chocolate pistachio fudge (my way)

Do you like fudge? I don't, really. I find it too sweet. Those fudge shops that you see in the malls and outlets, I cringe when I get near one because of that overwhelming smell of corn syrup. It's just so strong for my nosebuds. And here comes the second part: I do like a lighter fudge, a less sweeter fudge. Let me explain. For me, I think the whole purpose of a good fudge should be a good balance of butter (yes butter), sugar, vanilla (or chocolate or whatever flavor you are making), cream, and some sort of texture. I firmly believe fudge should always have some texture, if not then it's just a block of sugar. Ick. So, with all that said I think I have found a "lighter" version of fudge with a buttery, milky taste; not over-powered by sugar. The consistency is NOT creamy like standard fudge, but more flaky/airy which is perfect for the melting-in-your-mouth factor. Rest assured once you taste it you won't really care that the texture is different because this fudge literally melts away in your mouth. (that was the best part after all this experimenting).
So where do you stand on fudge? Love it hate it? You might want to give this a go if you are on the fence--this might change your mind about all that corn-syrupy fudges. I can tell you this does NOT taste like a block of soft, chocolate sugar. I think you'll love this kind of fudge.

Note: I did NOT get this recipe off a Hershey's can; it's a bit different than that one. I played around with my molasses-peanut chew recipe and came up with this fudge recipe.

chocolate-pistachio fudge
print recipe

5 TB salted butter
1 TB butter to grease ceramic/glass dish
5 and ½ ounces high quality semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup cream
1 & ½ cup white sugar
1 ts high quality vanilla extract
Giant pinch of sea salt
1 or 1 ½ cup of salted, roasted pistachios (use as much or as little as you desire)

Remember this is hot sugar, never touch the hot sugar, never be tempted to taste test, and always use oven mits.
Butter an 8-by-8-inch or 8 x 9 baking dish, set aside. Get out a candy thermometer and clip onto pot.
In a large heavy duty pot (with high sides preferably) combine the butter, chocolate, cream, sugar, and salt. Place over a medium heat and stir constantly and CONSTANTLY scraping the bottom of pan. (You will be doing this for a while). Let it boil and cook until the temperature reaches around 247 -249 (soft ball stage). Once it hits this temperature remove from heat
And add in the vanilla extract (it will make a lot of noise and sizzle, just add in and stand back then stir in)
Once mixed, add in the pistachios, stir, then pour the hot mixture into your prepared buttered baking dish.
Let cool off at room temperature. Should take a couple hours to harden up.
Gently lift it out of baking dish and transfer to a wooden board or plastic cutting board. It might be hard to lift out, I just turned the dish upside down and let gravity pop it out.
Using a sharp knife to cut into little squares. You should get about 20-25 little squares?