a bad day.

I was raised by my grandmother and we prepared this recipe every year at Christmas. It is time-consuming and beating that fudge is hard. But I have never enjoyed any fudge as much and could never develop a taste for what I call "soft fudge". Even after I left home, My Grandma mailed me fudge at Christmas if I couldn't make it home for the holidays. She taught me to make a lot of things in that kitchen, but she also taught me that some things in life that are worthwhile take time. Spend the time together and that's the memory and the story (especially if you overcook this fudge!).

Some people will imply that only people who don't have a life can spend this kind of time on a fudge recipe. Well, I'm a professional economist. But I miss my grandmother everyday and would give anything to spend those hours with her cooking this fudge. That IS life.

Lee, I HAVE A LIFE, By the majority of responses, it's obvious that the people on this site, are fine with the amt. of time needed to prepare and cook this wonderful fudge (THE BEST I'VE EVER HAD, I AM 52) You are making an issue out of something that should not warrant an issue. I can only imagine your response on important matters. If you have nothing good to say, Mr., YOU HAVE A LIFE, I beg to differ or you would not waste the time of others complaining about something so insignificant as a fudge recipe, try anger management in your spare time, if you have any.

My Grandmother and my Mother made this fudge, both passed away before I had children. So, I kept making it, through the years, for my siblings and children. Tonight , My daughter and I are making it for my Grandson. I must have thrown away the other Cocoa container with the recipe on it, hence why I'm here. Best Fudge EVER!!

I started making this fudge when I turned 12 years old.I too have had to eat it with a spoon or throw it out because I cooked it too long. I'm 57 years now and I have perfected it to an art. A tip for you once it becomes a full boil turn the heat down and simmer for 15 minutes, drop by teaspoon into cold water for a soft ball stage, then remove from heat add vanilla and butter. Do not stir, until all butter has melted. Immediately put the pan into a sink of cold water, mix it well and let it sit there until the shine leaves. Very quickly pour into a greased pan. It is the best fudge I have ever eaten. Another tip: it will not set if it is raining. I only make it on a clear cool day.

Thank you Teresa in Tennessee for reminding me of putting the pan in some cold water. I had forgotten that part. My mom passed away in June 2006, 14 1/2 years now. She always made this recipe when I was young. She taught me how to make it when I was 12. I'm 64 now.

She always added smooth creamy peanut butter to it at the end. I just can't remember how much and sometimes she added chopped walnuts. She also never had a candy thermometer, I learned the soft ball method. I also forgot about never make this when it's raining. I just made a batch last Sunday using 2% milk and it's all gone. Going to make another tomorrow using whole milk this time before the rain comes on Christmas Eve. I had stopped making this fudge when the Magic Cookie Bar recipe came out. It was a much easier recipe and quick too. But nothing compares to this fudge. It's the best hands down. I also found out that the recipe was no longer on the cocoa can (mom always saved the empty one). So when I found the recipe again I was very happy. I just don't know if I can ever get it to taste the same as when my mom made it. Comes real close though.

I have made this recipe all my life too and have also eaten it in a spoon and have broken it into pieces to eat -- just wanted to say my recipe calls for 2 tbsp of Karo syrup, 2 cups of sugar 2 tbsp cocoa and 1 cup of milk. I am going to try and just add 2 tsp of karo to this recipe and see what happens.

I make the old-fashioned Hershey's cocoa fudge, but I add 1 tbsp. of white corn syrup, 1 tsp. black walnut flavoring and 1 cup of black walnuts. My kids love it.

Linda, so I finally found someone else who uses BLACK WALNUT flavoring instead of vanilla-so delicious. I don't have access to black walnuts so I use plain walnuts. I've been making this recipe for 60 years so the recipe is in my head but I wanted to read reviews.

Two ladies (Janet Welcome and Mary C) mentioned using this recipe to frost cakes which sounds delicious! I'm wondering - how long would you beat the fudge? Would it be too thick if you beat it until it loses some of its gloss?

My grandma made this fudge every Christmas. It was her present to everyone of her kids families. She would wrap each piece in foil and put in an empty coffee can. My Dad would hide it in his bedroom and I would find it and sneak a piece! It is kind of hard to make, especially now that I've moved to a much higher altitude, but I still love it and all the memories it brings back of my Grandma B.

Apparently I fail in many sorts. My mom tried this recipe out a couple of weeks ago and it turned to soup. I decided to try again, and still it's soup.

What in the world am I doing wrong? We keep beating it but the consistency is that of syrup. This is my first time ever attempting fudge of any sort and I've definitely been discouraged by the results. I just wanted fudge covered oreos!

Miss Kitrina, you have just made chocolate syrup that will flavor milk, Just like the store bought. If it is syrup you didn't get it hot enough. Get it too hot and it turns to toffee (Think Riesen) even hotter it will turn to hard candy. All additives should be added when the butter goes in depending on the melting point of the additive. Marshmallows would be added just before stirring. I have also added a small amount of corn syrup as it help prevent the sugar from forming the sugary crystals that make it grainy. Cream cheese is also a good additive!!!.

Kitrina, this may help your fudge dilema. Temperature is everything but I've made it for so many decades that I don't need a recipe or a thermometer. Just like CM's recipe reads is perfect, so bring sugar, cocoa, dash salt, and whole milk to a boil stirring constantly on medium heat-it will be a "foamy" boil and then you STOP stirring and then it will die down to a lava-looking boil (thicker). That's when I test a little bit from a spoon into ice water for soft ball formation and take off heat if it makes a ball in water. And use butter, not margarine to continue the recipe as given. Hope this helps. CM's recipe is spot on.

Well I was looking for a fudge to make because my father in law asked me to learn how to make it. My great granny and my granny died before they could teach me, but there was always Hershey's cocoa in the pantry. So since I have never made fudge this will be the recipe I will use. I just have two questions for all you people who don't like to spend time cooking: what did people do before quick 'n easy? Don't you know the more time and love you put into what you do the better it is. The world is going to crap because no one has time for anything, not even family. I wont raise my 5 children like this.

What did I do wrong..?..Mine is still a bit runny :( But good thing is I have never made fudge in my life so for the first time I expected it

I love this fudge, I've been loving it for 40 years, all others are inferior to this, but I still will eat the too. :) Patience is the key to making this fudge. Mine is cooling now, yum yum!

My fudge turned out great. I didn't think it was going to set, but all is well :)

I started using this recipe last Christmas. It taste like the one my grandmother and mother used to make. I added rasins and pecans to the recipe. It is wonderful! I will make this again for this Christmas to give to friends and family.

This is the BEST and ONLY FUDGE, although yesterday I tried a simple upgrade using Ghirardelli cocoa, but it didn't work for me. Live and learn.