Aunt Hen’s dependable recipe for homemade Peanut Butter Fudge makes beautiful squares of candy that are creamy smooth, marshmallowy soft and brown sugar delicious.
Aunt Hen’s Kitchen
As a little girl I loved peanut butter. I chose to take a peanut butter sandwich to school for lunch almost every day. That sandwich consisted of a thick layer of crunchy peanut butter spread between two slices of soft white bread. Jelly was not a part of the equation. I also ate peanut butter with a spoon straight from the jar. Peanut butter was a staple in my youthful diet.
So it’s really no surprise that, growing up, my favorite holiday treat was Peanut Butter Fudge. I loved the taste and soft creamy texture. I also loved helping Aunt Hen make it. At the stove top, I felt very grown up as we took turns stirring the brown sugar and cream until it reached the soft ball stage.
Aunt Hen didn’t use a candy thermometer. She knew when the fudge was done by the way it poured from a spoon lifted above the rim of the pot. She could tell by the thickness and texture of the pour, the way the hot candy clung to the spoon and how it dropped back into the boiling liquid below.
I think it was mostly for my benefit that she also proved it was ready in a teacup of cold water. When the boil changed and the syrup thickened slightly, my aunt would test for the soft ball stage by dropping a scant spoonful into the water and dabbing it together with her fingers. If the cooled syrup held together and formed a smooth ball, one that didn’t fall apart and was pliable enough to shape with your fingers like soft dough, the pot was ready to be taken from the heat. Then we stirred in the peanut butter, marshmallow cream and vanilla and left the mixture on the breezeway to cool.
The Best Parts
After a while, Aunt Hen would check the fudge. She would lay the open palm of her hand against the bottom of the pot. If she could hold it there the fudge was ready. I tried it too, but the pot still felt hot to my tender hands. Luckily Aunt Hen knew what she was looking for. Once the pot had cooled to her satisfaction, we would bring it into the house and stir it. We took turns stirring until the fudge became almost too thick to pour. Then we spread it in a greased 8-inch square pan before taking it back to the breezeway to firmly set.
Back in the house was the very best part. Aunt Hen let me take the empty fudge pot and taste any bits left behind on the side or on the spoon. There was always enough left to satisfy and it tasted all the better for being warm and for the effort of scraping it from the pot. Sometimes I would share a taste but mostly it was mine, for helping, and being there to share the work.
Peanut Butter Fudge Memories
Finally, when the fudge set, we cut it and put it away in a pretty Christmas tin, nestled between layers of waxed paper. Then I could taste a finished piece. No matter how it turned out it was always divine! I think it was because of the magic of Aunt Hen’s kitchen. Busy, messy, warm, accepting and productive, that was one of my favorite places to spend time as I was growing up.
Now I make Peanut Butter Fudge every Christmas season in my own kitchen. This year I have made three batches already and I’m sure I will make more. The memories are a blessing and the fudge is enjoyed as much by my friends and family today as it was by an earlier generation who gathered around Aunt Hen’s table.
Peanut Butter Fudge
Course: DessertCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Medium36
pieces15
minutes10
minutes30
minutes55
minutesThis dependable recipe for old-fashioned Peanut Butter Fudge is creamy smooth, marshmallowy soft and brown sugar delicious.
Ingredients
2 cups light brown sugar
2/3 cups milk or light cream
1 cup marshmallow cream
1 cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
Directions
- Combine the brown sugar and milk or cream in a large (3 or 4 quart) saucepan. Bring to a boil. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the mixture reaches the soft ball stage when tested in a cup of cold water (or 236-240 F using a candy thermometer).
- Remove from heat and add marshmallow cream, peanut butter (use the crunchy kind if you like) and vanilla.
- Let cool slightly (My aunt’s test was to let it cool until you could hold your hand on the bottom of the pan. My experience is that her hands were tougher than mine! My pot is still hot when I begin stirring but is cool enough not to actually burn me as I hold it to stir the fudge). Beat until thick and creamy – almost too thick to stir.
- Smooth into a buttered pan (8-inch square). Allow fudge to set before cutting into squares. Store in an airtight container.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- Recipe Source: from Aunt Hen’s kitchen
- Instead of pouring the beaten fudge into a pan to set, Peanut Butter Fudge can also be molded into holiday shapes and decorated for special occasions. I have used this recipe to make Peanut Butter Fudge Easter Eggs and chocolate topped Peanut Butter Fudge Cutouts for special occasion novelties and gifts.
I actually went through a stage when I was younger of not really liking peanut butter. Fortunately, I grew out of that awkward stage and allow myself some peanut butter fudge every now and again. It’s soo goo!
I can see why Alanna says this is good!
Thank you for sharing your memories about peanut butter! They bring to mind my own memories of college days. I lived in a dorm room and had access to food only during the limited food service hours for meals. My staple snack was a box of saltines and a three pound jar of peanut butter. Yum! Many a late night I was saved from starvation by that combination.
I use an 8 inch square pan for this recipe. I like the fudge to be thick enough to cut into cubes as shown in the photos.
Funny story about your Dad. I keep remembering that one of my children wrote out a cute recipe for a peanut butter sandwich when they were little. I wish I could find it….
How big a pan? I’m about to start!
Yum! I’ve been thinking about adding a fudge recipe into my cookie swap contributions. This looks like IT!
PS My dad was here this week and while he was watching TV one evening, I thumbed through some old cookbooks. One had three peanut butter sandwich “recipes”, one that included sweet relish. He thought it sounded good (ewww!) and so the next morning, for his travel lunch, I fixed a peanut butter pickle sandwich, fixing an extra just in case. He LIKED it ~