Family Favorites - July 2020: Peanut Butter Fudge (Soy, Wheat, Fish and Egg-Free, Can Be Milk and Nut-Free)

I decided to keep posting a family favorite recipe from the blog (with any adaptions that we use regularly, if applicable) on the fourth Friday or Saturday of every month this year.  {Sorry for the late post!  I lost track of what week it was!  July has been insanely busy!}  This recipe will be one that we make quite often and that we all enjoy greatly.  This post is the seventh Family Favorites recipe of 2020.

If you have a recipe on your blog that you consider a family favorite that you'd like to share, please comment below with a link to the recipe, and I'll make sure to pop on over and visit your site to check it out (and leave a comment), and hopefully some of my other readers will, too.

This month's Family Favorite recipe is Peanut Butter Fudge.  This is basically a reposting of my original recipe with a few tips and tricks added in.

Peanut Butter Fudge is by far my family's favorite fudge.  It's rich, creamy and full of peanut buttery goodness.  This fudge is soy, wheat, fish and egg-free (if all your ingredients are), and can be milk and nut-free (see variations).  That's what I call a win!  If your family is a fan of peanut butter and fudge, you'll definitely want to give this recipe a try.

Peanut Butter Fudge



1/2 Cup full fat, salted butter

2 Cups brown sugar

(We always use brown cane sugar.)

dash of salt (up to 1/8 teaspoon)

1/2 Cup milk

(We always use whole milk.)

1 teaspoon gluten-free vanilla extract

1 Cup soy-free peanut butter (creamy or crunchy - the choice is yours)

(JIF Natural or Smucker's Natural are great choices here.  We usually use JIF Natural, and we always use creamy peanut butter.)

3 Cups powdered sugar

(make sure this ingredient is gluten-free if you need the recipe to be)

1. Grease a 9x13 inch pan and set aside.
       
2. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
     
3. Stir in brown sugar, salt and milk and bring to a roiling boil and boil and stir for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
     
4. Remove mixture from heat and stir in the peanut butter and vanilla until the peanut butter is melted and fully incorporated.  (Note: Feel free to go a little heavy handed on the peanut butter if you wish.  If you like it more peanut buttery, use a rounded Cup of peanut butter (up to 1 1/4 Cups).  If you like it not quite as peanut buttery, use a scant Cup (down to as little as 3/4 Cup).)
     
5. Pour the peanut butter mixture over the powdered sugar in a large mixing bowl and beat until smooth.
      
6. Pour/scoop the mixture into the prepared 9x13 pan and carefully press the mixture with a wooden spoon or spatula into the pan until the fudge is evenly distributed throughout the pan.  (Note: You can use your clean, bare hands to do this part, but the fudge mixture can be very hot, so I don't recommend this method.  If you want to do it that way, however, you may, but I recommend greasing your hands with butter first to reduce the risk of getting a burn.)
       
7. Chill the fudge until firm and then cut into squares and enjoy.

Makes at least 48 pieces.

Variations (Please keep your individual allergen needs in mind when using variations!):

• Milk-Free: Use a dairy-free butter (such as Melt or Earth Balance) and dairy-free milk (such as SoDelicious) in place of the butter and milk.  Make sure you grease the pan with a dairy-free fat, too.
      
• Other Nut or Nut-Free: If you can have tree nuts, you can easily sub a tree nut spread for the peanut butter.  If you can have neither, you can use a seed butter instead.
    
• Other Flavors: You can substitute any peanut butter, tree nut or seed butter spread or a combination of a few for the peanut butter in this.  This means you could use a flavored peanut butter (like the ones by Peanut Butter & Co.), Nutella or any other flavor that suits your fancy. :) 

I hope you will give this recipe a try soon and that it becomes a family favorite for you, too!