Chocolate / Recipe

Easy Peanut Butter Fudge Recipe

A decadent, melt-in-your-mouth Peanut butter fudge recipe topped with chocolate. No headache, no mess, and no candy thermometer. Easy and delicious!

Easy Peanut Butter Fudge Recipe | sophisticatedgourmet.com Easy Peanut Butter Fudge Recipe | sophisticatedgourmet.com

There are times for poetics, and there are times, such as this, where poetry isn’t needed. Easy Peanut Butter Fudge. The recipe title pretty much speaks for itself.

In the midst of all the last-minute holiday planning (I’m sure many of us are doing), I figured that this would be a good time to share a recipe for some pretty kick-butt peanut butter fudge that is quick, easy, and must I add- doesn’t require a candy thermometer? Yeah. It’s that good.

Easy Peanut Butter Fudge Recipe | sophisticatedgourmet.com

Now, I know what you’re thinking- that I want you to make peanut butter fudge (and fudge sauce– why not?) in the midst of all this holiday craziness- I do, but trust me, making this recipe is child’s play. Well, sorta. I wouldn’t recommend a child work with boiling sugar, but the recipe is quite simple enough for anyone to make (did I mention you don’t even need a thermometer?), and dare I say quite delicious? Plus, it’s great to share with your friends and family.

Easy Peanut Butter Fudge Recipe | sophisticatedgourmet.com Easy Peanut Butter Fudge Recipe | sophisticatedgourmet.com

How to Make Peanut Butter Fudge

It doesn’t take long to make this peanut butter fudge. It all starts off by melting a stick of butter in a saucepan with a pinch of nutmeg. Once melted, milk and an earthy mound of dark brown sugar or light muscovado sugar (quite a lot, I must admit, but one piece is really all that you’ll need to satisfy your sweet tooth for the evening) are mixed in.

The entire mixture is brought to a boil for 2-3 minutes, without stirring (crucial!). After the mixture has boiled for a couple minutes, vanilla, and peanut butter are beaten in until smooth.

After that, the peanut butter mixture is beaten in a mixing bowl with snowy powdered sugar, until smooth and lump-free (Well, free of sugar lumps).

It’s then poured into an 8-inch square baking pan, cooled slightly at room temperature, and then chilled in the fridge for a couple hours.

Easy Peanut Butter Fudge Recipe | sophisticatedgourmet.com Easy Peanut Butter Fudge Recipe | sophisticatedgourmet.com

Because I lack any patience to wait (we all know this), I let the peanut butter fudge cool slightly at room temperature, then it makes its way into the freezer for an hour or thereabouts, until firm and completely cool.

Easy Peanut Butter Fudge Recipe | sophisticatedgourmet.com Easy Peanut Butter Fudge Recipe | sophisticatedgourmet.com

Once cooled, I cut the peanut butter fudge into 36 pieces, melt some chocolate, spread a thin layer on top of each piece of fudge, and let the chocolate set for a few minutes. After that, here’s where it gets a little fancy. Maldon Sea Salt. A nice pinch on each piece of chocolate-covered fudge. Yes.

Easy Peanut Butter Fudge Recipe | sophisticatedgourmet.com

Easy Peanut Butter Fudge Recipe | sophisticatedgourmet.com

Easy Peanut Butter Fudge Recipe | sophisticatedgourmet.com

Easy Peanut Butter Fudge Recipe | sophisticatedgourmet.com

The chocolate is a nice touch, but it’s optional. The sea salt, however, is something you must do. Well, the peanut butter fudge is exceptional without it, but biting into a piece of fudge topped with a bit of Maldon Sea Salt is something you mustn’t miss. (Note: Fleur de Sel or even a few grains of fine grain sea salt might work, as well)

Now, go make some fudge for your loved one’s! Happy Holidays, my friends!

Yield: Makes 36 Pieces

Easy Peanut Butter Fudge

Easy Peanut Butter Fudge Recipe | sophisticatedgourmet.com

This recipe is pretty straight-forward. Melt the butter along with some ground nutmeg (it enhances the flavor of the peanut butter, so be sure not to leave this out), add the sugar, and milk, stir in the vanilla and peanut butter, mix with powdered sugar, and place in a pan to cool. I’ve tested the recipe with dark brown sugar and light muscovado sugar. You can use either.

The melted chocolate for the tops of each piece of fudge is optional, but it is a nice touch. There’s no need to go out and buy Maldon Sea Salt or Fleur de Sel for this recipe. Salty and sweet are the perfect thing in this rich fudge, but if you don’t have it, don’t worry about it. The fudge is just as good. If you have fine grain sea salt, a very small amount of that on top of each piece of fudge would work.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes

Ingredients

  • ½ cup (1 stick) / 113g unsalted Butter
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1 pound / 454 g light muscovado Sugar or soft dark brown sugar
  • ½ cup / 118 ml milk
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup / 235g extra crunchy peanut butter
  • 2 ⅓ cups / 308g powdered sugar
  • ⅓ cup / 75g / 2.65 ounces Dark Chocolate / semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional)
  • Maldon Sea Salt / Fleur de Sel, for sprinkling (optional, but recommended)

Instructions

  1. Over medium heat, melt the butter in a large saucepan along with the ground nutmeg.
    With a wooden spoon, stir in the brown sugar and milk, removing any lumps, and bring to a boil for 2-3 Minutes without stirring.
  2. Remove from the heat, and stir in the vanilla, then the peanut butter.
  3. Put the powdered sugar in a large heatproof mixing bowl. Then, pour the hot peanut butter and sugar mixture on top of the powdered sugar, and beat with a wooden spoon until smooth.
  4. Pour into an 8-inch (20 cm) square baking pan, cover the top with parchment, and press down to smooth out the top (I use another 8-inch pan to do this) set aside to cool slightly (10 minutes should do), then place in the fridge to cool completely.
  5. Turn the fudge out of the tin onto the parchment, cut into 36 squares (or smaller, if you prefer).
  6. Melt the chocolate, and add a thin layer to top of each piece of fudge. Allow the chocolate to set, and sprinkle each piece of fudge with a few grains of flaky sea salt.
  7. Store in an airtight container.

Notes

Cutting the Peanut Butter Fudge

I recommend cutting the fudge into 36 pieces, feel free to make them even smaller. This fudge is sweet, and it’s rich- a little goes a long way.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

36

Serving Size:

1 Piece

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 155Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 7mgSodium: 37mgCarbohydrates: 24gFiber: 1gSugar: 22gProtein: 2g

35 Comments

  • Kelly Senyei
    December 24, 2011 at 12:02 am

    Yes yes yes! And I had the extreme pleasure of tasting this creation (sans the chocolate) and it was phenomenal! I will be making this ASAP. Happy holidays, Kam!

    Reply
    • kamran
      December 24, 2011 at 12:07 am

      Happy Holidays, Kelly! I did tweak the recipe a bit from when I first shared it with you. When I first made it, I used smooth organic peanut butter (I drained the oil that settles to the top) and dry roasted peanut because that’s all I had on hand, but I figure that it’s easier to just tell everyone to use chunky peanut butter because it’s saves them the headache of draining and looking for dry roasted peanuts. So, yeah. Easier. And just as great. With more peanuts, of course! :)

      Reply
  • J. Beatty
    December 24, 2011 at 6:38 am

    Really busy right now, but I must stop and make this fudge – my husband loves peanut butter and this would be a treat for him. Happy Holidays ~ Merry Christmas to all.

    Reply
    • kamran
      December 24, 2011 at 2:48 pm

      Happy Holidays! Happy eating! :)

      Reply
  • angela@spinachtiger
    December 24, 2011 at 8:53 am

    I make a great chocolate fudge and I’ve been thinking it would be fun to layer it with a peanut butter and this might be the trick.Happy Holidays, Kamran, glad to see you back in the kitchen.

    Reply
    • kamran
      December 24, 2011 at 2:49 pm

      Happy Holidays, Angela! And thank you! I’m glad to be back. :)

      Reply
  • Rachel @ Bakerita
    December 24, 2011 at 11:15 am

    Looks amazing! I’ve never made peanut butter fudge but I feel like this would be so amazing…and never can I resist anything salted. It’s my weakness! Gorgeous photos.

    Reply
    • kamran
      December 24, 2011 at 2:49 pm

      Thanks so much, Rachel! :)

      Reply
  • celia
    December 24, 2011 at 9:09 pm

    This looks wonderful. Happy Holidays !

    Reply
  • Fred @ Savorique
    December 25, 2011 at 11:46 am

    The chocolate would not be just a nice touch for me, it’s mandatory!
    It would be nice if you wrote ahead of the recipe a summary of total prep/cooking times to makes these PB fudges.

    Reply
    • kamran
      December 26, 2011 at 12:17 am

      Fred- I’ll keep that in mind for future recipes, as many sites are now doing that… Anyway, prep time is 15 mins give or take. As for waiting time (for the fudge to cool) it takes me around 1 hour using my cheater’s method (15 minutes in the fridge and ~45 mins in the freezer). For the “Regular” method, I’d say 2 – 3 hours to cool and set . It’s effortless to prepare. the waiting can be annoying, but in the midst of running around and trying to do several things at once, I don’t mind the wait. It’s not like you have to check on it every 15 minutes….

      Reply
  • Phyllis Kirigin
    December 26, 2011 at 2:29 pm

    I think I will make this . . . like now. Chocolate, peanut butter and Maldon Sea Salt! What’s not to love? I’m trying to remember my mother’s chocolate peanut butter cup recipe. I do remember that one of the ingredients is molasses. Any ideas?

    Reply
  • easy recipes teacher
    December 26, 2011 at 2:53 pm

    I wonder if a similar method can be used to make truffles.

    Reply
  • Diane (Created by Diane)
    December 26, 2011 at 11:37 pm

    Oh these look so wonderful, I can’t wait to make this fudge!

    Reply
  • Monique
    December 27, 2011 at 3:19 pm

    Love a good fudge during the holidays. These are picture perfect!

    Reply
  • Sparrow Grace
    December 27, 2011 at 4:37 pm

    These look beautiful. I love the idea of putting salt on top. It seems to add a certain elegance, and makes a delicious, fudgy chocolate memorable.

    Reply
  • Elizabeth
    December 28, 2011 at 3:25 am

    I. love. fudge.

    Reply
  • Russell van Kraayenburg
    December 28, 2011 at 8:18 pm

    Suddenly I am craving fudge! And why have I never had peanut butter fudge?

    I love your photos and find this omnipresent mysterious person a wonderful, personal touch. Are you the hand model in all your photos? I know it has nothing to do with the food but I’ve always been a bit curious about that. That and you/this person has excellent taste in shirts and I want to know where I can buy them.

    Reply
    • kamran
      December 29, 2011 at 1:10 am

      Russel- Thanks! Yes, I’m the “mysterious” person in front of the camera (behind the camera, too). ;) As for the shirts- I shop mostly at H&M, occasionally Banana Republic (the shirt in this post is from here), sometimes Abercrombie & Fitch, and at any stores that I see have nice shirts and great sales! I hope that helps! :)

      Reply
  • Suzy Thompson
    December 29, 2011 at 1:01 am

    Hummah. Hummah. I’ll take three dozen pieces of this fudge please. Simply gorgeous photos, Kam!

    Reply
    • kamran
      December 29, 2011 at 1:14 am

      Hehe! Thank you, Suzy! :)

      Reply
  • Jay @ LocalFood.me
    December 29, 2011 at 10:48 am

    This looks stunning. And simple.

    Reply
  • Julie
    December 29, 2011 at 11:42 pm

    Oh yes! Chocolate and peanut butter, together? In fudge? Sold!

    Reply
  • Jaime {sophistimom}
    December 30, 2011 at 12:11 am

    I love this, Kamran. You always have such beautiful light in your photographs.

    Reply
  • Ray L. Roberts
    January 5, 2012 at 9:08 pm

    ummm, just googled for “easy works every time peanut butter fudge” and hit on this page. First one that popped up. Well, I must say, I hit the jackpot. In nothing flat, I have some of the best fudge and oh so easy to make without a mistake. Thanks, I will pass this site on for sure on my FB.

    Reply
  • Amanda @ Once Upon a Recipe
    January 6, 2012 at 1:56 pm

    Oh me, oh my. This looks so fabulous. Simple, beautiful, and delicious (I’m sure).

    Reply
  • lynn @ the actor's diet
    January 6, 2012 at 10:07 pm

    that does look easy!

    Reply
  • Liz B
    January 11, 2012 at 3:07 pm

    I want all of these.. right now..

    Reply
  • Helene
    January 12, 2012 at 10:26 am

    Happy New Year! Love the pictures in this post. I’ve never make PB fudge but this is something I would like a lot.

    Reply
  • Deasy
    January 18, 2012 at 5:20 pm

    Oh my, that looks delicious!!! If only I can cook. I’ve just been browsing your blog with drool coming down my chin. Thanks.

    Reply
  • --kyleen--
    January 29, 2012 at 10:57 pm

    Yes, yes, yes to peanut butter and chocolate and fudge. I love your pictures.

    Reply
  • lamb411
    January 31, 2012 at 2:17 pm

    mmm, mmm, mmmmm- I can’t wait to give this recipe a shot! Looking forward to more in 2012.

    Reply
  • Elliot
    April 20, 2012 at 8:21 pm

    I love fudge! I can’t wait to make this. Also, awesome photography! :)

    Reply
    • Bridget Bryson
      December 13, 2020 at 2:47 pm

      Wouldn’t it be easier to spread the chocolate before cutting? Or am I missing something?

      Reply
  • Anna wicker
    November 15, 2012 at 8:31 pm

    Hey, I only 14 but I love cooking and baking so I’m going to try this and it looks amazing!

    Reply

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