Adventures in Taste

Well! Hopefully in your kitchen after checking out this super awesome recipe. I'm going to warn however- this is a bit tricky. This is best prepared on chilly yet dry days - as fudge will absorb extra moisture in the air and the texture will be all wrong. I have made fantastically wonderful batches of fudge with this recipe - I have also had tasty fudge with a texture that is tragic. (although to my defense, the good days out weight the bad)

Chocolate Fudge - makes about 64 1-inch pieces


Grease an 8x8 -inch pan with butter. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine 2 3/4 c. sugar, 4 oz unsweetened chocolate (I usually go with no less than 60 - 70 % cacao), 1 1/2 T of the butter, 1 c. half-and-half, and 1 T corn syrup. Over medium heat, stir with a wooden spoon until sugar is dissolved and chocolate is melted. Increase heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and boil for 3 minutes. Remove the cover and attach a candy thermometer to the pot. Cook until the thermometer reads 234 degrees F. Remove from the heat and add 1 1/2 T butter (usually place it on the top to do it's magic). Do not stir. Let the mixture cool for 10 minutes or until it drops to 130 degrees F. Add 1 T vanilla (and 1 c roasted nuts, if desired), and mix until well-blended and the shiny texture becomes matte (stir very very fast - as fast as you can, it will get thick quick and really hard to stir.I usually keep DH on call for reserve stirring duty in case the texture isn't right yet - after all, we're going for little itty bitty crystals, not nasty lumpy clumpies) Pour into the prepared pan. Let sit in cool dry area until firm. Cut into 1-inch pieces and store in an airtight container for up to a week- if you can get it to last that long!

This fudge often results in DH tummy aches and good Daphne chuckles :)