Perfect Peanut Butter Fudge Recipe

This is one of my all time favorite recipes.  I can't even begin to tell you how much I love this fudge and be-warned, once you make this there is no going back, you will forever be a slave to the salty, sweet scrumptiousness that is peanut butter fudge.

Candy making is, for me at least, the height of kitchen alchemy and although some people may be a little wary of making confectionery, it really is very simple.  The only risk here is burning the fudge, so follow the instructions to the letter and don't let the temperature reach 115C.  I always take my fudge of the heat around 110C  and never trust my candy thermometer totally, they lie, so keep checking to see if the mixture has reached soft ball stage, around 112C (235F).

Hope & Greenwood's Life is Sweet is a glorious little book and I highly recommend it, I've put an amazon link below.  The authors funny little comments have me in stitches, the photographs are stunning and the recipes, utterly unbelievable.  The raspberry marshmallows will have you liking your fingers clean and with other scrumptious recipes like strawberry shortcake truffles, sticky toffee truffles, buttered Brazil's and pecan pie chunks, you will be in sweetie heaven.

I'm using this fudge as my advent calendar candy but I've set some aside for some peanut butter fudge cupcakes later in the week, it is Christmas after all.

Peanut Butter Fudge - Hope and Greenwood - Life is Sweet

'I love peanut butter; I can't get enough of it.  It is exceptional in a bacon sandwich or as a face mask, and is beyond my wildest nut fantasies when added to this creamy fudge.  I am informed that my American chums eat 3 pounds of peanut butter per person every year; apparently that's enough to cover the floor of the Grand Canyon.  Now that would make your wellies sticky'.

Makes about 25-30

squares of salty joy

Takes 30 minutes to make;

 a couple of hours to set.

500g caster sugar

340ml evaporated milk

2 tbsp double cream

100g butter

2 large rounded tbsp of

crunchy peanut butter

• Line a 20cm (8in) square baking tin, 4cm (11/2in) deep, with baking parchment.
• Place the sugar, evaporated milk, double cream and butter into a deep, heavy bottomed pan over a gentle heat.  Stir the mixture with a wooden spoon until the sugar has dissolved - this takes about 5 minutes.
• Turn up the heat to medium, place your sugar thermometer in the pan and bring the mixture to the boil - it will double in size, so put the cat in a safe place.
• Bring the mixture up to 100C (215 F), stirring occasionally, then lower the heat to a gentle boil.  Boil for a further 10 minutes, but take care when the thermometer reaches 115 C (240F), as at this point the mixture burns easily.  Remove from the heat.  (I always take mine of the heat at 110C, you can drop a little of the mixture in cold water, if it forms a soft ball it's ready to beat).
• Using an electric hand whisk or food processor, or indeed a wooden spoon, beat the mixture for 10 minutes and then add the peanut butter.  Beat for a further 15 minutes or until the mixture looses its shine, thickens up and starts to appear grainy.  Pour into the prepared tin.
• Set aside to cool.  After about 1 hour, score the surface into rough squares with a knife.  Once cold and firm, break into squares.

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Perfect Peanut Butter Fudge Recipe