This Easy Peanut Butter Fudge is a simple recipe to make and is the perfect balance of sweet and salty. It’s soft and creamy and great for the holidays and special occasions or just because!
This fudge makes a great addition to treat tins alongside Peanut Butter Balls, Nutella Rocky Road Fudge, and Shortbread Christmas Crack for the holiday season.
One of my greatest indulgences, when I was growing up, was Peanut Butter Fudge. I worked at a grocery store throughout most of high school and there was a local company that sold their confections there and the peanut butter fudge was to die for.
Otherwise, I’ve never really been a huge fudge fan, you’ll never see me picking up a piece of chocolate fudge and I hate when fudge is crumbly.
But this peanut butter fudge recipe is creamy, peanut buttery, perfection. It’s soft and flavorful and just melts in your mouth!
Why I Love This Recipe!
Unlike many fudge recipes, this recipe uses half and half instead of regular milk. This helps add to that rich flavor and creamy texture that I’ve come to love so much about peanut butter fudge!
I also use powdered sugar instead of granulated sugar because you get a smoother fudge.
You don’t need any fancy equipment (other than a hand mixer) to make this delicious fudge recipe, it’s a really easy recipe and there’s no candy thermometer required!
All of the ingredients in this recipe are likely already in you refrigerator or pantry!
Important Items for this Peanut Butter Fudge Recipe:
Creamy Peanut Butter – You’ll want to use creamy for best results, I prefer Jif Creamy.
Vanilla Extract – I’m a firm believer that you should never go cheap when it comes to vanilla and you should NEVER use imitation, real quality vanilla can add so much to a recipe!
8×8-inch Baking Pan – I love my Simply Calphalon baking pans because they have straight sides and do a wonderful job, but any 8×8-inch pan will do.
Medium Saucepan – I also love the Simply Calphalon Saucepans because they’re non-stick and heavy-duty pieces of cookware.
Hand Mixer – I love my KitchenAid hand mixer for quick recipes, my stand mixer is great, but not always necessary and this keeps things easy.
How To Make Peanut Butter Fudge
RECIPE TIP: Prepare your pan and the powdered sugar before you start cooking so that you can move quickly through the recipe for the best results.
Melt the butter and brown sugar in a saucepan until it begins to boil. Boil for 1 minute and 45 seconds then remove from heat.
Stir in the peanut butter and vanilla immediately until mostly smooth.
Pour the peanut butter mixture into a large bowl with the powdered sugar. Then immediately whip together with a hand mixer until smooth. Work fast because the fudge will want to start crusting.
Quickly transfer the fudge mixture to a parchment-lined baking pan and allow to set before slicing.
Tips For Making Peanut Butter Fudge:
1. Do NOT use all natural peanut butter, this has a higher amount of oil in it and can cause the fudge to separate. However, you can use crunchy peanut butter if you’d like.
2. Grease your baking pan with cooking spray, not butter. Or line it with parchment paper so you can easily remove the whole pan of fudge.
3. Using confectioner’s sugar over granulated sugar yields a smoother, creamier fudge.
4. If your powdered sugar is lumpy, make sure to sift it or whisk the lumps out of it before adding to the peanut butter mixture.
5. Make sure that once the mixture comes to a boil, you boil for 1 MINUTE 45 SECONDS ONLY, no more, no less. Like no-bake cookies, this timing is important to the final texture of the fudge as we want to be able to control the water content of the mixture.
6. In follow up to the last tip, it’s possible that if you’re making this on a day when it’s raining or very humid, the water in the air can impact the final results of the fudge. Generally, it will have a harder time setting and may have a grainier texture.
7. You can mix the fudge mixture by hand when called for, but a hand mixer will help keep things quick and have a smoother end result.
8. Wait until the fudge has cooled to room temperature and fully set before slicing.
How Long Will Peanut Butter Fudge Last?
Not long because you’ll likely eat it all 😉 but if you want to make it ahead or do have some leftover, store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks in a cool area.
More Delicious Peanut Butter Recipes:
- Peanut Butter Frosting
- Best Peanut Butter Blossoms
- Peanut Butter Buckeye Balls
- Butterscotch Peanut Butter Cornflake Cookies
Peanut Butter Fudge
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This post was originally published in December 2017 and has been updated with clearer instructions and new photos.
Creamy Peanut Butter Fudge
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 2 cups light brown sugar
- 5 ounces half & half
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- Line an 8×8-inch baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- Add the powdered sugar to a large mixing bowl and set aside.
- In a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Then stir in the brown sugar and milk and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, allow to sit untouched for 1 minute and 45 seconds.
- Remove from heat, then stir in the peanut butter and vanilla extract until smooth and creamy.
- Pour the hot peanut butter mixture into the bowl with the powdered sugar, then beat with an electric mixture until completely smooth. Pour into the prepared pan and let sit until completely cooled and set.
Video
Notes
- Some readers have had issues with the fudge thickening too much after adding to the powdered sugar. You can add an additional 1 to 2 ounces of half and half to smooth it out to transfer it to the pan.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks in a cool area.
- It’s possible that if you’re making this on a day when it’s raining or very humid, the water in the air can impact the final results of the fudge. Generally, it will have a harder time setting and may have a grainier texture.
- If your powdered sugar is lumpy, make sure to sift it or whisk the lumps out of it before adding to the peanut butter mixture.
- Using confectioner’s sugar over granulated sugar yields a smoother, creamier fudge.
- Do NOT use all-natural peanut butter, this has a higher amount of oil in it and can cause the fudge to separate. However, you can use crunchy peanut butter if you’d like.
Kasey R says
I’ve been using your recipe for years! Wont use any other one. Love it.
Rebecca Hubbell says
I’m so glad to hear it!
Lindsay says
What is the difference in using light or dark brown sugar and can dark brown sugar be substituted for the light brown sugar if you’re not near by a store to get light brown??
Rebecca Hubbell says
Either can be used. Dark brown sugar just has more molasses in it. So it will have a deeper flavor.