I agree with your comment about so much fudge having "...the texture of an overworked bowl of frosting." I grew up (50s and 60s) making fudge with my Mom, and the only variation was would there be walnuts in the fudge or not? Fudge meant chocolate fudge, made with sugar, butter, cocoa powder, salt, vanilla, cream of tartar, and whole milk. It required patience because we had to cook to 234 degrees and then let it cool, no stirring, to 110 degrees, before beating in the butter and vanilla. Beat with a wooden spoon until gloss disappears and just before it seizes up spread it into a buttered pan. When perfectly made it had the slightest graininess, almost imperceptible, and a very very thin layer on top that was shiny. I forego the stuff called "fudge" at candy shops, as the texture/flavor is usually off, and, honestly I've never found any worth calling fudge except for that old recipe!

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