Oh, fudge!

It is immediately obvious which page has been most loved in my family's copy of The Edmonds Cookbook. The page for chocolate fudge has been ripped out completely, and, while other pages are pristine white, this page is yellowed with a good number of fudgey stains across it:

The way well-loved recipe books should look

Fudge is brilliant fun. It doesn’t take long, doesn’t use any fancy ingredients, and – of course – is delish. For the starving student, homemade fudge makes a grand Christmas gift: it comes from the heart, costs you next to nothing and you’d be hard-pressed to find the relative or friend who doesn’t like it.

The trickiest part of making fudge (which is pretty easy anyway) is getting it to the soft ball stage. You fill a wee bowl of cold water and spoon a tiny bit of fudge in. If it’s at the soft ball stage, you can form it underwater into – you guessed it – a soft ball. It should hold its shape out of the water too. Testing for this is fun because you get to eat all the failed balls. Excellent.

Mmm failed balls

Inspired by Edmunds Cookbook: Mocha Fudge

2 c sugar

1 Tbsp honey - I used manuka

2 Tbsp cocoa

25g butter

½ c milk

1 tsp vanilla essence

1 shot coffee - or 2 tsp instant coffee (dissolve in wee bit of water before adding)

Combine the sugar, honey, cocoa, butter and milk in a saucepan. Heat gently on stove, stirring constantly until all sugar is dissolved. Make sure all the sugar is dissolved by tasting the fudge and feeling for sugar granules with your tongue. Once sugar is dissolved, bring to boil and do not stir. Boil until fudge reached the soft ball stage. Remove from heat, add vanilla, and rest for 5 minutes. Butter a tin while fudge rests. When time’s up, add coffee then beat until thick. This takes a while, but don’t rush it! Fudge is ready when it starts to harden around the edges and the pattern the beaters leave behind remains. Pour into tin fast. Mark into squares and allow to set. Voilá!

By the time you've finished pouring it into the tin, the fudge left in the saucepan have turned crunchy. If your fudge doesn’t set right, or you’re impatient to get eating, stick it in the fridge for a bit.