A Little Guide to Making “Fauxdge”
Easiest Peanut Butter Fudge Recipe Ever! No Stovetop, Mixer, Microwave or Baking! This is cheap, simple and fantastic. No need for the stovetop or oven, made by hand with just a sturdy spoon and a large bowl, this is not your grandma‘s peanut butter fudge recipe. We are going to make 2 1/4 pounds of this fabulous candy for well under 10 US dollars. Now go wash your hands cause we’re gonna need squeaky clean ones.
Step-By-Step Instructions
Below, we will teach you how to make this fudge in a few simple steps
Step 1: Gather Ingredients
First, let’s gather our ingredients. You are going to need 1 pound jar of peanut butter that’s 454 grams. I recommend creamy peanut butter, but crunchy does work. You can use any brand you like. Generic brands works great for this recipe.
You will need 1 pound of powdered sugar that’s also 454 grams or 1/2 bag. You can use up to the full 2 pound bag if you want it more sweet.
Next you need 1/2 cup of butter that’s one stick, 113grams and you want it softened so you’re gonna have to leave it out about an hour or so before you make this recipe depending on how warm it is in your house.
The two optional ingredients are 1/2 teaspoon of salt (2.5g) and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, imitation is fine, 5 mL. These are not essential to the recipe, but they do help balance out the sweetness and bring a depth of flavor.
Step 2: Prepare the Pan
First you want to prepare your pan I’m using an 8 in.² cake pan which is 20 cm if you want thicker fudge, you can use a smaller pan if you want a thinner fudge, you can use a larger pan, but this is a good size for 64 bite sized pieces. You can use aluminum foil, parchment or wax paper to line the pan. If using aluminum foil, you may want to spray it lightly with nonstick spray, but it’s not really necessary if you don’t have it.
I simply flip over the pan and mold the aluminum foil to the bottom, flip it right side up and nestle it into place. If using the spray or oil, now is the time to use it. Set this aside and let’s get to making the fauxdge.
Step 3: Make the Fudge
In a large bowl, we have really soft butter. We don’t want it separated and oily, but soft enough that you can easily spread it against the sides of the bowl like this. If it isn’t this soft, stop and wait. You do not want lumpy fudge. If it is separated and greasy, you went too far, but you can fix it by adding more powdered sugar, so don’t panic. It will just be more sweet in the end. Spread the butter against the sides of the bowl and then we will add in the peanut butter.
Now we are going to add in our jar of peanut butter as I mentioned before you can use any type of brand you like crunchy just make sure that you like the taste of it because this is the key ingredient. Scraped the sides as well as you can get as much of this peanut butter into the bowl as possible. You were going to stir the peanut butter and butter together until it is very smooth. You don’t want to see any streaks of butter once it is combined. With the smell of this yummy peanut butter, you are going to see all of the dogs hovering in the background.
Let’s discuss the optional ingredients. first we’re gonna add in that salt and the salt helps balance out the sweetness and really bring out that peanut butter flavor. If you were watching your salt content obviously you can leave it out. Then we are going to add some vanilla and vanilla just gives a little depth flavor, which is completely optional. If you do not have vanilla you don’t have to use it. You can use imitation vanilla. Or even another flavor. Maple. This is not an important ingredient. It just helps. Give it a really nice floral flavor undertone but if you’re trying to pennies, leave it out completely as it will still taste great. Once this is all added together, you’re gonna start adding in your powdered sugar.
Do not be tempted to add all the powdered sugar in at once if you do this, you’re gonna have a lumpy gritty mess. You need to add this in gradually so that you will have a nice smooth peanut butter fudge. Add one heaping spoonful at a time we’re going to stir this. At first it’s gonna be lumpy but as you continue to stir it, it will start to smooth out. Continue to add powdered sugar, a spoonful at a time, stirring between each spoonful so that you get rid of any lumps in the very beginning getting rid of lumps may be a little difficult but as it thickens up, it’ll become much much easier.
After you start adding quite a bit of the powdered sugar, you may feel like it’s getting too tough to stir. If you want to at this point, you can use your hands and kneed the mixture together. This is why you need super clean hands for this recipe. Using either your hands or the spoon, you were going to continue to mix this until you no longer see any powdered sugar whatsoever. It should be very thick. It should look like this.
You may be tempted to use a handmixer for this recipe. Do not use one you can burn up your motor because this is going to become quite thick. You can use a good quality stand mixer, but you should never use a handheld mixer. Plus now you have another dish to wash who wants that?
We have now added in a pound of sugar. Yes, that’s a lot of sugar. Go ahead and give it a taste right now. If it is not sweet enough for you, you can add up to another pound of sugar a spoonful at a time doing the exact same method of stiring or kneading. Taste it each time you finish stirring so you don’t add too much.
Please note, the more sugar you use, the grittier and drier this fudge is going to taste. We are trying to get a smooth and creamy texture.
Yes, this is not a true peanut butter fudge. This is more of a feeling similar to what you see in buckeyes bonbons or peanut butter eggs. We call it fauxdge. However, it is delicious, super easy and fun to make, great to make with friends or family and a fabulous tasting fudge that doesn’t need refrigeration or any special equipment. This is a great gift! What is not to love about this recipe?
OK, this is completely mixed together, so we are going to transfer it to our pan and begin to press it down firmly into an even layer as possible. If you like, you could place a piece of wax paper on the top and press on the wax paper to make it a little bit less messy. Take your time here and smooth it out as best as possible.
This is the hard part. Waiting. Cover the pan with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and place it in the fridge until it is firm enough to slice. I recommend overnight, however, two hours would be enough. I have even cut it after 1/2 hour for a very soft fudge.
Once the fudge has firmed up, we are going to cut this into roughly 1 inch 2.5cm slices 8 across an 8 down. This will give you 64 bite-size pieces perfect for sharing with your friends and family as a gift or at a party.
And that is it wasn’t this easy to do ? Yes it is not a true fudge, but it’s simple, cheap, easy, fun and a very tasty treat. Most will not know the difference unless you tell them. It’s so delicious that you’ll have a hard time stopping once you take that first bite. Want to make an extra special try dipping it in melted chocolate.
Substitutions and Tips
Here are some common substitutions and tips for this recipe.
- You can use margarine in place of butter. It must be margarine and not vegetable oil spread.
- Up to 2 pounds of powdered sugar can be used. The more sugar, the sweeter, firmer and dense the fudge will be.
- Instead of vanilla, add a spoonful of honey!
Storage
This fudge will store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks, longer in the fridge. At room temperature, the fudge will be much softer and will be more susceptible to go rancid with age. At higher temperatures, the fudge can melt due to the peanut butter and butter in the recipe.
I hope you enjoyed this recipe. Thank you for visiting and as always, happy baking!
Faux Peanut Butter Fudge Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound (454g) powdered sugar
- 1 pound (454g) peanut butter
- ½ cup (113g) softened butter or margarine
- 1 tsp (5mL) vanilla
- ½ tsp (2.5g) salt
Instructions
- Prepare an 8" square baking pan (20cm) by lining with aluminum foil, parchment or wax paper. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, press the softened butter onto the sides of the bowl until smooth. Stir in the peanut butter until there are no streaks of butter, mix in vanilla and salt.
- Gradually stir in powdered sugar one heaping spoonful at a time until there are no lumps and all the powdered sugar is absorbed. If the mixture becomes too hard to stir, you can also use clean hands to knead the mixture together.
- Pour contents into baking pan and press into an even layer. Chill until firm, approximately 2 hours. Overnight is best. Cut into 1" squares (2.5cm) for 64 bite sized pieces.
- Store in an air tight container up to 2 weeks. Does not require refrigeration but will be softer at room temperature and could melt at higher temperatures due to the butter and peanut butter.
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