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Fudge · Old-Fashioned Peanut Butter

Old-Fashioned Peanut Butter Fudge

Sugar and milk cooked to the soft-ball stage, then beaten with peanut butter into creamy, melt-in-your-mouth fudge. A candy thermometer makes it reliable.

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Prep
10 min
Cook
15 min
Total
1 hr 25 min
Serves
36 · 36 squares
Level
Medium

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp unsalted butter, for the pan
  • 1 cup creamy peanut butter, regular, not natural-style
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • ⅔ cup whole milk
  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 pinch kosher salt

Steps

  1. Line an 8x8-inch pan with parchment paper and rub it with the 1 tablespoon of butter.
  2. Measure the peanut butter and vanilla into a bowl and set it next to the stove. The last steps move fast.
  3. In a heavy saucepan, stir the sugar, milk, 2 tablespoons butter and salt over medium heat until the sugar dissolves and the mixture comes to a boil.
  4. Clip a candy thermometer to the side of the pan so the tip is in the syrup but not touching the bottom.
  5. Boil, stirring gently only now and then, until the thermometer reads 236°F (soft-ball stage). Go by the thermometer, not the timer.
  6. Take the pan off the heat right away. The syrup is extremely hot, so keep children and pets away from the stove.
  7. Add the peanut butter and vanilla and stir hard with a wooden spoon until smooth and the fudge begins to thicken and lose its shine.
  8. Quickly pour the fudge into the pan and smooth the top before it sets.
  9. Let the fudge cool at room temperature until firm.
  10. Lift the fudge out with the parchment and cut it into 6 rows each way.

Tip: Check your thermometer first: in boiling water it should read 212°F at sea level. If it reads 210°F, aim for 234°F instead.

Tip: If the fudge stays soft, it was pulled off before 236°F. If it is crumbly, it went too far or was beaten too long.

Tip: Natural peanut butter separates and can make the fudge greasy. Use the regular kind.

Storage: Airtight at room temperature up to 1 week, or refrigerated up to 2 weeks.

Estimated nutrition per serving: 100 calories · protein 2 g · carbohydrates 13 g · fiber 0 g · sugars 12 g · fat 5 g (saturated 1.5 g) · sodium 35 mg. Estimate from USDA FoodData Central; not medical or dietary advice. Based on 7 of 7 ingredients.