Fudge Frosting

•   2 cups sugar

•    3/4 cup half-and-half

•    2 ounces unsweetened chocolate or 2 envelopes premelted unsweetened chocolate baking flavor

•    2 tablespoons light corn syrup

•    1/8 teaspoon salt

•    2 tablespoons margarine or butter

•    1 teaspoon vanilla

In large saucepan, combine sugar, halt-and-half, chocolate, corn syrup and salt.  Cook over low heat, stirring just until sugar is dissolved. Cover, cook over medium heat for 2 minutes.  Uncover, cook until candy thermometer reaches soft ball stage (234ºF), about 5 minutes.  Do not stir while cooking.  Remove from heat; add margarine.  Cool to lukewarm (110ºF). Additional cooling may cause frosting to harden too soon.

Add vanilla, beat until frosting begins to thicken and loses its gloss.  If necessary, thing with a few drops of half-and-half. 

Yield: Frosts 2 layer or 13X9 inch cake. 

Contributed by John & Kitzen Gough