Generously butter a medium sized saucepan or pot- it should be able to hold around 4-6 cups of liquid. This prevents the sugar from crystalizing too much.

Over medium heat, combine the sugar, corn syrup, chocolate, milk and salt. Bring this mixture to a boil. It may look grainy at first, but it will come together. Stir the mixture constantly and scrape down the sides of the pan to prevent sugar from crystalizing.

Once the mixture comes to a rolling boil, give it a couple stirs now and then, but do not continuously stir it. Clip on a candy thermometer until it registers 234 F- the softball stage.

If you don’t have a candy thermometer, drop a small amount of the boiling mixture into a class of cold water. After a couple seconds, remove the mixture. If it forms a soft ball, it is done. If it disintegrates, boil a bit longer. It’s better the fudge is underdone than overdone, so make sure it doesn’t become a hard ball.

Turn off the heat and add in the butter and vanilla. Let the butter melt. When you add the vanilla, the mixture should bubble vigorously.

Next, beat the fudge! I like to use a whisk at first and then when it gets too tedious, I switch to a spoon. Stir it vigorously until it thickens and starts to resemble a thick cake batter and it looses some of its initial gloss.

The mixture is hot- be careful not to touch it! Pour it quickly into a prepared baking dish- should be lined with foil and buttered. A loaf pan is perfect. Don’t spread the mixture out, let it set on it’s own. You can gently push the edges of the foil towards the fudge to help mold it into a square shape if desired as the mixture is quite thick.

It starts to set immediately, so give it around 20-30 minutes before cutting into pieces. Cut small pieces as it is quite indulgent and rich.

You can decorate the top with sprinkles- work quickly though. These make terrific gives for the holidays.