Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge
Last February, on the only day that we got more then a mere dusting of snow in Pittsburgh, we celebrated my grandparents’ 60th wedding anniversary. As in, 6-0. Sixty. Not 50, which is a feat in and of itself. SIXTY.
We made a day of it, starting with a big family lunch at a restaurant, then an early evening Mass with a special blessing, and finally back to my grandparents’ house for more food, cake, sweets and reminiscing. In between looking through old photo albums, I wandered over to the desserts table and filled my plate a little bit of everything. The one thing that stood out, though, was the fudge. Rich, creamy, chocolatey, and spiked with peanut butter. It was the stuff of dreams. When I asked my grandma about it, she said that it was her neighbor’s recipe, but that she had already left and that she would get me the recipe. It may have taken eight months, but the recipe finally made its way to me, and I wasted no time making my own batch. I swear, your life won’t be complete until you have this fudge!
With the holidays coming up, this would certainly be something fabulous to add to your baking list. It would make any Christmas cookie tray sparkle! Putting the pieces of fudge in individual mini papers or candy wrappers is always a nice presentation if you’ll be packaging it up to take somewhere. Just be prepared for the clamoring that will ensue, and be prepared to act as a mediator when it comes to doling out the last piece!
I’m not sure if spectacular homemade fudge is the key to staying married for sixty years, but it would certainly be worth a try, right?!
One year ago: Chubby Hubby Truffles
Two years ago: Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Three years ago: Empire Cookies
Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge
Ingredients
- 2½ cups (500 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (21.5 g) cocoa powder
- 1 cup (256 ml) evaporated milk, from a can
- 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
- ½ cup (113.5 g) unsalted butter, divided
- ½ cup (129 g) peanut butter
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Butter an 8-inch square pan and line with parchment paper, using enough so that there is some overhang on the edges.
- Combine the sugar, cocoa powder, evaporated milk and corn syrup in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until the sugar dissolves.
- Add 2 tablespoons of the butter and stir until the butter melts. Allow the mixture to come to a boil, then cover and boil for 3 minutes.
- Remove the lid and continue to cook, without stirring, until the mixture reaches 234 degrees F on a candy thermometer (soft ball stage). Remove from the heat and, without stirring, add the remaining butter, peanut butter and vanilla. Allow the mixture to sit for 10 minutes.
- Using a wooden spoon, beat the fudge vigorously until it thickens and begins to lose its gloss (can take anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes). You can also transfer the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer (or use a hand mixer) and beat it on medium speed, being careful to only mix until it thickens and loses its gloss. Do not overmix.
- Immediately pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Allow the fudge to come to room temperature, then cover the pan with plastic wrap and chill it until set. Lift the fudge out of the pan and cut into 1-inch squares. The fudge can be stored in an airtight container at cool room temperature or in the refrigerator.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
This is absolutely the best tasting fudge. I make it for Christmas and it’s always a hit
My fudge is cooling to room temperature right now and I’m super excited about it. Had to clean the pan with spoon before washing – it’s the cook/baker’s duty! – and the flavor is perfect for me. Can’t wait till it’s set up so I can really try it. I won’t rate the recipe until after I’ve tried! Here’s my question and tale of woe or delight depending on how you look at it…
When I started making this recipe, I misread it and thought it used the ENTIRE can of evaporated milk. Luckily I realized my error quickly and adjusted the rest of the ingredient amounts by an additional 50% to accommodate my initial error. So I’m gonna have a LOT of fudge!!!!!
So here’s my question…. Has anyone tried freezing the fudge? Does it respond well?
Thanks so much and I’ll be back to rate the recipe once the fudge cools and sets up.!
Update…. Not rating recipe-just updating my comments. The fudge did not set up for me and the texture is a little grainy. I’m a very experienced baker but not an experienced candy/fudge maker so I’m absolutely certain it’s my problem! I think I didn’t beat it long enough. It definitely reached 234 using my thermapen. I just don’t have a good feel for when it loses its gloss yet. I’ll try again at some point soon!
This is my favorite go-to recipe. I never have any issues and it always turns out!
I’ve made other fudge recipes that were easier and didnt burn my pan terribly. Followed directions to the T, burned pan and never even reach 234 on thermometer. Got thick too fast and didn’t spread well. Sorry for those reasons I wouldn’t recommend this one.
This is THE BEST & EASIEST chocolate peanut butter Fudge recipe EVER!
I made this recipe, followed it to the T. Mixture was thick in the pan, but ok. I thought maybe the sugar just had to melt a little more. But no. When i got to the part with the peanut butter, I came back in 10 minutes, and half of it was stuck to the bottom of the pan, solid. the butter would not mix into the stuff, not even upon reheating. This recipe has directions that will ruin your pan, if you follow them exactly. You either need to increase the liquid in some manner, so that there is enough for the sugar to dissolve, or lessen the sugar so there is enough left in liquid to be able to boil it without ending up with rocks in your pan
Thank you, thank you! This was super easy to make and is sooo delicious. It’s just the kind of fudge I love! My husband says it’s even better than the kind we bought at the candy store in Yellowstone!
Made this today. Twice actually, because leaving it to boil for 3 minutes per the directions the first time resulted in a burnt on mess in my professional grade stainless steel pot after only a minute. The mixture was also hardening rapidly during the 10 minutes of sitting time after boiling so it was closer to 4 minutes of sitting on the butter, PB and vanilla. It only took about 2 minutes to mix (rather than the recipe stated 5-15 minutes). The end result is delicious but the directions leave a lot to be desired. As written, this recipe is not usable. If you’re an experienced baker or cook, it’s adaptable.
Why does it always burn? I left it at medium heat, and let it boil, w candy thermometer… Stayed at 220 forever.. Slowly slowly moved to soft ball stage but by then it was totally burnt on the bottom. Happens every time. Please help.
This fudge does it get hard in the fridge I just made it and its cooled down now I put in in squares and put it in a container its soft but my husband likes it hard I hope it gets hard later
Hi Rhonda, Yes, it will firm up in the fridge. Enjoy!
The best peanut butter fudge EVER ! Thanks for sharing.
Wonderful recipe — the fudge turned out fantastic! I won’t be able to make it too often, though, since I ended up eating the entire pan, on my own, in less than three days. *Excellent* fudge, thank you!
HELP HELP HELP this is the correct taste of the fudge my mom used to make but it is not setting up correctly. My mom was having the same issue and the fudge does not harden what is the matter I filled the instruction as they are posted.
Thanks
Pat
I made these yesterday and could have eaten the entire batch by myself. I forgot that my candy thermometer was broken so I had to kinda guess about the temp. As long as I keep them in the fridge until eating them it’s not a problem, but if I leave them out for more than 10 minutes…not so good.
I tried this recipe tonight and not sure what went wrong. When I went to mix with a wooden spoon the mixture didn’t stay a liquid…..it turned into a mess that looked like sand. Any ideas on what I might have done wrong?
Hi Heather, It’s really hard to say since there are so many varying factors that could have went into it… However, if it didn’t slowly thicken when taken off of the heat, you may have heated at too high a temperature or for too long.
Hi! I just made this and it tastes amazing!! Buuutt, the consistency isn’t quite firm enough, would that be due to the fact that I could only get it to heat up to 227 degrees, or did I not stir it in the end long enough?? Either way, it’s still delish c: and no one seems to mind using a spoon..hehe! Would be really good like this with vanilla bean ice cream c:
Hi Chris, Yes, the temperature will absolutely make a difference.
That is a really good tip especially to those fresh to the blogosphere.
Short but very accurate information… Thanks for sharing this one.
A must read article!
Thanks for this peanut butter fudge recipe. I think this is a “lost recipe” that I have been looking for. When I was a child there was a 14 minute peanut butter fudge that we used to make. This looks very much like it. Can’t wait to try it to see. Thanks so much.
Hey, two questions:
in step 3, when it talks about boiling, what kind of boil are we talking about? A heavy boil vs. simmer? Did you find you had to turn it down to maintain that after you covered it? Or was that just to preserve the moisture?
Also, in step 4, how do you add butter and peanut butter without mixing? They’d just be a glop in the mix! Should I nuke these ingredients to melt them first? Sorry if this is obvious – I’m a complete baking n00b hoping to make something nice for my (rather culinary-inclined) girlfriend this SLiDeR Day (Singles/Long-Distance-Relationship Appreciation). Thanks so much for your help!
P.S. Slider Day is for everyone whose (possibly imaginary) significant other isn’t around so they can eat as many sliders as they want on Feb. 14. Pass it on, we’ll make it a movement.
Hi Sam, You want an actual boil, not a simmer. You just put the butter and peanut butter in there and don’t stir. Yes, they look like a glob, but they will start to melt as it sits, and then when you stir at the end they will get incorporated.
This is very similar to the fudge recipe we used to use with my grandma, except for the peanut butter. I did make this today and it turned out perfect! Very yummy. Since I have lost my grandmother’s recipe, I was wondering about using yours without the peanut butter. Would I need to add more butter to make up for the missing peanut butter? Thanks!
Hi Beth, I have not tried this without the peanut butter, but you won’t probably need at least a little more butter to account for the peanut butter not being in there. If you try it, I’d love to know how it goes!
How long does it take to harden..making for my sons party
Hi Lauren, Probably about 2 to 4 hours (I always leave mine and do other things, so I never check to see when it first solidifies).
I tried your recipe and it was deeeeeelicious. I’m making a double batch tomorrow!
This fudge turned out awesome! I love all your recipes I have tried! I will say that with my mixer I only had to beat it about 3 minutes til it lost it’s gloss so keep an eye on it if you use one :-)
Would someone please tell me what I did wrong, as I would like to make this fudge again. I attempted to make this for my husband on Saturday. It totally flopped. It never became solid enough to cut. I use the candy thermometer, boiled it until the needle reached 234, stirred it until it wasn’t glossy, let it cool to room temp and then slid in the fridge. I’ve had to dispose of the entire pan. I have a recipe for fudge that I use every Christmas season; its the one using the marshmallow cream, it comes out perfect each time. Help!
Rethea, could your candy thermometer be off? I let it go to 240 and it turned out perfectly. (It wasn’t intentional – I got distracted!) I replace my glass candy thermometers ever couple of years, just in case.