I couldn’t do fudge recipes for the holidays and not include peanut butter fudge. What kind of peanut butter fanatic would I be? A sorry one, for sure. I love peanut butter fudge because it is infinitely easier than chocolate fudge and, well, it’s peanut butter fudge. What’s not to love? No candy thermometers or intensive stirring required. All you need is butter, peanut butter, a pinch of salt, vanilla, powdered sugar and about 10 minutes. Easy peasy! Which is perfect for this hectic time of year, right?
I think the best part about this fudge might be that it tastes just like the inside of buckeyes (which are another holiday staple of mine). You know, the peanut butter balls dipped in chocolate. Except the fudge involves less steps and also less time. This fudge will definitely be making cookie tray appearances over the next two weeks in my corner of the world, and it’s also perfect for packaging up in a tin as a gift. Or, you could take the leftovers and hide them in your freezer for when the snow melts and you’re struck with a peanut butter fudge craving. I’m fairly certain that’s going to be my plan of attack 
Peanut Butter Fudge
Yield: 64 pieces (1½ pounds)
Prep/Cook Time: 10 minutes | Set Time: About 1 hour
1¼ cups (10 ounces) unsalted butter
1¼ cups smooth peanut butter
Pinch of salt
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
4½ cups powdered sugar, sifted1. Butter an 8-inch non-stick baking dish (or line with buttered parchment paper) and set aside.
2. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, heat the butter and peanut butter until the mixtures comes to a boil. Remove from the heat.
3. Add the salt and vanilla extract, then stir in the powdered sugar until smooth and no lumps remain.
4. Pour the fudge mixture into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Press a piece of plastic wrap directly on the fudge and refrigerate until set, at least 1 hour. Cut into squares and serve. Fudge can be stored at cool room temperature in an airtight container.
(Recipe adapted from Joy of Cooking)
Tags: Candy, Peanut Butter
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I had told myself I wasn’t going to do anymore holiday baking of any sort after I got done with the cookie tins I put together.. But I think i’ll be making an exception for this. Looks great, and I have all the ingredients on hand.
I make peanut butter fudge every Christmas. After a few pieces, I commit myself to save the rest for my goodie tins…but I always end up making a meal out of peanut butter fudge.
It might well be the best meal I have the entire year.
I’m not a big fan of fudge but the idea of peanut butter fudge sounds fabulous!!
I don’t know if I’ve ever even heard of peanut butter fudge! Now that I have, it’s on my list of goodies to make for sure!
I have about 10 more cookie recipes that I’d like to make before Christmas- I will just make the fudge at the same time. I already converted 10 or 12 cookie recipes to gluten free a couple of weeks ago, but they are all given away now and the house feels empty with no plates of cookies sitting around!
i like fudge but am not a fanatic, however that peanut butter fudge might be calling my name!
You sold me on this recipe when you said this: “it tastes just like the inside of buckeyes “. Doesn’t hurt that it seems really quick and easy to make as well. I’m adding this to my to-make list of holiday goodies.
your fudge looks so delicious…i clicked onto your buckeyes link…family recipes are always the best…so i am going to re-create these today!
good luck with your new camera (the lighting on the fudge is great)!
Yum- looks divine!
Peanut Butter fudge is the best! So delicious.
Love PB fudge! I bet you could swirl it with chocolate fudge!
Love how you are keeping with the no candy thermometer theme!! I may have to do after I do the buckeyes, BTW my fav cupcake of all time was a chocolate cupcake with a buckeye in it!! Need I say more!!!
This fudge sounds amazing. I have a fantastic chocolate recipe and I can only imagine mixing this recipe with my chocolate one – peanut butter cup fudge anyone?!
Peanut butter fudge is my most favorite fudge ever. I love how smooth and creamy it is. Plus there are very few ingredients that I already have in my pantry! Win/win.
Having not tasted these I wonder if you could take the finished fudge, and dip it into melted chocolate and make a peanut butter truffle type of thing. Or would the texture be off?
No, I think that would be fabulous! Very reminiscent of buckeyes!
I did exactly that this evening! I need to work on my dipping technique, but the results were tasty. Fed them to my husband and his buddy; they concurred enthusiastically.
I am trying to find a recipe for peanut butter fudge that does not have any milk or brown sugar in it, but has Kiro Syrup in it. My mother used to make it but she died 30 years ago and never passed the recipe on to the family. if you hear of a recipe like this please let me know.
I am not familiar with that recipe, but I will keep my eyes out for you!
Reed, here you go!
http://www.karosyrup.com/recipe_details.asp?id=665
I’ve never made peanut butter fudge! I really want to though. Thanks for the recipe
i love peanut butter fudge! yours looks too good – i just want to eat it off the screen!
Ohmygosh, you just made my day.
It wouldn’t be Christmas without peanut butter fudge! It takes all my will power not to eat the entire batch myself!
glad the natural pb worked out!
Peanut butter fudge is my brother’s favorite… Your version looks fabulous! I will have to give it a try this year.
YUM YUM YUM!!!Looks so good! I will make this and keep it at my house, my sister makes PB Fudge and brings it for Christmas to my Dads , so I don’t want to hurt her feelings and bring this! Because if it’s a B,E,Baker recipe you know it’s gonna be good!
I love fudge – it is such a festive thing to give, receive and eat during the holiday season.
Your fudge is gorgeous and looks delicious. Thank you for the recipe and photos!
Oh, Michelle, this looks heavenly! Thanks so much for sharing. I hope you’re having a lovely day and a nice start to the holiday season!
Thank you so much Georgia, all the best holiday wishes to you as well!
That’s it? Really? I’ve never made PB fudge but do love it and I’m a little scared it’s really that easy. Scared I’ll make a batch every day type scared.
I’ve never made…or eaten….peanut butter fudge, but I’m thinking I NEEd to!
Here’s an even easier recipe I used to make as a kid:
1 cup milk
2 cups sugar
Boil to soft-ball stage.
Stir in one cup peanut butter and pour into pan immediately to let it set.
I need/want that. Now. God it lokos so divine!
Oh yum. I love pb fudge and Buckeyes!
Fudge done! Just have to fiddle cause, well you know. Adding a layer of chocolate ganache; guess it’s become my personal version of a peanut butter cup!
Mmm love that!
My oldest daughter is the only one who eats peanut butter in our house and this I shall bookmark for her!
From one peanut butter fanatic to another, THANKS!
Peanut butter fudge is one of my favorites! Yum!
My mom used to make peanut butter fudge and regular fudge every Christmas. When she got tired of making it my sister picked up the tradition. Oh how I love it! I didn’t even realize it was so easy to make!
This looks great! I love how simple it is. I’ll have to give it a try
Hi! I’m a newbie on your blog but love every recipes that you posted. In fact I already printed some these recipes to bake for a xmas present for family and friends.
I wonder if you have some recipes for cookies or cakes etc that uses blueberries as Imy family loves it.
Thanks and happy holidays!
Hi, welcome to the site, I’m glad you’re enjoying it! You can check out all of my recipes that include blueberries here:
http://www.browneyedbaker.com/tag/blueberries/
My sister loves anything with peanut butter. Before going to work every morning she makes sure she eats one spoonfool of peanut butter, just scooping it out of the jar. She’ll be thrilled to receive this before Christmas. Thank you.
One of my coworkers makes peanut butter fudge every Christmas, but always refuses to give out the recipe. I’m so happy you posted this, now I don’t need to wait for her any more!
I’ll never understand why people refuse to share recipes. Good food was meant to be enjoyed by all!
they look amazing! may I have some???
Wow, so easy! I love it!
Yummy! I made this already to include in our annual Christmas cookie plates for our neighbors. A former workmate used to make the BEST peanut butter fudge EVER, and while this does not hold a candle to that, it is quite good and could not be easier to make. I kick myself each holiday season that I never got that recipe from the former workmate. Aargh!
I love this recipe! I always try to search around for some fun and interesting fudge recipes, but I have a hard time finding good yet easy ones. I’d love to see some more!
Sure you wouldn’t mind if I just reached in and stole one of those
right? haha
Okay, if these taste like the peanut butter insides of a buckeye… I’m down! The fudge looks great and I love that is comes together in no time!
I am so bookmarking this recipe. I love fudge! Thanks for sharing.
Great blog : )
I love old-fashioned peanut butter fudge…..thanks for the recipe!!!
I made this with a friend yesterday and it was wonderful! We liked it WAY better than the chocolate fudge recipe we found. Do you have a good chocolate fudge recipe? I’m still waiting for the perfect one…
I’m a newbie to your site (which i LOVE btw) and i just finished prepping this fudge recipe and it’s sitting in the fridge right now. I have a concern though – the mixture started to stick and burn on the bottom of the saucepan if i left it even for a minute… it’s given the fudge mixture a bit of a burnt taste, and i’m wondering if there’s something i did wrong, or if that’s typical and i just need to constantly stir… thanks!
Hi Lena, You might want to turn the heat down just a tad next time, it shouldn’t taste burnt. Enjoy round 2!
Thanks for sharing! I love PB fudge (even more than chocolate…) and always thought it was a big production to make. I made a batch last night and it was really easy. For a little extra, I pushed a few milk chocolate chips into the fudge after I spread it into the pan. Happy holidays!
This looks so fantastic, I can’t wait to try it! And by the way, I am loving your photos with your awesome new camera!
Love how this recipe has such few ingredients, yet looks like it produces yummy results! I wonder if you could use fun flavors of PB, such as Cinnamon Raisin Swirl from Pb&Co.?!
I am not usually one to make fudge, but I think with this recipe I will make an exception! These sound amazing! Thank you so much for sharing! Love your page!
These look great. I will have to try them out!
Sure you wouldn’t mind if I just reached in and stole one of those
right? haha
I made your peanut butter fudge recipe and gave it to my coworkers this year in their holiday goodie bags that I give them each year. It was definitely a big hit! I’ve made several other recipes of yours in the past, and everything has turned out wonderfully. Thank you for being a delicious source of tasty treats!!
these look extra yummy and easy to make. i am going to give these a go since i recently bought a huge container of peanut butter! yummmmm!! thanks a bunch for recipe!
Made this last night. Turned out excellent. My old recipe called for heating to a certain temperature all while stirring. Then cooling to another temperature while continuing to stir. This one is so much easier. It has become my new go to peanut butter fudge recipe. Thanks so much!
My family loves this fudge! I have made it twice in the past couple of months and now my daughter has requested it as her birthday treat! In my last batch, my pinch of salt turned into a whoops with the salt container. My daughter now wants extra salt in this batch too. Thanks so much for the recipe!
I’m upset this didn’t work out for me, had a big pan of goo after
I have tried so many peanut butter fudge recipies and they never turn out right. Wow! This recipe turned out great! Thank you so much!
How in the world does one SAVE a recipe on this site???
Hi Carol, Right now you just have to bookmark it the old-fashioned way, but I am actually in the process of creating a “recipe box” function so you can save your favorites and access them right here. It will be rolled out with some other enhancements on January 2nd!
I made this a few days ago for a Holiday party -it was a huge hit! A few comments I heard were “I don’t even like peanut butter, but this is amazing.” and
“It tastes just like the inside of a Reese’s peanut butter cup!” I didn’t sift my powdered sugar but it turned out just fine.
I remember my brothers and mom making this when I was young. It never lasted long–the disappearing act is faster than making it. I remember them having to stir constantly, but it didn’t take too long to make.
My grandmother, who’s been gone for so many years now ~ passed away from breast cancer ~ use to make Peanut Butter Fudge during the Christmas holidays! Never found her recipe, but this sounds like it might just be a wonderful substitute! Can’t wait to try it and make it a part of my holiday baking with my girls!!
Thanks for sharing
Saw lots of comments and hoped to find a bunch with actual reviews of the outcome of this fudge. Oh well… I made it anyway. Not overly impressed. Yes, it’s a simple recipe, and bam it turns into fudge. The consistency is okay, flavor is okay but not a tongue popping recipe. If you’re going to bake for loved ones, I highly suggest finding a recipe that calls for evaporated milk, or milk, or cream of some sort and to use a candy thermometer. Trust me, there’s a big difference in consistency and flavor – positive difference. Otherwise, it’s a cute recipe for when you’re in a super hurry and flavor/consistency is not a big deal for you.
Just made pb fudge using this recipe. I LOVE IT! And it was super easy. Thank you so much!
When you set this, do you leave it at room temperature or in the refrigerator? Also, what’s the point of the plastic wrap on top?
Hi Jessica, Per the recipe, in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. The plastic wrap on top prevents a skin from forming, as well as keeping out any refrigerator smells (I always cover anything that’s going in the refrigerator).
I grew up on peanut fudge. Mom passed and could never find a good recipe
just made this one and loved it, I only had crunchy peanutbutter and it is excellent. I know my Grand kids are going to love it. I will have to hide it until dinner is over…Thank you
This was so easy and really really good! Will make again!
This is exactly the recipe I’ve been searching for!! Simple and scrumptious ! Thank you for sharing.
Made this tonight. Turned out great! I melted the butters in the microwave (ok, I’m lazy) for one minute and then stirred it all together. So easy and so good. I’m intrigued by the idea of PB fudge made with Karo syrup so I gotta try that next. I’ll let you know how they compare.