Making fudge with Emma

I'm going to try and post comments along with the pictures and hope it works.

Grandma's Fudge
4 cups white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup dark corn syrup
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup real butter
1/2 teaspoon salt (opt)
2 squares unsweetened chocolate
1 teaspoon vanilla

In picture #1 and 2 you add all the ingredients in a heavy bottomed pot and heat over medium heat. When it is bubbly put a lid on for about 5 minutes so the steam will wash all the sugar down from the sides of the pan.

Remove the lid and place candy thermometer on side of pan. Make sure the bulb is in the candy but not touching the bottom of the pan.

When the candy has reached soft ball stage, 234 degrees F, pour it onto a chilled marble slab. I chill mine with ice in a ziploc bag. I remove the bag and wipe the slab dry. I always use the cold water method for testing the candy. Usually the candy has reached soft ball stage before the thermometer has reached 234 degrees F. Have a cup of cold tap water near by. Spoon a little candy into the cold water and feel it. If it forms a soft ball that can be flattened it is ready. Always use a non metal spoon.

When the candy has cooled enough so you can leave a finger print at the sides and in the center start stirring the candy. I have a nice fudge paddle from a recent family reunion but you can use a dough knife or bench knife that you see in some of the pictures. It has a metal blade and a white handle. I bought it from a local bakery. I just asked and they got me one.

Keep stirring the fudge until it turns. You can see in the picture it has turned a creamy white. This first batch is an eggnog fudge. As you can see from the next picture we cooked it just a little bit too long. All we did to fix it was to add a little milk. I added about 1 1/2 teaspoons of milk and kneaded it in. That fixed the problem.

Always knead the fudge after it turns. It gives it a nice creamy texture. I also added the flavoring at this point and kneaded it in. For the chocolate fudge I added 1 teaspoon of vanilla and some chopped pecans. For the eggnog I added 1 teaspoon rum extract and 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg. So good!

For the eggnog fudge leave out the chocolate.