I have been looking for this recipe for years!!! In the 40's, my Uncle Stevie used to make this for my cousins and me. We lived in Ohio and when he made it in the Winter, he would put it outside on the back porch to cool before beating it. It was the BEST fudge ever. I can't wait to make it for my Grandchildren--and of course, me.

This is for all of you with "soupy" fudge that isn't setting: ADD MORE BUTTER and mix the heck out of it. IT WILL SET. Just watch it--it will go from glossy to fudgy looking. I grew up in Texas, and my mom made this fudge--the best ever!!! Now I live in Colorado at almost 9000 ft., and you can bet the altitude affects the fudge making. Add butter by the tablespoon, get out the hand mixer (or pour it into the KitchenAid), and beat until it looks right. I rescued a batch last winter with about twice the butter. Don't despair! And, yeah, it takes a while, but it is SO worth it.

I just lost my wonderful dad who made this fudge every Christmas and I was so touched by all the memories! Thanks to you all and to Hersheys for all the MEMORIES TOO!

My mom (bless her heart) is gone now and she made this fudge every year perfectly. I never could get it just like her but finally I learned the secret. Cook on medium heat until boils and then turn the temp down a little and make sure you cook it long enough for the soft ball (but not too long). I think of my mom always when making it-she was the best and made the fudge the best, using milnot for half of the milk. She never used a candy thermometer but I do :)

I dont even know how much dish soap to put in the washing machine LOL. I am attempting to make this right now. I remember this fudge as a kid. Maybe I should put some chopped nuts and meatloaf in it LMAO.. Recipe is not on coco anymore so thank you for the recipe.. JOHN C

So glad I found this recipe, my mom now 80 wanted a good fudge recipe. I looked at all my cookbooks knowing she wanted fudge that tasted like she remembered when she was a little girl. I read her the recipe over the phone, and she is so excited. She is making the fudge right now and she can't wait to taste it. Thanks so much Hershey's, we love your chocolate!!!!!!!!!!!!

The first time I made this fudge was in 1988 and I used an electric skillet to make it. It always came out good. After years of not having the recipe I actually prayed that God would get that recipe to me. Not long after that we were going through some difficult times and went to church to get help with groceries. There amongst the other groceries was a box of Hershey Cocoa's with the Fudge recipe! I'm in the process of making some now. But for anyone who is challenged when it comes to making candy as I was try using an electric skillet. This is also my favorite texture for fudge.

I have made this since I was in High School, I love it and so do all my children (5). I have ate it when it was so hard I had to break it, and sometimes it became spoon fudge, but once in awhile it comes out perfect. Now I am a diabetic but I still have to make it at least once a year or go crazy thinking about it.

I do not remember a time when this fudge was not a family favorite. I cannot stand the creamy fudge and like it just a tad over cooked. Until my mother died she bought fancy chocolates for us "kids" at Christmas, but for me she made this fudge. We had just one rule in our family, no one ate the last piece...it was always reserved for my father. This is the very best childhood memory.

There's not another fudge as good as this fudge. Whoever says its suppose to be sugary & hard doesn't know how to make fudge! I use evaporated milk, use a digital candy thermometer, & beat with a hand mixer until it loses some of it's gloss. It is creamy & delicious!

I am making this fudge using skim milk. Hope it comes out OK.

This is by far the best fudge recipe EVER !!!! Occasionally I'll add about a half cup of crunchy peanut butter. Very tasty. Change it? I think not !!!

For those of you having problems when fudge has cooked just right try this (I wouldn't know a softball if it looked me in the eye). Take a tablespoon of fudge and put it on a saucer, start beating and swirling, If the fudge continues to roll off the soon after a minute or so your not there yet. Cook awhile longer and repeat. Once the fudge refuses to leave the spoon your there. If it gets to hard you have overcooked, add a little milk and start over. I generally start checking mine at 25 minutes after the rolling boil. It all depends on your definition of what medium boil is. Thanks Mom!

We used to call this "Daddy's Fudge" b/c he came home from WWII with the recipe and it is all our family has made ever since. I learned from my big sister but she always beat the butter and vanilla into it as soon as she took it off of the fire. I have no idea why - also, can you please tell me why so many folks who have posted here are worried about "the shine"? What difference does losing the shine make? I am often not successful in getting the perfect consistency and wonder if that would help me.... Thanks so much for sharing the memories!

Judy, stirring to lose the shine means the fudge is ready to pour into the dish (quickly), cuz if you pour it out too soon, it won't set up. It's not about it being pretty. Hope that helps.

This is a family recipe for me also, and I am the resident expert.. As I have read through I have seen a few questions and very few answers so I'm going to do some answers...

Cook to soft ball stage.. This is how I was taught bring it to a boil you will notice that the boil becomes lower in the pan after a while (I do nothing until this point except stir) once it boils low then I check for soft ball stage I do this with a saucer of water I drop a dab from a spoon into the water and if I can reach into the saucer and pick up the dab of fudge with out it slipping out of my fingers its ready, u can mold it like a soft clay...

Off the heat I go and I drop in the butter and the vanilla I let it sit for a couple of minutes mostly cause if it cools a tiny bit its easier to work (I'm talking 5 minutes at the most)... I start stirring in the butter and as someone said.. By scraping and folding in with a spatula.. If u want to add nuts u might want to add them now.. Continuing to fold them into the mixture... Someone ask about the gloss, the more u beat/fold the more of the gloss will go away u do not want the fudge to look like black glass... I raise my spatula and let the fudge fall back into the pan and I write a 3 letter word, like cat if u can still see the c when u get to the t.. U are ready to poor, if your c has disappeared then keep beating/folding .. When I think its ready I will drop a dab on wax paper and test it with my fingers (careful don't burn your finger)it should not be shinny or sticky.. It should be more solid and breakable.. If it is then poor it into your pan.. Let it set for a few but cut while it is warm..

If its soupy it didn't cook long enough... Pour it back in the pan (though if u have to do this it might be a little grainy when u finish, I don't like it grainy) it should not take more then one hour from start to finish.. A little extra cocoa makes it a little less sweet and I sometimes do that...

For those that gave alternate methods, thanks. I'm looking forward to trying it with peanut butter instead of butter..

Weekitty, you are the first one that pointed out a few good tips that my Mom used to use. No one else has mentioned that you really don't have to worry about testing it until it starts to boil down (it boils up big time, so make sure your pan is tall enough). But, once it starts boiling down, you will need to check it by putting a drop in cold water about every 30 seconds because it can overcook rather quickly at this point.
My Mom also would spell words in the fudge while she was beating it, only she didn't just spell words, she would spell out all of her kid's names. There were four of us so sometimes she would have to spell really fast. Four kids all with a chair pulled up to the sink, saying "spell my name next". It's such a wonderful memory.
Someone else mentioned putting the pan in a few inches of water once it's moved from the stove. That's what my Mom did and she would then add peanut butter and stir it through (she never let it sit to cool). Once the peanut butter melted then she started to beat it; stopping every 30 seconds or so to spell out a name. Then, once the names started staying visible and it just started to lose its gloss, she immediately poured onto buttered plates. At this point you really have to be quick or it will become too thick to pour.
It's not that hard to make, you just have to time the cooking and beating just right which makes me a little nervous and could take some practice. Nervous or not, Mom's gone now and I'm the only one in the family that has made this successfully, so I think it's time I made a batch or two. It won't be as special as when my Mom made it, but hopefully it will still taste just as good.