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Peanut Butter Fudge

Peanut Butter Fudge

Name: Peanut Butter Fudge
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 2 h 10 min
Yield: 36
Ingredients: 3 cups white vanilla baking chips; 1 can (14.5 oz) sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated); 1/2 cup peanut butter (not natural)

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By Dorothy Kern

Updated Sep 21, 2024

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Unlike most candies, fudge is a creamy, soft candy. Traditionally made by cooking milk or cream, sugar, butter, corn syrup, and other flavorings to a high enough temperature that the liquid mixture will set up when cooled. Fudge can have a perfectly smooth texture, or it can have extra ingredients such as chopped nuts or dried fruit to add texture.

Making fudge doesn’t have to be complicated or require special cooking equipment. This 3-ingredient peanut butter fudge is a cinch to make, using your microwave. All it takes is a lot of stirring and a little patience for it to set before cutting and enjoying it.

Fudge is a frequently brought to cookie exchanges and found on holiday cookie trays. But have you ever noticed that about every tourist destination seems to have a fudge shop? So why wait until vacation or the holidays to indulge in a sinfully sweet treat—fudge this good can easily be enjoyed any time of the year. And with just one batch, you get a lot of servings to share.

How To Make Peanut Butter Fudge

Making easy peanut butter fudge isn’t hard, when you know the steps and tips that will make it turn out perfectly every time. Follow the recipe for the specifics. Let’s get started:

Line the Pan with Foil

You might be tempted to skip the foil or do this step later--but trust us-do this step now. Line the pan, including up and over the sides, with foil and spray with cooking spray. This will allow you to lift the set-up fudge out of the pan for easier cutting and the nicest-looking pieces. And having the pan prepped before you start heating the fudge ingredients means you can spread the mixture immediately in the pan. This is important for a creamy textured fudge without any graininess.

Microwave Ingredients Until Smooth

Heat the vanilla chips, sweetened condensed milk, and the peanut butter in a microwavable bowl, one minute at a time. After each minute, be sure to stir the mixture well, as the heat from the ingredients can continue to melt them as they are stirred. Make sure they are as melted and smooth as they are going to get before adding additional microwave time. This will avoid overheating and causing them to them to seize (thicken and become grainy).

Spread in the Pan and Wait

When the ingredients are completely melted and have a smooth consistency, spread the mixture in the pan. Let it sit without being disturbed at room temperature. It will take about 2 hours (or more) for the fudge to cool completely and ready for cutting.

Lift the Fudge from the Pan and Cut

Using the excess foil on the edges of the pan, lift the foil with the fudge out of the pan. Cut only as much as you’ll need at the time, to prevent the pieces from drying out.

Store Remaining Fudge

Wrap any unused fudge tightly in the foil and place it in an airtight container. Store it at room temperature, in a cool location.

Making Smooth Fudge

Making candy is actually the chemistry of making crystals. The crystals that form when making fudge can be finicky--they want ideal conditions, or they revolt and become grainy or gritty. It’s quite easy to have smooth fudge without any graininess or grittiness, when you follow these tips:

Prep: Line and spray your pan before heating the 3-ingredient peanut butter fudge recipe ingredients.

Stir: Between each minute of microwaving, stir well.

Timing: Immediately spread the fudge mixture in the pan after heating.

Do Not Disturb: Allow the fudge to set up undisturbed. Don’t be tempted to put it into the fridge to hasten the cooling.

Keep these in mind and you will have the best peanut butter fudge texture.

Cutting the Fudge

This simple peanut butter fudge needs to be fully set up before it can be cut into delicious bite sized pieces. Wait until it is completely cooled, which is about 2 hours, before cutting. Use the extra foil on the sides of the pan to lift it out of the pan. If you’re going to cut the entire pan of fudge at once, peel off the foil and place the fudge on a cutting board. Using a long, serrated knife (as long as the fudge, if possible), press on the fudge with the knife, using both hands to push the knife straight down through the fudge. Make all additional cuts this way.

To cut the fudge so that all the pieces are the same size, first cut the fudge in half. For each half, cut the piece lengthwise into thirds. This will make 6 strips. Cut each strip in half crosswise; then each half strip crosswise into 3 equal pieces, to get 36 equal-size pieces.

Storing Leftover Peanut Butter Fudge

The key to storing fudge so that it is as delicious as the day you made it, is to keep it from drying out. If you won’t use the entire pan of fudge at your gathering, cut only the number of pieces you’ll need, as once the fudge is cut, all the exposed surface area can cause it to become dry. Wrap the foil tightly around the leftover fudge and place it in an air-tight container. Store it at room temperature in a cool spot, up to 5 days.

Due to the fragile structure of the fudge crystals, we do not recommend freezing fudge, as it tends to dry out and get crumbly.

More Fudge Recipes

There are so many fantastic fudge recipes, you can be like a kid in a candy shop, deciding which scrumptious recipe to make next.

Holiday Sprinkle Fudge is another super-easy fudge to make. It’s a festive choice, topped with holiday sprinkles and cut into holiday shapes with cookie cutters.

Hot Chocolate Fudge is amped-up chocolate fudge, with the addition of mini marshmallows and crushed peppermint candies on top. It’s like hot chocolate your mouth can dive into.

Pina-Colada-Fudge is a taste of the tropics, with pineapple, coconut, and macadamia nuts-yum!

More About This Recipe

This super easy peanut butter fudge is impossible to mess up. Traditional fudge recipes require a lot of time and attention—you need to stand over the stove, monitor the temperature of your mixture before and after heating and wait a while for your fudge to set. Thanks to this easy microwave method, you can toss all of that fuss away. Even better, you only need three ingredients! If you love this recipe and want to make more fudge, explore all of our best recipes. They’re perfect for the holidays, as a gift or any regular day.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to Make Fudge Harden?

The texture you should expect this fudge to be is creamy and soft, while holding its shape when cut into pieces. There are a few things that can keep this 3-ingredient peanut butter fudge from setting up perfectly:

Use the Correct Ingredients: Be sure to use sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk or regular milk) and regular creamy peanut butter (not natural peanut butter or another nut-based butter). If any of these other variations of ingredients are used, the fudge will not set up well.

Use an 8-Inch Square Pan: If you use a smaller pan, it will be hard for the fudge to set up properly. A larger pan will mean your fudge isn’t as thick, so there’s less to sink your teeth into.

Allow the Fudge to Cool Completely: Leave it undisturbed before cutting it.

What is the Secret to Good Fudge?

The secret to good fudge lies in its texture. If the fudge is creamy, moist, and fudgy, it’s an indulgent treat to eat. Follow our tips above in the how to make fudge section, so your fudge will turn out with a texture that rivals any fudge shop in town.

Is the Texture of Peanut Butter Fudge Different than Chocolate Fudge?

While each recipe for fudge can have a texture that’s slightly different from the next, our peanut butter fudge does have that creamy, soft candy texture that fudge is known for. Just follow our tips above and store it no longer than 5 days, for a delightful fudge that sweet tooths adore.