Fudge – Makes five pounds
Combine in large bowl:
½ lb. butter or margarine
3 12-oz pkgs. choc. chips
3 tablespoons vanilla
In large saucepan:
4½ c. sugar
1 can evaporated milk
Cookie sheet pan lined with parchment paper for easy fudge removal.
Turn the heat below the saucepan mixture to medium. Stir the mixture as it heats so that the sugar is completely dissolved and the mixture has a syrupy quality to it. Bring to a temperature of 245F, which should occur after a nine-minute rolling boil. If you do not have a candy thermometer, begin counting time at beginning of rolling boil and stop at nine minutes. I don’t know why, but stopping after a nine-minute rolling boil always works, often even better than using the thermometer. Make sure to keep stirring the sugar/milk mixture as it heats (this will be about a 20-minute process—I said “an easy recipe,” not “exciting”). Otherwise, some of the sugar will caramelize and burn on the bottom of the pan. Also, use a deep saucepan when you cook the sugar as it will double in volume when it boils. When the boiling is done, pour over ingredients in bowl. Mix thoroughly until the fudge has a smooth and creamy sheen to it. Pour the batter into a cookie sheet pan and allow at least one hour to cool and set. Enjoy!
For added variations:
- 2 cups chopped nuts
- 2 cups maraschino cherries (dried)
- the chips may be semi-sweet chocolate (for dark chocolate fudge), milk chocolate, white chocolate, or peanut butter—all work well for this recipe
