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Delicious, smooth, melt-in-your-mouth peanut butter fudge – need I say more?
So far, I have talked a lot about my grandma and her recipes, but she wasn’t the only cook in the house. My grandpa also had various recipes and things he would make – zucchini bread, biscuits, noodles, pickles, a mess – and his recipes hold just as many memories for me as my grandma’s do. I believe the recipe he made most often was peanut butter fudge. Sometimes, he would make chocolate fudge, too, but peanut butter was made more often. Sometimes it had walnuts added in, sometimes not. Whatever the variation, I honestly can’t recall a time when there wasn’t a container of fudge at my grandparents’ house. I had my fair share of grandpa’s fudge, but not because I would get pieces from the container. I would every so often, but most of the fudge I ate was straight from the pot. If you’ve never made fudge before, the gist of it is heating up the ingredients in a pot and then pouring the mixture in a dish to cool. After my grandpa would pour the fudge mixture in the dish, he’d let the pot cool and give it to me. I remember sitting on the floor in front of the TV, scraping warm fudge remnants from it with a spoon. As an adult, I will not be doing that, but only because I’m not supposed to use metal on my pots and pans. I will at least lick the spatula when I’m done pouring the fudge from the pot, though. Whatever you decide to do with what’s left in your pot, I hope you enjoy my grandpa’s peanut butter fudge.
Ingredients
- Half and Half
- Sugar
- Salt
- Butter
- Light Corn Syrup
- Peanut Butter
- Vanilla
Equipment
- Large, heavy-bottomed sauce pan
- Spatula
- 9×13 pan
How to Make Peanut Butter Fudge
- Step 1: Butter a 9×13 baking dish and set aside.
- Step 2: In a large, heavy-bottomed sauce pan stir together 2 cups half and half, 4 cups sugar, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 stick (1/4 cup) butter, and 1 tbsp of light corn syrup. Place on the stove over medium heat.
- Step 3: Stir the mixture until the sugar is dissolved and bring to a boil. Then, let it boil until the mixture is thick. Do not stir the mixture while you are boiling it as that can make it grainy.
- Step 4: Use the soft ball test to ensure the mixture is done. To do this, drop a small amount of the mixture in a bowl of ice cold water. If the mixture balls up and stays when you press it together, it is ready.
- In my grandpa’s instructions, he just says “cook until soft ball test.” The first time I made the fudge, I had to look up what that meant. If you are unsure about the soft ball test, the fudge reaches that state at 235°. You can use a candy thermometer to judge when to pull the mixture off the heat.
- Step 5: Take the mixture off the heat and add 18 oz of peanut butter and 1 tsp vanilla. Stir quickly until smooth.
- Step 6: Pour the mixture into a buttered 9×13 pan and let it cool.
- Step 7: Once the fudge is cooled completely, cut it into squares and store in an airtight container.
Questions You May Have
How do I store my fudge and how long will it last?
My grandpa always stored his in an airtight container at room temperature. Usually, the container sat on the hutch or kitchen table. I do the same. It should last 2 to 3 weeks when stored this way.
Can I add inclusions to my fudge?
Of course! My grandpa would sometimes add walnuts. Some other ideas to add would be Reese’s Pieces, chocolate chips, chopped up pretzels, salted peanuts, or anything else you can think of that would go well with peanut butter. I’m now wondering how my grandpa would feel about these other options. Whatever inclusion you choose, add 1/2 to 1 cup of it after the peanut butter and vanilla is all mixed in. Give it a couple stirs to disperse it, and then pour it in your 9×13 to cool.
Do you have any tips and tricks for making fudge?
The easiest error to make is cooking it for too long. You want to be certain that you get it off the heat at the right time or else the fudge will be dry (I accidentally did this the first time I made it – oops!). If you are unsure about the soft ball test, just use a candy thermometer until it reaches 235° F.
Prepare your 9×13 pan ahead of time, so that it is already ready when it’s time to pour your fudge.
Have your peanut butter and vanilla ready to go as well so that you can easily add them as soon as the mixture is ready. You want to work quickly with fudge so that it doesn’t cool too much before it’s been poured.
Do not stir the fudge while it is boiling and do not scrape any sugar crystals from the side of the pan into the mixture. Both of these actions could cause your fudge to turn out grainy.
Peanut Butter Fudge
Difficulty: Medium24
servings30
minutes2
hoursIngredients
2 cups half and half
4 cups sugar
1 tsp salt
1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick)
1 tbsp light corn syrup
18 oz peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla
Directions
- Butter a 9×13 baking dish and set it aside.
- In a large, heavy-bottomed sauce pan stir together half and half (2 cups), sugar (4 cups), salt (1 tsp), butter (1/4 cup), and light corn syrup (1 tbsp). Place on the stove over medium heat.
- Stir the mixture until the sugar is dissolved and bring it to a boil. Then, let it boil until the mixture is thick. Do not stir while you are letting it boil.
- Once it is thick, use the soft ball test to ensure the mixture is done. To do this, spoon a small amount of the mixture in a bowl of ice cold water. If the mixture balls up and stays when you press it together, it is ready.
- Take the mixture off the heat and add peanut butter (18oz) and vanilla (1 tsp). Stir quickly until smooth.
- Pour the mixture into the buttered 9×13 baking dish and let it cool.
- Once the fudge is cooled completely, cut it into squares and store in an airtight container.
Notes
- If you are unsure about the soft ball test, the fudge reaches that state at 235°. Use a candy thermometer to judge when to pull the mixture off the heat instead.
- It is important that you do not stir the mixture while it is boiling. Also, do not scrape any of the sugar crystals from the side of the pan into the mixture. Both of those things can make the fudge have a grainy texture.
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