Oh Fudge! Only it wasn't fudge.

Ok, it really was!

Here is the treasured fudge recipe that my sister Tammy handed down to me just this weekend after keeping it a secret all these many years. I don't know exactly where she got it, but she studied Chemistry in college and knows how foods cook at the molecular level... She's kind of the female version of Alton Brown! And she didn't even know who he was! But she's planning on looking him up.

Anyway, this stuff will melt in your mouth... AND your hands... and tastes SO much better than the chocolate chip quick variety!

Tammy's Fudge
In a large sauce pan, put...
3 cups Sugar
2/3 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 cup milk - don't use skim
pinch of salt

Bring to a boil, stirring gently constantly. As soon as it begins to boil, turn temperature down to low and don't stir anymore.

At this point, you can stick in a candy thermometer if you want, but Tam's way to test it is better. At first there will be large bubbles, but then it will turn into millions of tiny bubbling bubbles as it boils.

Right about that point, swirl the center of the pot with a clean spoon and take a little bit on the spoon and let drop it into a bowl of cold water. If it splays all over, it's not ready. If it stays together, then stick your fingers into the water and see if you can form a ball with it, or easily mash it around like playdough. You don't want it too hard! Or runny!

So when you get to this point, take the pan off the burner and drop in 1/3 cup of butter. Don't melt it first. It's about 2/3s of a cube of butter. And also put in one teaspoon of vanilla extract.

Stop your kitchen sink and fill it a little ways with cold water. About 3-4 inches. Set your pan right down into it. Don't let the water go into the fudge! Because that would just be yucky!

Let it cool for about 15 minutes or so. During this time, get a 9X9 pan out and grease it.

Then get out a metal spoon and start stirring the butter and vanilla into the fudge. Beat it for about 3-5 minutes until your arm feels numb. You can switch arms if the one feels funny. Once the fudge starts turning to a dull color and starts feeling thick, dump it immediately into the greased pan. If it's not a dull color, but feeling thick anyway, dump it into the pan!

Spread it out in the pan and stick it in the fridge for an hour or so to let it set up. Then it can be out on the counter. Cut it while it's still just a little warm.

Tammy also gave me some trouble shooting advice!

If the fudge is too hard, dampen a paper towel and lay it over the top of the fudge, then seal up the pan with plastic wrap. Leave it in the fridge for a day or so. That will moisten it up.

If the fudge doesn't set up, then you can try to bring it back to a boil on the stove, or microwave it to bring it back up to a high temp.

Or you've got a nice treat you can spoon out over ice cream or just eat with a spoon when you feel like a little chocolate!

Anyway... Let me know if you try it and how it works for you! I'm going to try another batch next week.