Keeping the Dirt Farmer Fudge Tradition Alive. Making fudge with the grand-kids.
List of ingredients.
6 cups of sugar
1 and 1/3 cups of Hershey’s Cocoa
1/4 teaspoon of salt
3 cups of milk (I use 2%. I like to eat healthy!)
1 stick of butter
2 teaspoons of vanilla
Optional (which means you don’t have to add it if ya don’t like it)
a bag of walnuts (not sure the weight, Pam says 14 ounces, but she’s not sure)
a heap of peanut butter (I’m guessing a cup and half ????)
Over medium heat bring the fudge to a bubbly boil stirring constantly. As soon as the fudge starts to boil turn the heat down and watch it carefully. When it starts boiling it will rise in the pan and easily boil over.
Getting burnt sugar off of a glass stove top is not easy, if even possible. Don’t ask me how I know that! Don’t be tempted to turn the heat up to get it to a boil faster. Don’t ask me about that either!
When testing the fudge to make sure it is cooked perfectly you are looking for “the softball stage”. This is really, really critical to get the fudge done perfectly.
When you drop the fudge into the cold water allow it to cool for 30 seconds to a minute, then try and push the fudge into a pile on the bottom of the dish, then once in a pile try and pick the fudge up with just two fingers.
If you can pick it up it’s done. If you cannot pick it up, it’s not yet ready. Do Not Over Cook It! Overcooked fudge is horrible. Dry, grainy, crumbly. You have to get it done perfectly.
See how I can pick this fudge up out of the cold water? I can just barely pick it up, but I can pick it up after pushing it into a pile on the bottom of the dish. That is the Perfect Consistency! I’m able to pick it up, but just barely.
Once the fudge is done cooking don’t panic! Remove it from the stove and place it on a cooling rack on the counter. It needs to cool a bit before you finish it. As it is cooling add the stick of butter, the two teaspoons of vanilla, the peanut butter and the nuts. The peanut butter and nuts are optional.
Allow it to cool for a few minutes then start stirring. As you stir in the peanut butter, butter and nuts the fudge will change color a bit, as soon as it is well blended pour it in the greased banking dish. If the fudge is cooked perfectly it will need several hours, usually overnight to set up all the way.
This is the ultimate test. If you can impress your mother-in-law with your fudge making abilities you’ve done good. She’s my biggest critic and my biggest fudge fan when I get it right! But if I mess it up, boy oh boy do I ever hear about it!
When done perfectly this fudge is moist. Notice how I cut it into small pieces, leaving air space between each piece. There’s a paper towel on the bottom of the tin and a paper towel between layers to wick away some of the moisture. The fudge gets dry and crispy on the edges and smooth and silky on the inside.
All I can say is enjoy! I sure do.
Oh yeah, a few years ago I made a Dirt Farmer Fudge movie. If you truly want to be entertained you can watch that here.
Questions or comments? Post them below.
Thank you Mike! This is the same recipe my grandma used and I’ve been searching for it for years. It is definitely the perfect fudge!
My mother made this fudge several times. We couldn’t afford pecans so we used hickory nuts.
The next time I make it, I will include the peanut butter.
Thanks, Mike for bringing back memories.
Did you guys have a good way to get the meats out of the hickory nuts?
Thanks for posting Dirt Farmer Fudge. In our family it was known as dads fudge, later grandpas fudge. The grandkids would come home and want the recipe. There isn’t one. So they made a video of him making it. What good memories.
Hi Mike,
About how frequently are you testing the consistency in the video above?
Thanks,
Hollis
Hollis,
The fudge has to boil a while but once it starts to thicken I start testing. At first the water will just get cloudy, not even close. But once the chocolate starts to stick together on the bottom the dish I check every couple of minutes. It’s a really fine line between done enough, and over cooked. When I can pinch the chocolate into a tiny pile and actually pick it up off the bottom of the dish that’s what I’m looking for and I remove it from the heat. When done perfectly it will set up slowly and might be still sticky when you cut it. But as air gets to the edges it sets up perfectly.
When I was in Jr high, a local candy shop did an afterschool candy making class. This is almost exactly how they taught us! The candy shop was so good and so special that it lasted for 50 years…the anti-sugar thing killed it. Although, I don’t eat sugar often because it actually makes my allergies worse, I think it is important to have celebratory treats and they should be really good!
This recipe is going in with my husband amazing toffee, thanks so much for sharing!!!
Thank you Mike..I haven’t watched your video, but read your recipe…it sounds good and I am gonna try making it in the morning..it’s a bit late tonight for stirring up the household with wondrous smells of fudge cooking❣ Thanks 😊
Donnalee, enjoy!
Thanks, I’m going to make it with my family. Merry Christmas .
Seeing your post brought pure joy to my heart watching your grandchildren in the kitchen making such a wonderful treat. I lost my son and my granddaughter a few years ago but I am now able to truly enjoy seeing all of the fun and good times brought to other grandparents. I love this. Thank you for posting it. Happy Holidays to you and your family!!
You are welcome and thank you.
Mike,
Thank you for the recipe I’m going to make it next weekend. I have leaned so much from you. I appreciate you sharing your knowledge. Nice looking grandchildren 🥰
Merry Christmas to you and your family 🎄
My grandkids are grown so miss doing these type of things with them.I used to just use the recipe on the marshmallow fluff jar but I will have to give yours a try. Love that you are teaching the boys to cook. They are getting math and cooking lessons all in one 🙂 Happy Holidays MIke !
My mother used to make fudge, probably from a recipe similar to (or identical) to yours. Back in the days when there was only one cocoa powder, and that was Hershey’s. The only difference was that she poured the fudge out onto the old enamel kitchen table and worked it with a paddle of some sort so that it would set up. Unfortunately, Mama passed away in 1972, before I had a chance to learn to make stuff. It’s been years since I’ve tried to make it the way Mama did, but I have used one or more of Hershey’s recipes (love their recipe books, I have a few).
Thank you for sharing your recipe, and those wonderfully detailed instructions. This is my plan for the weekend, as soon a I replenish my supply of cocoa. I have a feeling my fudge will turn out like Mama’s, except for the addition of peanut butter, she never added that in. But I love chocolate fudge with a layer of peanut butter fudge on top (from the Amish Markets), and I will be adding the peanut butter. Going to swirl it in the way one of your commenters did. Thanks, Mike, and have a great Christmas holilday. Enjoy your grandkids and your tradtions with them.
Marcia,
Pouring the fudge on a cold surface would work just fine as long as you get it cooked to the softball stage first. That part is critical.
Thank You for the Fudge recipe, . Also thank You for all the e-mails you send me, Wishing you and your family a Blessed Christmas and good New Year 2020.- Juan from Uruguay.-
You are welcome Juan, thank you for being a subscriber.
Mike. I have big sticks and small sticks on our acreage. What size is your stick that you use to measure butter
Thanks
Ha Ha Ha, if you really do not know, that is too funny. A “stick of butter” is a quarter of a pound, one half cup.
Mike, this is the absolute greatest fudge ever! I can remember making it with my (much) older brother when he babysat us as a kid…..I love that you’re making memories with your grandchildren over the stove. Keep the gardening e-mails coming, you’ve helped me out many times!
Thanks Joan, I appreciate that.
Mike,I always enjoy your posts so much! I have learned so much form you over the years, and I want to thank you so much! I appreciate all of your newsletters, information and of course, recipes! <3 Merry Christmas to you and your family!
Thank you Marlene, you’re welcome.
Already made two batches. The first one turned out perfect. The secondone turned into spoon fudge. Can’t figure out why.
Virginia,
The second one was slightly under cooked. There’s a fine line between boiled long enough and not boiled enough.
Love it Mike!
Merry Christmas!
Bette Quante Burnett
Mike, What a nice tradition for your grandchildren to help make the fudge at Christmas.
Also thank You for all the e-mails you send me regarding gardening, It is always helpful.
Wishing you and all the family a Blessed Christmas and a Healthy and Happy New Year.
Rose Ann
Thanks Rose and you are welcome.
watched while drooling .looks good can’t wait to make it tomorrow.thanks
Thank You for the Fudge Recipe. Also thank You for all the e-mails you send me with all the good tips on gardening plants and flowers.
Wishing you and your family a Blessed Christmas and a Healthy and good New Year
Thanks Mike, I enjoy all you share, post, Merry Christmas to you and yours
🎄 MERRY CHRISTMAS MIKE TO YOU AND YOURS 🎄
Thank you so much for sharing your fudge recipe. If this darn snow will stop, I’m heading to the market! I needed a really good one and oh brother, it sure looks like you came thru like a champ! Mama was always the fudge maker and absolutely NO ONE including me could duplicate her fudge magic. Stay tuned! I’m giving your recipe a shot. Keep your fingers crossed that I can do this. Again, thanks a lot and HAPPY HOLIDAYS MIKE!
You’re welcome Linda!
I see that this an older post. If it did not turn out try Fantasy Fudge. Easy and wonderful. Great for bake sales as well.
Mike! Mike! Can I lick the bowl? … No, you’ll pull the chain like everybody else. lol.
It looks like everyone in the family was willing to ‘get their hands dirty’, Mike. I wish I’d been there.
Have a wonderful holiday season, sir.
Lots of Love and Light.
Mick …. from the other side of the Atlantic ocean.
x x x x
x x x
Thanks Mick, I appreciate that, sorry you missed it.
Mike I have to tell you that I’m 71 with fibromyalgia, congestive heart failure and copd. I don’t get to do much outside anymore, but I sure as he** love watching your videos and watching you do it. Now, a chef on top of it – you just made my day!
Thanks Anne, I’m glad you enjoy and appreciate what we do.
Can you make the fudge with almond milk for those with milk intolerances?
I have no idea but give it a whirl!
My fudge recipe is almost identical to yours, I use water instead of milk. It tastes great. I have to make a ton of it at Christmas
Now you’re talking about my kind of cooking! Looks like a great recipe and I can’t wait to get started. I love coming to your website just because! Seriously you kind of remind me of my grandma the way she cooked and boy could she cook! She’s been gone near 40 years now but I can remember being in that kitchen with her and learning to cook. She couldn’t eat sweets because she was a bad diabetic but her homemade chicken noodle soup and chicken and dumplings were to die for! And the ham hocks and green beans with red potatoes…omg! She made many dishes that were pure love!
Anyway…thank you for the video and the recipe! Merry Christmas and blessed holidays to you and the family!
I enjoyed watching you make fudge with your grandsons.
GREAT recipe, Mike! I was short walnuts, but have an ample supply of almonds from my trees. I threw in a couple hanfulls after roasting them — and WOW! Never used peanut butter before and that just puts everything over the top! Merry Christmas, Mike, and thanks again!
I love cooking with the grandkids. Looks pretty good. Making a batch next week. Thanks Mike
mike great recipe im gonna make it..one thing though….if you wanna eat healthy..i think we need to skip the fudge lol…oh hell..its the holidays. Merry Christmas
THANK YOU for the reciepe.. Going to try it for Christmas this year…..
HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY…
Thanks, Mike, for reminding me of making fudge with children. As a child, I can remember making fudge on Sunday afternoon. We didn’t measure anything! We put some sugar in a cast-iron skillet, added Hershey’s cocoa until it was the color we wanted and then added heavy cream until it looked right. We cooked until a soft-ball stage, removed from heat and beat until it lost its gloss. Sometimes we added nuts and/or peanut butter before spreading onto a buttered platter. I think we began eating it before it was cold!
Jean,
Eating it before it’s actually cold is the best part! Thanks for sharing.
What a great post. Your grandsons will always remember making the fudge with you Mike. Sweet.
Thanks for all of the super teaching posts throughout the year. Merry Christmas to you and your family and to all of your followers. You make gardening interesting.
Thanks Elizabeth, I appreciate that.
Hi Mike, looks like fun.
Mike,
Do you by any chance have a copy of your “dirt farmer fudge” recipe? I would like to try and make it this year, I will have my husband stir it!! 🙂 It looks fantastic! Nothing like having little helpers to make it! 🙂 I enjoy your newsletters very much!!
Marlene,
It’s right on this page.
Hi Mike… i meant a printer friendly page. Thank you so much! 🙂
right click print and pick your pages …
I’m going to try it,,,,but 6 cups of sugar??????
I finally might be able to make a descent fudge that my husband will like ha ha!
Just to let you know you are missing the milk in the recipe above. If I didn’t listen to the video I would not have known it was there.
Kim,
Wow! You’re the first to mention that!
It is right there…in the instructions of the grandson pouring it in…..
Oh Kim…..Did you not see Aydan put in 3 cups of milk?
Thanks Mike! I enjoyed the pictures of you letting the
grandsons help. Good teaching!
I’m glad I saw this because I was just going by the written recipe without watching the video. It’s late, I’m tired and might not have even thought about the fact that fudge usually needs milk or cream! You saved me. Thank you. And thank you Mike for the recipe..
Merry Christmas to all!
I enjoy your videos very much, including the donkeys and the kids. I am a terrible candy maker but I am going to try this fudge. I don’t have bibs. Just wear old clothes to get dirty. Thanks
My brother-law loves fudge. Thinking of sharing this with him! What I love is those sweeties helping grandpa make the family treat. They will cherish these memories forever. Thanks for sharing!
Merry Christmas, Mike. I cannot garden much these days due to physical limitations but I have enjoyed your blogs for a long time. Some things I can pass on to other gardening friends. Of course I love hearing about the donkeys. Keep on inspiring people, Mike. Gardening is a healthy rewarding activity that can keep one addicted, sane and broke!
Thanks Martha!
Sweet potato pie is the tradition here. My mother and her friends start bugging me in September for sweet potato pie at Christmas. I didn’t make it home one year when I deployed and my sister wrote HW BUSH such a nasty letter the FBI investigated.
Holy cow, that’s crazy!
This is almost like the fudge that I make………….my daddy’s recipe.
Merry Christmas.
Thanks for sharing this recipe. Love the pictures of the grandkids helping.
HI…I’ve been making fudge for our family for about 40 years…a neighbor taught me when I was around 10…everyone wants fudge for all occasions! I have something for you to try…leave out the cocoa and then make exactly the same adding about 1/2 cup more peanut butter. Plain peanut butter fudge is absolutely divine!!! But I do love my pb!!! Good luck! Haooy fudge-making!!! Amd Merry Christmas!!!!
Thanks Robbin, I need to try that!
I am allergic to choc so I cannot live without my Skippy! Thank you for sharing! Merry Christmas all!!
Yes it is an awesome family tradition but it is also a feast for cancer. Cancer thrives on sugar. I love homemade fudge but will not give in to cancer. 6 cups of sugar holy cow it should be called “Death by fudge” ?????
As far as I’m concerned cancer shows up when and where it wants to. I know cancer patients who rarely eat a bite of sugar.
So true, Mike. Thanks for the recipe! I’ll be trying it with the grandkids.
Very nicely put. Agree.
Bonding with grand kids…priceless. I love that you shower them with love and TIME.
Our days are not numbered by ourselves. It’s an inevitable truth. JJ.
Gee, do you always enjoy raining on a parade. Why publish your personal problems with sugar? Mike, is kindly sharing his family and recipe with us. If you can’t partake, then why not just stay quiet and let the rest of us enjoy the holidays? Please, no more negativity.
This looks sooo good, Mike. I’ve never made fudge before. I’m going to give your recipe a try!
Thanks for all you do. I enjoy your posts.
We absolutely love fudge but I have always used the old marshmallow & chocolate chip kind of recipe. I was absolutely thrilled to see this, not sure how I have never seen a recipe with real cocoa! That recipe of yours is the real deal, can’t wait to try it and I absolutely adored seeing your grandchildren in the photos ?? Can’t wait to give this a whirl with my grand sweetie ❤ Thanks for all you do Mike! (BTW I’m married to a Mike, great name).
Thanks Grammy and tell “Mike” I said hey!
Love seeing those grandkids, Mike. They are such fun!
No sugar in our home, but we have 3 of those amazing young farm men, too! Can’t beat a kitchen full of them–the sweetest things ever. Merry Christmas, McFarmer!
Have been making this fudge, for Christmas, for a few years now. It’s become a family tradition that everyone loves! Thanks! I do wear bibs while making it. The wife says that it would be nice if I washed them beforehand, but I think that it would mess up the fudge.
Jim,
Don’t wash the bibs, you can’t take any chances!
Mind if I ask what kind of camera you are using? These shots turned out so well, and I’m in the market for a new camera this year.
Lydia,
It’s a Nikon, works much like the old 35mm. I guess the model is D3100 with an 18mm to 55mm zoom lense. It’s a great camera, takes good photos. And ones that you see I really water down the resolution so they load on the page quickly.
Great job on the how-to article, Mike!! 😉 Man, that’s a lot of sugar! Would it work to size it down in half?
Teresa,
You could cut the recipe in half, but fudge is pretty much doctored up sugar. Like most candies.
try one 12 oz bag of milk chocolate chips, one 12 oz bag of peanut butter chips. one can condensed milk and one cup chopped pecans. in double boiler heat milk, stir in milk chocolate chips, peanut butter chips. stir until melted. add chips. pour in wax paper lined pan. chill in ice box until firm. then cut and eat
sorry for typo should be nut instead of chips after stir until melted
ummmm, then it wouldn’t be Mike’s recipe on HIS website ??
Too much sugar.
Then don’t make. Why give a negative comment?
Only thing that could make it better, is if someone made it for you.? Just love everything on your web site. Love hearing about. your little donkeys, grandkids and all. Keep entertaining us Mike we all love it! Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Years to you and yours.
Valerie?
Thanks Valerie, I appreciate that.
Yum!! You’re killing me! I just started my 2015 diet and I AM SERIOUS. I knew I shouldn’t have even looked at it. But I will definitely try it sometime- hopefully Christmas. Thanks for the recipe and your g-babies are precious.
Susan Mauney
Susan,
I fully understand, I fight that battle daily. But the fudge it worth it when you do reward yourself.
You can also melt the peanut butter separately and pour it over aftr the fudge is in the buttered pan and then swirl it in with a butter knife. Makes a fun variation!
Okay, Mike, you’ve convinced me to give it a whirl. My easy-peasy go-to fudge recipe has always been a pkg of chocolate chips, a can of sweetened condensed milk and a tsp of vanilla… Microwave til melted (add nuts if desired) and then pour into prepared pan. Dummy proof, total of about five minutes, including opening the packages and can and dumping into bowl. My kind of cooking, I tell ya.
It’s “good enough” but not awesome. Kinda like the difference between the cook-type pudding versus instant, right?
I’ll let you know how it goes! Thanks for the step by step instructions for us newbies!
I appreciate everything you do. God bless you and your lovely family. Merry Christmas!
I realize the boiling part is not an exact science but approximately how long does one need to boil before testing?
Laurie,
All I can say is several minutes. The fudge has to thicken. So dip the spoon in the fudge, let a little run off the spoon and you’ll notice it thicken as it boils. When you first test it, it will simply dissolve in the water, making the water cloudy. You’ll end up testing it many times.
I make the Hershey’s Rich Cocoa Fudge recipe every year, and yours is the same, just a double batch. The fudge does try to climb out of the pot, so be sure to use one that is at least 5 quarts. Then it will start to cook down to near the original depth in the pot, that’s when you start testing it in the cold water. It is called the softball stage, about 234 degrees on a candy thermometer. Mine can take 10 minutes or more to cook down after it reaches the top. My Grandmother made this for me while I was at Air Force Basic Training. Very Happy Memories attached to it!
This looks truly yummy but, I don’t think I can try it since I don’t have any bib overalls…..shucks. Do I really NEED them? 😉 I think this is a recipe for fudge that I could actually succeed in making…..
Your grand sons are just adorable! You are so blessed to have such great little helpers in the kitchen and I am guessing that if you spilled a little on the counter….you would not be in too much trouble. LOVE that I can lick the spoons and stuff….that is MY favorite part of any baking I do!!!
Renee,
I’ve known people who don’t own bibs to make the fudge, but in any case you still needs some bibs to work out in the yard.
I remember making this when I was just a kid . . . and it’s still the best, even tho I now make the easy fudge on the back of the marshmallow cream jar.
What a wonderful tradition to keep going. You’d better believe that those boys will carry it along! It looks like you all were having fun, creating, wearing and eating the fudge. The recipe sounds tasty. We make fudge every year too, from my mom’s recipe, only I modified it to use an electric hand mixer at the very end of hers, instead of beating it by hand. We’ve never tried it with peanut butter in the chocolate. It sounds good. You know, if you add a couple cups of oatmeal to that fudge recipe, you’ll have the most wonderful no bake chocolate cookies. Your fudge recipe is almost identical to that recipe. Merry Christmas Mike and family!! We so enjoy the email from you, have started some of your ideas (currently rooting lilacs from cuttings as you taught) and awaiting next spring so we can get going on more ideas you’ve shared!
Thanks Candy! I just stuck about a thousand cuttings to day in the cold and snow.
Hi…I am a good cook and a terrible candy maker. But I think that even I can make this fudge. Thank you and Merry Christmas to you and your family.
Good luck Marsha! Let me know how it turns out.
Looks like what we called old fashioned fudge. Much better than the “fantasy fudge” junk. It takes time but the taste is worth it.
Hi Mike.
When ever I go shopping I look at the cans of Hershey’s Coco because my
dad used to make the fudge printed on the side. I haven’t seen it for years
but yours is the same one, except for the optional peanut butter. Wonder if that
is where your mom got the recipe. Seems like that is where most of the older
folks got it, atleast the ones I know.
Dad would only make it for the holiday. It was something we all waited for.
Thanks for sharing. Brings back a lot of good memories.
Donna,
That’s probably it, Hershey’s has been a part of all of our lives forever!
Couldn’t help noticing the glucometer on the counter next to the fudge 🙂 I’m sure it is so good and sweet it would elevate a non-diabetic’s blood sugar. lol
Karen,
Funny thing is, I made that video a few years ago, it’s been watched thousands of times and as I was adding the video to the post I too noticed the meter in the video and was surprised that nobody has mentioned it until now. So congrats! You’re the first to notice and say something.
Good Morning! I stumbled across your fudge recipe by accident. Needle to say accident don’t happen by chance. this was truly a blessing of memories. I grew up with this and somewhere along the 72 years of my life journey, lost the recipe.
Can’t wait to introduce my Great Grandchildren to Christmas Fudge
God Bless you and your family.
Merry Christmas
Judith,
That’s awesome! Enjoy the grandkids and the fudge.
My daddy taught me how to make this fudge when I was a child. He loved this recipe and loved even more having someone to make it for him. Now my daughter makes it for me and hers for her. Great family memories. Thanks Mike for sharing!
Mary,
Fudge is truly a family tradition that most remember very fondly. My mother used to make fudge once or twice a year and it too was to die for.
I enjoy your fudge and your blogs. Thank you
Always up for a new fudge recipe:-D How much does a stick of butter weigh?
Ours comes in lb’s & half lb’s.
Thanks
Rn,
A stick of butter is 1/2 cup.
There are 4 sticks of butter in a pound therefore a stick of butter is 1/4 of a pound. If you take one of your half pound blocks and cut it in half you’ll have 2 sticks. For a one pound block cut it in half and then cut one of the halves in half.
I’m glad I don’t have to clean that mess!!
But Rick, you don’t get to lick the spoons either. The clean up guy gets to scrape and lick the pan!
Shared this in f.b….hoping I’m not stepping on toes!
Kathryn,
You’re fine, we have a facebook share button on the top of each of our blog posts.
I’ve been neglecting you and your posts………I’m sorry Mike!
I’m back and won’t do that again ( neglect)!
**Merry Christmas to you and your family**
Kathryn,
Don’t do that again! But I know how life is, it gets crazy and we tend to forget about the things that we really enjoy.
Thank you Mike, it sounds good! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you and your Family.
This looks delicious!! Thanks so much for passing it on. Will try it. The boys are adorable and so helpful to you, Mike..
Have a wonderful Christmas and much happiness in New Year!
Just make fantasy fudge with Marshmallow cream using a candy thermometer. I used to make fudge like Mike when I was a kid and it was always iffy to get it right. Fantasy fudge is almost fool proof.
Jan,
I’m too old school for that. It’s rare for me to buy a fudge that I enjoy as much as my own. So I don’t mess with the recipe. And . . . it’s not like I really need the stuff around.
Mike, your grandsons sure are cute. Mine are too — one is three and a half, one is two and a half, and a third one is due around March 1st.
Don,
We’ve got a new grandbaby due in just about two weeks! We are so excited and as I was doing this post I was wishing that I could include the little one. Next year!
This link will take you to the recipe http://www.freeplants.com/dirt-farmer-fudge.htm
The easy way to clean sugar off a glass top is to use a razer blade and scrape it off, and it won’t damage the serface. I’m gonna try one more time to make fudge this year. Thanks. Merry Christmas
Is there an actual recipe for the fudge that can be printed out?
Hi Marlene, you can copy and paste this then print it out:
Mike’s Dirt Farmer Fudge
6 cups of sugar
1 and 1/3 cup of Hershey’s cocoa
1/4 teaspoon of salt
3 cups of milk
2 teaspoons of vanilla
1 and 1/2 cups of smooth peanut butter
1 stick of butter or margarine
1/2 to 3/4 pound of walnuts halves
Mix all of the dry ingredients in a large sauce pan, at least 4 quart. When you boil the fudge it rises a lot, so use a big pan.
Pour in the milk and mix it with the dry ingredients. It won’t mix well until you start to heat it, but mix it the best you can.
Place over medium heat and stir constantly until it comes to a bubbly boil. Once it starts boiling you can stop stirring.
While the fudge is boiling grease a 9″ by 12″ glass dish with butter. Get the rest of the ingredients ready. You’ll add them to the fudge as soon as you remove it from the heat. Layout a hot pad for the hot pan when it comes off the stove.
It’s a lot easier if you spoon out the peanut butter onto a small saucer so when it’s time to add it to the fudge you can just push it off the saucer into the hot fudge.
If you don’t like peanut butter or nuts just leave them out. Dirt Farmer Fudge is still kick butt without them!
Keep an eye on the boiling fudge and start checking it for consistency. As it boils it will thicken. If you under cook it you will have a sticky glob that will never harden. If you over cook it you might not even get it out of the pan.
Or if you over cook it it will set up almost immediately when you pour it which means that it will not be creamy and it will be too dry and I’ll be really disappointed in you. Okay, maybe it won’t be that bad, but you’ll never know how good this fudge is when cooked perfectly.
Test the fudge by dropping a small amount into a dish of cold water. When it is done perfectly it will puddle in the bottom of the dish and you’ll be able to push it into a small pile with your finger then you should be able to pick it up between two fingers. Test the fudge early and often. Watch the video so you can see how I do this.
If it can’t be picked up, rinse the dish and add fresh cold water and test it again soon. It takes a while for it to boil down to the perfectly consistency, and there is a fine line between over cooking and under cooking it. Check if often.
As soon as the fudge is done remove the pan from the stove and place it on a hot pad. Immediately add the butter, the vanilla, the walnuts and the peanut butter. Do Not Stir it Yet!
Just let the fudge cool a bit. This is a critical and scary time but you really want it to cool down to about 140 degrees Fahrenheit which means that you can almost place your hands on the outside of the pan without burning them. Please be careful, do not stick your finger in the fudge and only put your hands near the outside of the pan.
Once the fudge has cooled, start stirring it. As you stir it the fudge will thicken and lose it’s gloss. Get ready to pour quickly once that happens. Sometimes you barely get the peanut butter mixed by the time the fudge is ready to pour into the dish.
Pour the fudge into the dish and quickly push it into the corners of the dish then quit smoothing the fudge. The top will set up quickly, but if you’ve cooked it perfectly the rest of the fudge will need several hours, up to 24 hours to really set up completely.
This makes a really moist fudge so I cut it into small squares and place it in a container or onto a serving tray. Often times the bottom of the pieces will stay moist so I lay a paper towel in the bottom of the tray to help wick away some of that excess moisture. I stack it on the tray with a little space between the pieces so the edges can air dry but inside the fudge is nice and moist.
When done perfectly, Dirt Farmer Fudge is to die for!
by Michael J. McGroarty
© Copyright 2011
Share this with your friends. Thanks, Mike!
Thanks for sharing. Hope you and yours have a wonderful Christmas and a great New Year!
What do you mean when you say, “your comment is awaiting moderation.”
If is for the website, I don’t have one.
Karen,
All comments have to be approved before they become public. You never know what somebody might post.
Thank you Karen.
I copied it and pasted it to Word then saved it in My Documents. I can print it from there.
Marlene,
At the top of all of our blog posts there is a button that converts the post to a pdf file so it can be easily printed.
Mike nice family. Just worried about the medicine bottles so close to kids…
The kids are much smarter than that. Gavin is almost five, well beyond those stages.
I will try this. Sounds delicious. I’m sure you meant to say Gavin is putting in 1/4 t. of salt not sugar. Thanks.
This is the kind of Fudge my Mother used to make. Thank you. Merry Christmas to all. Linda Faraday.
Hope you and yours have a wonder Christmas and Happy New Year. Thanks for the Fudge recipe. I have never been able to make fudge…it never sets up, so I used it for Hot Fudge Sauce, so the contents didn’t go to waste!!! lol………I will attempt again this year. Thank you Mike for all you do!
Thank you for sharing the written recipe and photos! I watched the movie last year but didn’t have enough confidence to make it. I am going to try it this year because you had the boys help you out. It took some of that fear away.
Merry Christmas to you and all your lved ones. I enjoy your writing and advice very much!
Cathy
Can this be made without the peanut butter? Will it setup ? Some can’t eat nuts.
Yes. The peanut butter and nuts are OPTIONAL. That means you can add them if you want to, but you don’t have to.
Looks tasty. Slight caption error: In the 3rd photo, McGruder is adding salt, not sugar.
Thanks Jon! I made the correction!
Sounds delicious! And your grandsons are very cute – you are blessed!
Love it that is how it should be with family. We are going to try it thanks again green family