Lemon Walnut Fudge

Combine the sugar, cocoa and salt in a large, heavy bottom saucepan.
Stir to mix and break up any lumps of cocoa powder. Add the corn
syrup, milk and 2 tablespoons of the butter.

Place over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the
mixture comes to a boil. Stop stirring; cover the pan with a
tight-fitting lid for about a minute to steam off any sugar crystals
on the sides of the pan. Watch closely so the fudge does not boil
over.

Uncover and continue to cook (without stirring), swabbing down the
sides of the pan from time to time with a pastry brush dipped in
water, until the temperature reaches the soft-ball stage.

Use a candy thermometer, or the old-fashioned method of dropping a
bit of the hot candy into a cup of cold water every so often. When it
forms a cohesive puddle on the bottom of the cup and can be formed
into a ball that flattens when lifted out of the water, that’s
“soft-ball” stage.) Immediately swab down the sides of the pan. Pour
(do not scrape) the fudge onto a slab of marble or a large platter or
into a flat baking dish.

Heat the lemon zest, juice, and vanilla to boiling and pour over the
hot candy. Top with the remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Let the
mixture cool to room temperature without disturbing it. Stir the
fudge with a spatula or plastic scraper until it becomes thick and
starts to lose its gloss. This is the exercise part…feel the
burn….it takes a while! Add the chopped nuts just as the fudge
becomes too stiff to stir.

Spread the fudge onto a buttered plate or sheet of plastic wrap.
After a few minutes, it will solidify and you can wrap and store it
for several days–even weeks if you keep it a secret! Yields 2-1/8
lbs.