Instructions: Method: Combine sugar, milk, cocoa, and salt to a large sauce pan. Stir until all sugar granules have been dissolved. Boil over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture comes to a boil. Once boiling, stir only occasionally. Once mixture has reached soft ball stage (approximately. 234 degrees F.), take mixture off stove and let it sit. Add butter, and let mixture sit until it has cooled down to the point where you can touch the pan with your hand and it is just warm. Add vanilla and stir mixture until it loses its sheen.

Pour into a buttered pan and refrigerate for 1/2 hour. My mother used to beat/stir the hot mixture as soon as she took it off the stove...it always had a grainy texture because of this. I learned (from the people up in Mackinaw Island fudge makers) that the mixture needs to cool a bit before you start stirring it. I tried this and find that the grainy texture is gone and the fudge comes out smooth, rich, and just melts in your mouth! YUM. P.S. Ohhh..if you want chocolate peanut butter fudge, add 1 cup of peanut butter when you begin to stir the cooled mixture! Its great!

REMARKS:
Very similar to Basic Fudge #1 but uses a candy thermometer for more precise control, lots more cocoa, a little more butter, and some salt. This is still basically a flavored sugar slurry with no Helpers added. It does introduce the idea of letting the slurry set after butter has been added which may prevent aggressive crystallization leading to less grainy fudge.

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