It’s winter. There is a slight nip in the air, sweater weather. It’s the season for caramel corn, sugar on snow and… fudge!! We grew up with fudge every winter, chocolate, peanut butter and the combination thereof. Our fudge was grainy and sweet, not the smooth sweet soft fudge found in stores and from chocolatiers. My fudge retains all the old flavors, textures and memories of fudge years now long gone. (Full disclosure, the recipe is from Betty Crocker’s cook book.)

• 4 cups sugar
• 1 1/3 cups milk
• ¼ cup corn syrup
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 4 oz unsweetened baking chocolate
• ¼ cup butter
• 2 teaspoons vanilla

Method

• Grease bottom and sides of 8-inch square pan with butter.
• In 3-quart saucepan, cook sugar, milk, corn syrup, salt and chocolate over medium heat, stirring constantly, until chocolate is melted and sugar is dissolved. Cook, stirring occasionally, to 234°F on candy thermometer or until small amount of mixture dropped into cup of very cold water forms a soft ball that flattens when removed from water; remove from heat. Stir in butter.
• Cool mixture without stirring to 120°F, about 1 hour. (Bottom of saucepan will be lukewarm.) Add vanilla. Beat vigorously and continuously 5 to 10 minutes, using wooden spoon, until mixture is thick and no longer glossy. (Mixture will hold its shape when dropped from a spoon.)
• Spread in pan. Let stand about 1 hour or until firm. Cut into 1-inch squares.