How to Make Old-Fashioned Peanut Butter Fudge

Making great tasting peanut butter fudge is both chemistry and art.

Making old-fashioned peanut butter fudge is one part chemistry and one part art, but when it's done right, the results are delicious. Temperature and technique are the primary culprits for a failed batch of fudge. In the matter of a few degrees, fudge can go from gritty and grainy to rock hard. For that reason, it's important to use a good candy thermometer or have a thorough understanding of the cold-water test used in candy making.

Things You'll Need

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 tbsp. butter
• ½ cup evaporated milk
• ¼ tsp. salt
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1 cup marshmallows
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• Heavy saucepan
• Wooden spoon
• 8 x 8 inch baking pan
• Wax paper
• Butter (1 to 2 tbsp.)

Instructions

1. Combine the sugars, butter, milk and salt in a heavy saucepan and attach the thermometer to the side of the pan. To avoid breaking the thermometer bulb and for an accurate reading, make sure it doesn't touch the side or bottom of the pan.

2. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, stirring frequently to avoid burning. Continue to cook until it reaches 240 degrees or the soft ball stage. If you are using the cold-water test, drop a teaspoonful of the mixture into a cup of cold water. When it clumps together and is pliable when you roll it between thumb and forefinger, it has reached the soft ball stage.

3. Add the marshmallows and peanut butter just before removing the saucepan from the stove. Do not stir the mixture. Stirring causes the mixture to cool too quickly, so the sugar crystals in the marshmallow and the fat in the peanut butter don't melt completely. Set the mixture aside until it is lukewarm (or about 110 degrees).

4. Mix the vanilla into the fudge mixture and beat with a wood spoon until the fudge is creamy and begins to thicken. The appearance of the fudge will change from glossy to dull. It is the right consistency when it can hold its shape.

5. Line an 8 x 8 inch baking pan with wax paper and grease with butter. Leaving extra wax paper as handles makes it easier to remove the cooled fudge from the pan for cutting. Spread the peanut butter fudge mixture into the pan and allow it to cool until it hardens.

6. Remove the cooled fudge from the pan and cut into 1-inch squares for serving.

Tips & Warnings

• Stir the sugar and liquid mixture continuously until the sugar is dissolved. Use a wet pastry brush or a fork wrapped with a damp cloth to wipe away any sugar crystals that cling to the side of the pan.

• Don't scrape the bottom and sides of the saucepan when you pour the fudge into the baking pan, because the cooled fudge may already have begun to crystallize. This will cause gritty tasting fudge.

References

• Alaska Science Forum: The Physical Chemistry of Making Fudge

Resources

• These Are a Few of My Favorite Things
• Cook Eat Share: Lynda's Recipe Box -- Peanut Butter Fudge