Betty's Extra Special Peanut Butter Fudge Recipe
Betty demonstrates how to make her Extra Special Peanut Butter Fudge recipe. It makes a huge amount of fudge, it is delicious, and it doesnt require beating! It's a no-fail recipe, if prepared according to these directions!
Betty demonstrates how to make her Extra Special Peanut Butter Fudge recipe. It makes a huge amount of fudge, it is delicious, and it doesnt require beating! It's a no-fail recipe, if prepared according to these directions!
- Carbohydrate 34.371722 g
- Cholesterol 0 mg
- Fat 9.898092 g
- Fiber 1.18830000010431 g
- Protein 4.97583 g
- Saturated Fat 2.021348 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (61g)
- Sodium 8.9408 mg
- Sugar 33.1834219998957 g
- Trans Fat 0.501746 g
- Calories 235 calories
Step-by-step
- In a heavy saucepan, combine 4 cups sugar, a dash of salt, and a 12 oz. can of evaporated milk.
- Place over medium heat, and bring to a boil.
- When rapidly boiling, turn the heat to low and cook for 7 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Remove from heat and stir in 28 oz. creamy peanut butter and 10 oz. marshmallow creme.
- Stir until all of the peanut butter and marshmallow creme have been incorporated into the cooked sugar-evaporated milk mixture.
- Immediately pour into a buttered 9-inch by 13-inch Pyrex dish.
- Let the fudge cool, and then cut it into cubes.
- (You may refrigerate the dish to speed things up.)
- The results are fantastic!
Why does the sugar and evaporated milk mixture need exactly seven minutes of boiling after reaching a rapid boil? This precise duration drives off excess water content so the remaining syrup reaches the soft-ball stage, which is chemically necessary for setting. Without this concentrated sugar matrix, the massive volume of fat from the twenty-eight ounces of creamy peanut butter would simply separate rather than bind into a cohesive block. Using a heavy-bottomed saucepan distributes the medium heat evenly across the base, preventing localized scorching of the dairy sugars before the timer even starts.
Stirring constantly during that seven-minute window is mandatory because scorching ruins batches instantly. Many cooks fail at this stage by walking away from the burner, allowing caramelized milk solids to impart a bitter, acrid taste to the entire pan. Once the timer dings, remove the pot from the burner immediately to halt residual thermal cooking. Incorporating the marshmallow creme and peanut butter off the heat ensures the gelatin agents in the creme do not degrade from excessive temperature exposure.
Transferring the glossy mass into a buttered thirteen-by-nine-inch Pyrex dish must happen quickly before the mixture begins setting in the saucepan. Refrigeration accelerates the cooling process by chilling the fats rapidly, locking the emulsion into a firm texture suitable for slicing into forty uniform cubes. Clean the knife between cuts with hot water to achieve sharp edges without dragging crumbs across the surface.
Storing this confection requires wrapping the cut pieces tightly in parchment paper and sealing them inside an airtight container to block ambient moisture and refrigerator odors. This fudge freezes exceptionally well for up to three months when protected by a double layer of plastic wrap and aluminum foil. Thaw frozen portions overnight inside the refrigerator rather than on the counter to prevent condensation from dissolving the delicate sugar crystals on the exterior.
