Georgia’s Kitchen: Cocoa Fudge

Georgia Diehm

Keota, Iowa – I found some black walnuts in my basement the other day that needed cracked and picked. It’s funny how I have put that off for so long. That was something that Mom did quite often in late fall & winter. Us kids pitched in and helped and it was kind of fun and therapeutic at the same time.

The nuts were good in nut breads and other baked goods. One of my favorite things that we used them in was cocoa fudge. The fudge was good alone but it tasted a whole lot better with black walnuts in it. I believe the recipe came off the back of a Hershey’s cocoa can. Here it is for anyone who might be interested. It is still one of my favorite fudge recipes, though I don’t make it very often.

Cocoa Fudge

2/3 cup cocoa
3 cups sugar
1/8 tsp salt
11/2 cups milk
4 1/2 Tbs butter
1 tsp vanilla

Combine cocoa with sugar and salt. Add milk. Bring to boil stirring frequently. Cook to (232 degrees) or until a small amount of mixture forms a soft ball when dropped in cold water. Remove from heat. Drop in butter. Cool to lukewarm (110 degrees). Add vanilla and beat until mixture thickens. Pour into buttered pan and cut in squares. Note:You can add black or English walnuts if you desire…however many you want.

Walnut Anna (1896)

2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup sweet cream
1 cup broken walnut meats

Boil together brown sugar and sweet cream for 20 min or until it ropes. Then take from fire & add the broken walnut meats; pour into a shallow buttered tin. When partially cooled crease in squares with a knife.

When cold it will be pronounced delicious:
Peanut Butter Fudge.

Combine 2 cups sugar and 1 cup milk. Cook over low heat to soft ball stage (238 degrees) stirring often. Remove from heat. Stir in 1 medium jar marshmallow cream, 1 medium jar crunchy peanut butter and 1 tsp vanilla. Beat hard, till mixture thickens. Spread in buttered 9 in square pan. Cool, cut and come back for more.

I guess while I’m at it, I’ll give you another fudge recipe!
That way, you’ll have plenty to choose from.

Chocolate or Butterscotch Fudge

1 pkg. chocolate or butterscotch pudding mix (not instant kind)
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1 Tbsp butter
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 c. chopped nut meats (if desired)

Mix together in skillet: pudding mix (not instant kind), sugar, brown sugar, evaporated milk, butter… Cook together until soft ball stage–less than 3 min. Remove from fire. Beat until thick. Add vanilla and chopped nut meats. Drop by teaspoon on wax paper.