This old-fashioned fudge recipe uses cocoa powder and is super creamy. I was honored to give this recipe back to a family who only had the ingredient list from their grandma.
They’d tried and failed to make it a few times. I am so happy I could allow them to enjoy their family’s treasured fudge recipe again! I have updated the post with a larger batch that is also more intensely chocolatey. You can find that variation in the recipe notes.
You can learn more about the science of making fudge here or, for ease of browsing, find all my candy recipes here in one place. Enjoy!
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Watch my old-fashioned cocoa fudge recipe web story here.
Old-Fashioned Fudge, at a Glance
✔️Skill Level: Intermediate
✔️Skills: Cooking sugar, using a candy thermometer
✔️Type: Candy
✔️Number of Ingredients: 8
✔️Prep Time: 5 minutes
✔️Cook Time: 15 minutes
✔️Yield: 40 pieces for 1x recipe, 80 pieces for 2x
Related Recipes: Peanut Butter Fudge, Penuche
Jump Straight to the Recipe
Bringing Back a Treasured Family Recipe
This is what happened to reader Carol:
Her grandmother used to make this old-fashioned fudge recipe every year, but she never taught the kids how she made it, and now that she’s gone, they were left fudge-less.
Carol did find the list of what she hoped were the ingredients for creamy cocoa fudge, but that was all she found. No rules. Just ingredients.
She sent me this message:
I ran across a list of ingredients for my Granny’s Fudge but no instructions. She is no longer with us, so I can’t ask her about it. I remember watching her when I was little, but she wouldn’t let me get too close for fear of me getting burned. She used to “tweak” it to make white fudge and peanut butter fudge.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 Tablespoon cocoa
- 1 Tablespoon Karo
- 1 Tablespoon butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup milk
- Chopped pecans
Thanks so much and belated Merry Christmas!
Carol
How to Make Cocoa Fudge
Before we get down to the actual recipe, I want to make sure you a)have all the ingredients you need and b)know what to expect.
if you already know how to make fudge, you can skip the following sections and head straight to the recipe.
Here’s the rundown:
Ingredients
- sugar: provides the sweetness and the crystals needed to help the fudge set up into a creamy texture. For more depth of flavor, you can substitute with light brown sugar
- cocoa powder: you don’t need Dutch process for this. Plain old American cocoa powder will work just fine. Control how chocolatey your fudge is by using more or less cocoa powder
- corn syrup: helps to inhibit large crystals so you don’t end up with grainy fudge. You can substitute Lyle’s golden syrup here if you’d rather
- butter: adds fat for carrying flavor and also for mouthfeel
- milk: lends milk solids and liquid to moderate how quickly the sugar cooks. Also lends some complexity as the milk solids brown while cooking. I used whole milk. You can also use 2%. Do NOT substitute with evaporated milk, 1% or skim milk
- kosher salt: brings out the flavor in the fudge while counteracting any bitterness from the cocoa powder
- vanilla: chocolate’s best friend, the vanilla rounds out the flavors
- pecans: toast your nuts before chopping for maximum nutty flavor and crisp texture. You can substitute your favorite nut here or leave them out entirely
Fudge-Making Rules to Remember
- Making fudge is all about concentrating the sugar so that when it sets up again as crystals, it feels smooth and creamy in your mouth and not grainy.
- Cooking it to too high a temperature causes it to set up really hard.
- Cooking it to too low a temperature causes it to be too soft or even runny like sauce (which isn’t bad. It’s just not what we’re going for).
- You really need an instant-read thermometer or a good candy thermometer if you’re making fudge or any other kind of candy.
- Stirring is the key to making and controlling how the crystals set up. But if you stir too soon, or too late, you’ll end up with grainy fudge. Think of it the same way churning ice cream while it’s freezing ensures tiny ice crystals and smooth, creamy ice cream. This is the same principle.
If you’re ready to go for it, you can skip on down to the recipe.
For those of you who are new to making fudge, here’s a step-by-step guide for you.
How to Make Cocoa Fudge
- Everyone in the pool except for butter and vanilla.
- Bring to a rolling boil. Check temperature frequently until it reaches 234F. Remove from heat.
- Add butter and vanilla, but don’t stir them in yet.
- When the fudge cools to 110F, begin stirring. Stir and stir.
- It will start to thicken up after about 5 minutes or so. Continue stirring until fudge starts to lose its gloss.
- Quickly stir in nuts (if using).
- Spread into prepared pan to set up.
Visual Cues
Sometimes just seeing photographs doesn’t fully convey what you’re looking for at different stages.
Here are a few short video clips that hopefully will help.
1. The candy will boil pretty vigorously, so make sure your pan is much larger than you think you need. Boiling dairy can get out of hand quickly!
2. Make sure you check the temperature frequently. You are shooting for 234F/112C. You can take it a little higher, but no more than 236F/113C.
3. When you begin stirring the fudge, it will be fairly thin and easy to stir. (Note that in between shooting these clips, I was stirring very quickly and vigorously to help the candy cool and also to beat a little air into it).
4. As the fudge cools, the candy will lighten in color a bit and become less shiny and much thicker. That’s when it’s time to add the nuts.
Once your fudge gets very thick and more matte than shiny, add your nuts (if using). Stir them in quickly, because the fudge will thicken up very quickly once the nuts are added.
This is because the nuts are at room temperature and will bring the temperature of your candy down quickly.
Jenni Says: Buy yourself a little extra time to stir in the nuts by keeping them warm in your toaster oven before adding them to the fudge. Just be careful not to burn them.
Scrape your candy into your prepared pan, and then smooth it out with an offset spatula. I spray mine with pan spray to make it easier to spread/press the fudge into the pan.
If it starts to stick, add some more spray.
Cover and let the fudge set up in the fridge for a couple of hours before removing from the pan and slicing on a cutting board.
Two Different Versions
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Note some of the photos of the fudge in this post are paler than others.
That’s because the paler ones only have a heaping tablespoon of cocoa powder in them.
I made them that way because that was how Carol’s grandma’s recipe was written.
I remade (and doubled) the recipe recently to add more chocolate, deepen the flavor, and add a touch more butter.
You will find that ingredient list in the NOTES section of the recipe card. The procedure for making both types is exactly the same.
Pro Tips
Take your time. Cooking over medium heat will let you get to where you need to go. It will happen more slowly so you have just a bit more margin for error.
Be precise with your temperatures: both how hot you cook your mixture and–especially for fudge–what temperature you cool it to before you start stirring.
Equipment You May Need
Here are some recommendations for making your candy-making life easier.
A heavy pot with sloped sides will make it easy to stir into the corners.
And, as I have mentioned previously, owning an instant-read thermometer is almost a must. I much prefer them to clip-on candy thermometers because they’re more responsive and much more versatile.
I use mine to check doneness in everything from cakes to candy to chicken and bread.
- Small probe won't make huge holes in your food
- Accurate and fast readings
- Results in either Fahrenheit or Celcius
- Display is backlit for easy readings
- Probe folds away for easy storage
Using a wooden spoon or high-heat silicone spatula is definitely the way to go because metal utensils will just transfer the heat up to your hand, and that would be bad.
A pizza cutter makes a surprisingly good candy cutter too, especially if you spray the wheel with a little bit of Pam or other pan spray.
The Most Important Thing You Need to Know About Making Fudge (and other candy)
If you do not want to read all this supporting information and you already know how to make fudge, you can jump straight to the recipe.
Just the thought of making fudge, or any candy, can scare folks. And what’s scarier than a fudge recipe?
A random list of old-fashioned creamy cocoa fudge ingredients with no instructions on how to make it. That’s what.
Successful candy-making requires that sugar be cooked to precise temperatures so the finished candy is the correct texture. What are you supposed to do if there aren’t any instructions?!
You had better know your candy-making techniques, and the most important thing to know about that is what sugar does–how it acts–when it is cooked to different temperatures.
Stages of Cooking Sugar
Have you heard of terms like “thread stage,” “hard ball stage,” or “soft crack stage?” These terms have to do with how sugar behaves once it reaches certain temperatures.
Back before we had access to precise thermometers, folks would test their sugar by plopping just a bit of the boiling sugar into a glass of ice water and then seeing what happened.
If the sugar made a blob that you could squish with your fingers, it was at the soft ball stage.
If you could squish it but it took a bit of effort, it was at firm ball stage.
If it ended up in shards that bent but then snapped, it was as soft crack stage.
Thank goodness we don’t need to use that method anymore. Because sugar is hot and the more times you take blobs of it and transfer them to a glass of ice water, the more of a chance you have of burning yourself. Nope, I’ll take an instant-read thermometer any day.
You still need to know what temperatures give you what results, so I made this handy stages of sugar chart for you.
Adjusting Temperature for High Altitude Candy Making
A reader recently commented saying that his candy tasted great but had the wrong texture. It was too hard. He did his own research and realized that it was because the temperature called for was too hot at his altitude (5000 ft above sea level).
This information will help a lot of you, so thank you so much, dear reader. And I know your next batch of candy will be Perfection!
Here’s the rule: reduce the temperature by 1 degree for every degree below sea level boiling temperature of 212F.
Make Adjustments for your Elevation Like This:
- Take the temperature of your boiling water.
- Subtract 1 degree from the target temperature for every degree below 212F your water boils.
If your water boils at 208F, then you will have to stop cooking your sugar at 230F (4 degrees below 234F since your water boils at 4F below 212F).
For reference, I found this Altitude Conversion Chart in a booklet titled “The Art of Candy Making” from the USU Extension/Utah County in Provo, Utah.
More Candy Recipes
- Chewy Butterscotch Candy is a traditional recipe based on one from 1848 from Doncaster, England. I make it chewy because with the original proportions, cooking it long enough for it to get crunchy would make it be too bitter (lots of molasses in this one). As a chewy candy, it is excellent.
- Butterscotch Hard Candy: these babies are like Werthers but so much better. Deep butterscotch flavor, a lovely crunch that melts into creamy goodness, and they won’t stick to your teeth!
- Crunchy Butterfinger Candy Bars I tested this recipe 9 times to get it just right. It really is crunchy whereas many copycat Butterfinger recipes are chewy.
- Bourbon Honeycomb Candy Light and airy with a hint of bourbon from bourbon-infused honey. Drizzle it with chocolate. You won’t be sorry!
- Old-Fashioned Angel Food Candy This is like honeycomb candy but completely dipped in chocolate and then sprinkled with flaky salt. So good!
- Maple Peanut Brittle Because this brittle is made with maple, you can have it for breakfast.
Questions?
If you have any questions about this post or recipe, I am happy to help.
Simply leave a comment here and I will get back to you soon. I also invite you to ask question in my Facebook group, Fearless Kitchen Fun.
If your question is more pressing, please feel free to email me. I should be back in touch ASAP, as long as I’m not asleep.
Love This Fudge? Please Rate and Review. Thank You!
It will help me and other readers so much if you take a moment to rate and leave a review for this recipe.
You can use the stars to rate 1-5 (5 is best), and leave a review in the comments. It helps me make adjustments if any are needed, and comments help others decide whether the recipe is worth making.
Other ways to share include pinning, and/or sharing on your favorite social media platform.
Thank you so much for taking the time!
Old Fashioned Creamy Cocoa Fudge
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Ingredients
- 2 cups sugar (14 oz)
- 1 heaping Tablespoon cocoa* (See Notes)
- 1 Tablespoon corn syrup (light or dark. Any liquid sugar will work here such as maple syrup, honey or molasses)
- ½ teaspoon salt (my addition. Rounds out the flavors and keeps the fudge from seeming too sweet)
- 1 cup whole milk (8 oz)
- 1 Tablespoon butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup toasted pecan halves or pieces (use whatever nut you prefer or leave them out altogether)
Instructions
To Make Fudge
- Line an 8″x8″ pan** (See Notes) with parchment or non-stick foil with a piece that is long enough to line the bottom and come up and over two opposite sides of the pan. (use these as “handles” to get the cooled fudge out of the pan). Spray with pan spray. You can also spray or butter the pan well, but using parchment or non-stick foil will make it easier to get the fudge out of the pan.
- Place the sugar, cocoa powder, corn syrup, salt and milk in a heavy-bottomed saucepan that is much larger than you think you need. 3 quart size will work just fine.
- Stir well, and cook over medium heat until the mixture comes to a boil. You can stir it and scrape the sides of the pan until it starts to boil.
- Allow the mixture to boil until it reaches 234F. This is just under the soft ball stage, but this is the correct temperature for making cocoa fudge. (If you’re making chocolate fudge, cook to 238F, which is the soft ball stage.)
- Move the pan off the burner and drop in the butter and the vanilla. Don’t stir them in (if you stir too soon, you’ll end up with grainy fudge).
- Let the mixture cool to 110F. The pan will feel warm but by no means hot. If you’re using a “leave-in” candy thermometer, there will be no question. If you don’t have one, occasionally check the temperature with your instant read thermometer (that’s what I do).
- Once the candy has cooled to the correct temperature, begin stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon. You can also scoop up a bunch of the warm candy and let it pour back into the pot. This will make you feel fancy, and it will help to bring the temperature of the candy down more quickly. Keep stirring and stirring until the candy is just starting to lose its gloss and thicken up.
- Dump in the pecans if using, and stir them in quickly.
- Scrape the now-quite-thick fudge into the pan and moosh it into the corners with a spatula. I sprinkled some flaky sea salt on top of mine. You can too if you want. Or not.
- Allow the candy to set up for at least an hour before slicing with a sharp knife.
- Store at room temperature in a tightly-sealed container for 3-4 days. But it will be gone before then.
Did You Make Any Changes?
Notes
MORE CHOCOLATEY VARIATION
Use the same procedure as the original recipe. Here is your ingredient list. This makes double the original recipe and fits beautifully in an 8" or 9" square pan.- 4 cups granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 2 Tablespoons corn syrup
- 1 Tablespoon espresso powder or instant coffee
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt (I use Morton's)
- 2 cups whole milk
- 2 oz (4 Tablespoons or 1/2 stick) unsalted butter
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups toasted pecans, whole or coarsely chopped
Nutrition
Here’s the downloadable recipe card, friends! If you’d like some blank printable recipe cards, I have 3 different holiday designs for you to choose from.
Hi, y’all! I hope you’ve enjoyed this post and hopefully also learned a thing or two.
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Expect updates on new and tasty recipes as well as a bit of behind-the-scenes action. I hope to see you there!
Thank you for taking the time to read today. Enjoy the old fashioned fudge recipe!
Take care, y’all.
Watch my Christmas fudge recipe web story here. Watch my traditional fudge recipe web story here.
Join in Today!
After15 minutes the fudge never got to temp…only to 225. How long should it take?
As the water cooks out, time can vary depending on humidity (best to make on a dry day to avoid graininess) and elevation. Make sure your thermometer is accurate and keep going. Once the water has all cooked off, temp should start rising a bit more quickly. But it could absolutely take a good while. I can’t be more specific than that because there are so many variables. I hope this helps though. Email if you have more questions. [email protected]
I was very disappointed to have my time wasted reading about grandmas old fashioned fudge recipe . Used cocoa powder. Was excited to find it so I could make it this year like my mom used to do. After finally making it all the way to the end the article still didn’t include the quantity of each ingredient in the recipe. The list of ingredients was complete just not how much of each.
The recipe, complete with amounts and specific instructions is at the bottom of the post. You can find it by continuing to scroll all the way down, by using the Jump to Recipe button at the very top of the post, or by clicking on the Table of Contents and clicking on the recipe. I would never go to all the trouble of explaining all the ins and outs and then not give you the recipe. I agree, that would be the height of frustration. Here is a direct link for you. https://pastrychefonline.com/old-fashioned-fudge-recipe/#Old_Fashioned_Creamy_Cocoa_Fudge
After I let the fudge to 110 it was so hard to stir— it was like a solid goopy thing. Currently waiting on it to cool all the way. I tried to make it 3 times so hopefully 3rd times the charm.
Oh, man, I’m sorry it’s giving you a hard time, Michelle. Happy to try to help you troubleshoot it. Are you at high elevation? Is it humid/raining/low pressure where you are? Is your thermometer accurate? Just trying to cover some bases and hopefully help.
Solid goopy thing does not sound good. Let me know and I’ll see if I can help you narrow down the issue.
Just something I thought you might be interested in reading. I am 72 years old and grew up on a farm in rural southern OK. My mother made the Christmas candy for the family. She just had the knack or maybe it was patience. The fudge recipe she used, I believe she said, came from a high school home economics book. I have always used the same recipe. Several years ago my fudge finished product was not correct. The old recipe called for equal parts cream and milk. After much research, I decided it was from the additives that are now added to the cream. Once I found 100% cream, no additives I was in business again. My mother also milked the cow. The candy was made using the fresh top cream and whole milk. I notice all the recipes I now find use all milk. The other ingredients are basically the same. i.e. my recipe uses 2 Tbsp. light Karo. As my family likes dark chocolate, I use 1/2 C. Hershey’s Cocoa to the 2 C. sugar instead of the 1/4 C. the recipe calls for. I use a thermometer but still do the cold water test. Old habits die hard.
Sue, thank you so much for taking the time to comment! It is amazing all the different ways our ingredients have changed over the decades, not to mention the vastly different results all the additives and processing can yield.
I have Hershey’s cocoa. It’s not high end- would it work?
It will absolutely work. Use what you have. 🙂 If you want it more chocolatey, feel free to double the cocoa powder. Enjoy, Erika!
I made this last night . Followed the recipe exactly except that I used 2% milk instead of whole because it’s what I had on hand and we’re in the middle of a snowstorm. I could not get it to thicken up and now have a delicious fudge sauce! Do you think it was the 2% milk that caused it to not thicken?
It could be the humidity if it is really damp with snow. The milk shouldn’t be an issue because you heat it up to past the boiling point of water so all the water will get boiled off. And it’s also possible that your thermometer isn’t calibrated correctly. But hooray for delicious fudge sauce! I’d call that a win in the short term. 🙂 Next time you try it, check your thermometer and make sure it is reading accurately. Best way is to boil a big pot of water–rolling boil–and make sure it reads at 212F. If you’re at higher elevation, you’ll want to follow the rules in that section of the post. And pick a dry day/low humidity day to make it, and you should be good to go. Stay warm and cozy, and thanks for letting me know, Julie!
I followed your tips exactly and my fudge turned out tasting wonderful but it was crumbly. I eventually discovered that adjustments must be made for altitude and I should subtract two degrees for each thousand feet of altitude. Since I’m at 5,000 ft my temperature should have been 229F instead of 234F. The other people’s “tips for making old fashioned fudge” didn’t mention this either. Now I’m looking forward to using your recipe again. Perhaps everyone already knows about this but I didn’t.
You know, I live so (relatively) close to sea level that I didn’t even consider that as a factor, Charlie! I am so glad you brought it to my attention. I’ll add a section for how to adjust for high altitude. Please let me know how your adjusted batch turns out–I’d love to know!
Hi Jennifer! Your post inspired me to comment here. In the comments section of recipes, I often see replies along the lines of ‘Oh, this looks yummy! I can’t wait to make it! Yummy, yum, YUM!’ And then no follow up to let people know how it went. Or, ‘When my grandma made fudge, she always put garlic in it, so I’ll probably add garlic. So I made your recipe. I didn’t really like it. I thought it was too garlicy.’
I am here to say, I made your recipe, and I followed it exactly. And it was fantastic! I was on an old fashioned fudge kick a couple of years ago, and although some of my attempts came out OK-ish, most did not have the smooth and creamy texture I was expecting. I did a lot of research, and made numerous batches, trying different recipes, different brands/types of cocoa, different temps (+/- a degree around the soft ball stage), to no avail. I finally gave up. But yesterday I thought I might try again, and found your recipe while Googling. Two things were different from what I had done in the past. One was the addition of corn syrup. I’m not sure exactly what effect that might have had. I’m inclined to think that the second difference–temperature–was what contributed to my success this time around. Every recipe, or forum I read, said that fudge needs to cook to the soft ball stage; 238, or within a degree of it. You, however, were the first person I have ever seen to make a distinction between fudge made with cocoa, and fudge made with chocolate, with regard to temperature. I have been making fudge with cocoa all along. You recommended 234 for fudge made with cocoa, so I tried it, and I truly believe that was the key to the creamy fudge that I am now enjoying. Thanks for making me successful! I’m looking forward to making GOOD fudge from now on 🙂
Wow, Mark, thank you so much for taking the time to comment, and I am absolutely thrilled that you love the recipe! The addition of corn syrup keeps things from crystallizing. Well, it minimizes the chance of crystallizing before you’re ready for that to happen (when you stir), so it is sort of a hedging of bets ingredient. 🙂 Sugar is an odd bird and just a degree or two difference on either side can land you with some unexpected and not always awesome results. 234 all the way for the cocoa fudge!
Enjoy every batch!
I am so inspired! thank you for the confidence boosting explanations. I am motivated to give this a try.
You can do it, Alexandra! (And then you can eat it, so yay!)
My mother made fudge much like this when I was growing up on an isolated farm. When you wanted a treat after dinner, you pretty much made your own and this was a favorite. Here is her recipe:
2 c sugar
3 Tbl cocoa
1 heaping Tbl flour
1.5 Tbl white corn syrup
1 cup light cream
Boil to 238. Add 1tsp vanilla and 1Tbl butter. Beat with mixer until thick and pour onto buttered plate.
The addition of flour is interesting–I also like the 3 T cocoa as opposed to 1. I think this recipe would work fine with upping the amount of cocoa. Thanks for sharing your mom’s recipe, Donaleen! xo
I love that you saved an old family recipe! I’ve never met a fudge that I didn’t like, but homemade fudge, especially made by a beloved grandma, is the BEST!
Things were dicey there for a minute, but I was so glad to be able to do it, and they were happy to have that Fudge again! ♥️
That is almost exactly the recipe my dad used to make for us. I learned how to make candy by watching him and his mother at the stove – and loved when we would test the candy in a glass of water! We would inhale the whole batch of fudge (there were 4 kids) if they let us … it was a Sunday night treat!
I heartily approve of your Sunday night treat, Jane! Glad this post brought back good memories!
I’m drooling. I love fudge and the easier to make the better.
This one is very easy as long you pay attention to the temperature. And you can adjust the chocolateyness by adding a bit more cocoa powder! Enjoy, Laina!
Fudge is my favorite, but I haven’t been successful at making it. Hopefully with your instructions I’ll be able to do it right for once. My taste buds thank you!
Hi, Alissa! So glad you stopped in! If and when you do make it, please let me know how it goes! I can’t wait to hear from reader Carol about how hers turns out. So cool to be able to restore a recipe to a family. 🙂
I happened to be perusing your site some more while waiting curbside at the school to pick up a wee one… Dang Jenni, you are a posting champion! So good of you to help out Carol with this very thorough installment. I could almost sense Granny’s old-fashioned approach as you talked through the trials of interpreting the recipe. Superb work!
I cannot tell you how honored I was that she asked me. And that I was able to do it, Brooks! It’s a lovely, creamy fudge–not super chocolatey, but delicious. I think of it as sort of a “Depression Recipe” maybe?
If you wanted to make chocolate fudge instead of the cocoa- what would you use and how much?
I have a great grandmothers recipe which is similar to this and have never been able to make it work out-
She used 2 c sugar 1 small can bordens milk, 2 T caro syrup, 1 1/2 squares chocolate ( what kind? Thoughts?)
Says cook and stir constantly over fire until soft ball stage. Remove from fire, add 1 tsp vanilla. Cool about 15 min then beat and add 1 c walnuts and piece ( how much) of butter and turn into glass buttered pie plate
Hey, Holly! Your grandmother’s recipe sounds pretty similar to this one with the sub of chocolate for cocoa and Borden (evaporated) milk for the whole milk. For the chocolate, I’d chop up 1 1/2 squares of Baker’s unsweetened chocolate (or similar) for the chocolate. The small can of Borden, which I’m not sure they even make anymore, is 5 oz. I’d cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, to 240F. Toast the walnuts first and then beat them in with maybe 1 oz/2 T butter cut into small pieces and very soft. Actually, add the butter and the vanilla once the fudge reaches 240F and let it hang out on top until it’s time to beat it. Be sure to remove the pan from the heat as soon as it hits 240. You could even go to 238 and figure that carryover heat will take it to 240F. I hope that helps. Please let me know how it turns out for you!
If you do want to try using this recipe and just substitute unsweetened chocolate for the cocoa powder, go with 1 to 1 1/2 oz chopped unsweetened chocolate.