There are few things as delicious as an old fashioned chocolate peanut butter fudge recipe. This is what grandma used to make. This is what you will make when you try my recipe. And, your kids will remember it as some of the best candy ever made for generations to come. Do you like peanut butter? Do you like chocolate? It’s a pretty safe bet to say you do. I have an absolutely delicious recipe that combines the two
Salted Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge
Silky peanut butter fudge with smooth salted chocolate ganache topping.
Prep Time:5 minutes
Cook Time:15 minutes
resting time:2 hours
Total Time:20 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
chocolate, fudge, peanut butter, peanut butter fudge, salted chocolate
Calories: 60kcal
Ingredients
peanut butter fudge
- 2 pounds light brown sugar
- 2 tbsp butter
- 6 tbsp sugar
- 1 cups milk
- 2 teasp cornstarch
- 2 teasp vanilla
- 1 jar smooth peanut butter 40 ounces
chocolate ganache
- 1 ½ cups semi sweet chocolate chips
- ½ cup heavy cream
Instructions
peanut butter fudge
- Melt brown sugar, butter, sugar and milk in a saucepan over low heat.
- Boil for 5 minutes over low heat (until reaches soft ball stage).
- Stir in cornstarch.
- Remove from heat.
- Add vanilla and peanut butter and beat until well incorporated.
- Pour into greased or parchment lined baking sheet.
- Prepare chocolate ganache and pour over.
- Top with sea salt.
- Cool for at least 2 hours before cutting into desired sized fudge pieces.
chocolate ganache
- Bring cream to simmer on the stovetop over medium heat.
- Measure chocolate chips into a heat safe bowl
- Pour hot cream over chocolate chips and let sit at least 5 minutes.
- Stir until smooth and all the chocolate lumps disappear.
Notes
based on recipe from my mother, Rosie Hughes, that she learned from her mother, Darlene Revel, and made every year at Christmastime
Nutrition
Calories: 60kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 2mg | Sodium: 6mg | Potassium: 31mg | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 30IU | Calcium: 13mg | Iron: 0.2mg
COCOA PEANUT BUTTER FUDGE
This creamy Cocoa Peanut Butter Fudge is the best combination of two worlds…dark bittersweet cocoa and creamy peanut butter. Now you can enjoy chocolate and peanut butter fudge at the same time!
What do you get when you add peanut butter to pure Cocoa Fudge? The most wonderful peanut butter and chocolate combo ever!! I love the taste of pure bittersweet Cocoa Fudge, and I love the taste of pure Peanut Butter Fudge, and when you combine the two, the flavor is absolutely DIVINE!! This recipe also has a touch of salt, just enough to really compliment the flavor and level out the sweetness. It’s perfect!!
No, this recipe isn’t one of those quick 5-minute microwave recipes. It gets cooked on the stove but it only takes about 15 minutes and when you bite into a piece of this fudge, you’ll know it’s made the old-fashioned way.
As with most candy recipes, this recipe is really not hard to make. You just need to make sure you use an accurate candy thermometer or know how to test the candy in cold water.
Candy Making Tips:
- Make sure your candy thermometer is accurate before using it. It’s very easy to test your candy thermometer.
- If you’ve never tested candy in cold water, you might want to experiment a few times by mixing sugar and water and cooking it to a certain temperature, such as a soft ball stage.
COCOA PEANUT BUTTER FUDGE
- prep time: 5 MINUTES
- cook time: 15 MINUTES
- total time: 20 MINUTES
- yield: 20 PIECES 1X
- category: CANDY
DESCRIPTION
Chocolate and Peanut Butter are married in this creamy delicious fudge when old-fashioned Cocoa and Peanut Butter Fudge unite. Simply delicious!
INGREDIENTS
UNITS USMSCALE1x2x3x
- 3 cups sugar
- 2/3 cup Hershey’s cocoa
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups milk, (I used 2%)
- 1 stick butter, unsalted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup peanut butter, creamy
INSTRUCTIONS
- Grease the inside of a 9 x 9 baking dish or pan with butter. Line the dish with a piece of parchment paper that is long enough to hang over the sides, so that you can grab it to lift the fudge out later. There is no need to butter the parchment paper again. You can also use foil if desired.
- In a 2 quart heavy saucepan, combine the sugar, cocoa, salt, and milk. Mix and bring to a boil over medium heat. Place a candy thermometer on the side of the pan, if not using the cold water test, and cook mixture over medium heat, stirring slowly but constantly, until mixture reaches a soft ball stage (234 degrees) on a candy thermometer or forms a soft ball when tested in cold water. Immediately remove from heat.
- Add the butter, vanilla, peanut butter, and nuts, if using, and beat with a wooden spoon until thoroughly combined and mixture begins to slightly thicken. This should only take about 30 seconds. Immediately spread candy evenly into a prepared 9 x 9 baking dish. I use an offset spatula to spread it.
- Allow the candy to completely cool.
- Run a sharp knife along the two sides of the dish where there is no parchment paper. Gently grab the ends of the parchment paper and lift the fudge up and out of the dish and onto a counter. Cut the fudge into squares. I use a long sharp knife and cut the fudge into long strips first, then into squares.
- Store fudge in an airtight container and refrigerate if you’re not going to eat it right away. It will stay fresh for up to one week.
- All fudge freezes nicely, so feel free to make it in advance and freeze it for the holidays. Make sure it’s wrapped tightly or in an airtight container. If I’m giving the entire batch to someone after freezing it, I place the candy in a candy tin, place a piece of plastic wrap over the top, then place the lid on the tin and freeze.
NOTES
I have an electric stove top, and when I make this fudge it takes about 12 minutes from the time it starts to boil to when it’s ready to come off the heat. This is just a rough guideline for you to go by. Not all burners heat the same.
How to Make Old Fashioned Peanut Butter Fudge
This is one of the easiest recipes I have but if you barely overcook it, it’ll quickly turn to crumbles.
So my biggest piece of advice is to cook it slow and as soon as it is approaching the correct temperature quickly remove it from the heat and you’ll be good!
You can always pour undercooked fudge over ice cream, but the only good place for over cooked fudge is in the trash can.
Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
2 TBSP cocoa powder
2 TBSP butter
1 cup milk
1 cup creamy peanut butter
Directions:
Step 1:
Butter an 8 x 8 glass baking dish and set aside.
Step 2:
In a medium or large pot, add sugar, cocoa powder, butter, and milk.
Step 3:
Cook on low to medium heat while stirring constantly. Once the mixture comes to a boil use a candy thermometer and watch the temperature. As soon as it approaches a soft ball stage remove it from the heat.
Soft ball stage is 240 degrees F. So once the mixture gets to about 238 degrees I will remove it from the heat because overcooking this fudge will ruin it.
Step 4:
Once you remove the fudge mixture from the heat then quickly add in the peanut butter and continue stirring until the mixture is completely smooth.
Step 5:
Once the fudge mixture is smooth pour it into your buttered dish and let it cool. It should be firm enough to cut and serve within 10 minutes.
Trouble Shooting:
If the fudge is already setting up in the pan before you pour it into your baking dish it has been over cooked.
If the mixture seems too runny when you pour it into your baking dish it may have been undercooked. But give it time because it still may set up. If it doesn’t, it will still taste great and you can serve it on top of ice cream.
Fudge Making Tips
Always cook at a low to medium temperature so that the mixture heats up slowly and doesn’t overcook.
To test soft ball stage without a thermometer, drop a spoonful of the hot mixture into a cup of very cold ice water. If it has reached soft ball stage it will form a soft ball in the water and then flatten out once it’s removed.
Always lean on the side of undercooking versus overcooking as you start testing out the recipe. Overcooked fudge cannot be undone and just crumbles apart. While undercooked fudge will still taste good, it just may not completely firm up.
PEANUT BUTTER FUDGE ~ OLD FASHIONED RECIPE
If you’ve ever made peanut butter fudge that was overly sweet, too soft or too dry, then you’ve just found the right recipe. This peanut butter fudge is an old fashioned recipe that I’ve been making for years, and I’ve never wanted to make any other one. Though I have bounced from different recipes for chocolate fudge and other flavours, this one for peanut butter can’t be beat.
WHAT MAKES THIS FUDGE OLD FASHIONED?
The ingredients used in this recipe are what make this truly old fashioned. Besides brown and white sugars, evaporated milk is used–an ingredient that was a staple through some of the toughest times in history. In addition comes butter, cream of tartar and salt. That’s it. No sweetened condensed milk, no powdered sugar, no marshmallows and no peanut butter chips. Just technique and simple ingredients.
CAN I USE REGULAR MILK?
Yes you can, though I would recommend using whole milk. The butterfat content makes a difference in most baked goods and this fudge is no exception. Evaporated milk has had 60% of the water cooked out of it, making it even higher in fat and therefore perfect for confections like fudge. That is not to say it will turn out poorly if you use regular milk but for the fullest flavour and texture always go full fat.
HOW LONG WILL THIS FUDGE KEEP?
This peanut butter fudge will keep sealed in an airtight container for 1-2 weeks at room temperature. If you refrigerate it, your fudge will last about 1 week longer. It will last in the freezer for 3-4 months.
TIPS FOR MAKING THE BEST PEANUT BUTTER FUDGE
- Stir constantly while the fudge mixture comes to a boil. This will help dissolve the sugar crystals and yield a very smooth fudge. If you neglect to stir, the mixture can stay grainy and your fudge will seem crunchy.
- Don’t stir the mixture while it’s cooking. Once it’s come to a boil, reduce the heat and leave it alone. Stirring it at this point can create sugar crystals that might make the fudge seize. With the exception of occasional checking the bottom with a wooden spoon for scorching, let it cook undisturbed.
- Cook the mixture to the proper temperature. This should be 237F-239F. If you don’t cook it long enough, the fudge will not set. If you cook it too long it will be hard and crumbly. It’s almost best to take it off the heat when it reaches 235F because it continues to cook.
- Don’t over beat it. When you add the peanut butter to the hot mixture, allow it to become slightly fluid before beating it in. This helps prevent over beating which will cause it to become too stiff. Once the peanut butter is fully melted in, quickly pour it into the prepared pan and don’t smooth the top too much.
- Allow the fudge to set completely before cutting. It will cut much easier and cleaner if it is entirely solid and cooled.
I hope I’ve helped you find the peanut butter fudge recipe of your dreams. If you try it, let me know how it turned out for you!
Peanut Butter Fudge ~ Old Fashioned Recipe
An old fashioned fudge recipe that does not use sweetened condensed milk or icing sugar.
PREP TIME10 mins
COOK TIME20 mins
COURSEDessert
CUISINEAmerican
SERVINGS24 pieces
INGREDIENTS
- 200 grams brown sugar
- 250 grams white sugar
- 160 grams evaporated milk
- 20 grams unsalted butter
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 9 ounces peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
INSTRUCTIONS
- Line a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper. In a medium saucepan combine brown sugar, white sugar, evaporated milk, butter, cream of tartar and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until the sugars are dissolved and the mixture looks smooth.
- Once the mixture comes to a bowl, stop stirring and reduce the heat to medium low. Allow the the mixture to cook until it reaches 240F/115C or soft ball stage. This will take approximately 15-20 minutes. If you do not have a candy thermometer. check by dropping a small amount of the mixture into a cup of cold water. If it forms a soft ball, it is ready.
- Remove from heat and add peanut butter and vanilla. Begin beating the mixture by hand with a wooden spoon until the peanut butter has melted and the fudge looks smooth. As soon as it begins to lose its gloss, spread into the prepared loaf pan. Work quickly without smoothing it too much. Allow the fudge to cool for 2 hours before cutting into squares.