Fire, Ice and Fudge

i found this recipe in our regional magazine "Saltscapes" and I'm going to have to give you the preface to this recipe - here goes - "Kids used to skate from the neighboring town to the Mattinsons' property on the point. You could skate right into the shore around the banks, where an old tree had lodged. "Two or three of us would grab a hold of it and break it off, dragging it down to the fire" says Donn "It was some nice to have a fire to skate around and get warmed up." "Gran and Mother would make a god-awful amount of fudge, and we'd all crowd into the house. Sometimes we'd have a bit of music and a dance or something." Now doesn't that sound like the old days?? lol Here's the recipe for Granny Mattinson's Fudge -

• Ready In: 20 mins
• Serves: 16

Ingredients

• 4  cups brown sugar
• 1⁄4 cup  softened butter
•  cream (enough to make it syrupy)
•  maple flavoring or  vanilla flavoring

Directions

1. Mix all ingredients except flavoring in a heavy bottom pot. Heat on medium until mixture comes to boil, and boil gently until a piece becomes a soft ball when dropped in to colld water. Stir only enough to keep form burning.
2. Take off stove and let cool until you can touch it without getting burned. Do not stir after it comes off the stove and before it cools. "Granny was very explicit about this" Says grandaughter-in-law Joan, who still makes it.
3. Once cool add flavoring, and stir fudge until it loses its gloss. Pour into 8x8 pan.
4. TIP: If fudge hardens in the pot, add a few Tablespoons of water and ehat it again until it softens.