We are never one to turn down a sweet treat at the best of times. When it is gooey, delicious, and takes less than 10 minutes to make, there is absolutely nothing stopping us. If you haven’t tried microwave peanut butter fudge before, you are in for a real treat. And the best bit? It uses a grand total of three ingredients! Let’s get stuck in!
What is Microwave Peanut Butter Fudge?
Fudge is a type of candy created by melting sugar and mixing it with a few other ‘wet’ ingredients. As a result, it doesn’t tend to harden and ‘set’. Instead, what you are left with are chewy, slightly soft, and gooey cubes that are really rich and delicious.
Go on, read the title again. Can you guess what these taste like?
It is a sickly sweet mixture of chewy fudge, combined with all the savory (and slightly salty) goodness of peanut butter.
How to Make Microwave Peanut Butter Fudge
The recipe involves melting the butter and peanut butter together in the microwave, then mixing in the powdered sugar to form a smooth fudge paste. This mixture is then spread onto a lined baking sheet and refrigerated until set. The result is a rich, peanut buttery fudge that’s both easy to make and delightful to eat.
Ingredients
Unsalted Butter: Acts as the base of the fudge, providing richness and helping to create a smooth texture.
Smooth Peanut Butter: The key flavor component, giving the fudge its distinct peanut butter taste.
Powder Sugar: Sweetens the fudge and contributes to its firm yet creamy texture.
Directions
We start this recipe by lining a baking tray.
But wait! We thought you said this was microwave peanut butter fudge?
Get you, eagle-eye. Indeed, you are correct. We do make this fudge in a microwave, and the baking tray never goes anywhere near an oven. It works as a nice flat surface to get our fudge mixture nice and even once we have created it.
Now, where were we? Oh yes…
Once we have lined a baking tray with parchment (trust us, that fudge gets really sticky), we assemble our ingredients in a bowl. We actually do this in stages to ensure that our fudge is silky smooth and lump-free. We combine butter and peanut butter and give it a blast for around a minute.
As the microwave heats the butter and peanut butter, it begins to melt, making it really easy to mix together. From there, it is simply a case of adding a sifted pound of powder sugar and stirring until the entire mixture is a hot sticky mess.
We spread this delicious paste (no licking the spoon) onto the preprepared baking sheet before adding another layer of parchment on top. We then spread the fudge into an even layer. All that is left to do is whack it into the refrigerator to let it set before cutting it into thick chunks.
These are great to serve with other desserts, eat on their own or stick into a lunchbox for a little treat. We wrap a few individually in a fancy wrap for a rustic (and cheap) gift at Christmas.
Tips and Tricks
- We wanted to keep this recipe simple, so we kept the ingredients to a minimum. If you want to make them slightly more decadent, feel free to add a teaspoon of vanilla essence.
- Fudge can be super sticky, and it can be a real pain to cut it neatly after it has been chilled. Here’s the answer. Give a large knife a little brush with oil or cooking spray. It will glide through like a hot knife through…. Well, peanut butter fudge.
- No peanut butter? No problem. We have tried a few nut butter alternatives with great results. Our particular favorite is microwave almond butter fudge. It does taste different. If you have time, why not make a few of each and see which you like best?
- Listen, we get it. The consistency of your fudge is important. If you like softer fudge, then you can make it so in several ways. Our favorite way to do this is to add 3-4 tablespoons of heavy cream to the mixture.
- Be sure to sift your powder sugar before adding it to the hot butter and peanut butter mix. If you leave lumps, then it won’t set properly, and you’ll end up with crumbly fudge. Nobody likes crumbly fudge.
- For something super sweet, add some chocolate chips when you add the powder sugar. Another neat trick is to add a couple of tablespoons of Nutella.
FAQs
-
Can you store peanut butter fudge in the refrigerator?
Yes you can. In case you do have a few leftovers, place them in an air-tight container.
This will ensure that your peanut butter fudge is good and fresh for at least 3 to 5 days.
If you like devouring a chilled fudge, you can certainly stack them up in the refrigerator. Little were you aware, but storing peanut butter fudge in a refrigerator is a good idea since it keeps the fudge good for one month. Stack your fudge in a freezer, and you can binge on the dessert for a duration as long as one whole year. -
How to store the fudge in a refrigerator?
It is important to understand that your baked dessert must not be exposed to air. Therefore, use an air-tight jar to store your fudge before placing the jar in the refrigerator. If the jar is not air-tight, cold air will flow into the jar, making your fudge dry and rubbery.
Ensure that your creamy fudge square is not stacked too close. This is not ideal since these fudge squares tend to stick together. -
How to freeze your peanut butter fudge?
Freezing your rich and decadent peanut butter fudge squares is easy to follow. However, there are a couple of steps involved.
First, it is essential to double-wrap your fudge. Cover the peanut butter fudge with wax paper, followed by wrapping the fudge in an aluminium foil or a plastic wrap.
Secondly, stack these fudge squares in a zip lock freezer bag or an air-tight container.
Storing your Delicious Peanut Butter Fudge
By now, it is pretty clear that storing the fudge is easier done than you think. You can save you dessert for future consumption in 3 good ways.
1. Store the peanut butter fudge in room temperature
2. Use a refrigerator to stack the fudge
3. Place your fudge in the freezer.
Tricks to follow when storing the fudge in room temperature:
– Say ‘NO’ to foil or fancy plastic wrap. When storing peanut butter fudge in room temperature, an air-tight container or a self sealing bag does the job.
– Please ensure that the fudge is tucked away in some dark, cool corner of the house. It is not advisable to store your fudge near a source of heat like a countertop for instance.
How Long Does the Fudge Last?
Are you eager to learn more about the shelf-life of your baked peanut butter fudge? Well, the shelf-life of this dessert depends much on how it is stored. If the fudge is stacked at room temperature, it should last for two weeks. When the dessert is placed into the refrigerator, it can be consumed within a month. Lastly, when your fudge is stored in a freezer, it can last for a duration, as long as a year.
There are a few things you must keep in mind, though:
Refrain from placing your fudge squares somewhere around the freezer door. There is always a change in temperature when the freezer door is opened. To keep your dessert stored well, tuck it at the back of the freezer.
The fudge is a dessert, and it is an edible object. Therefore, always check whether your dessert is spoiled or not before indulging into it. Wondering about the signs to look for? Well, here are a few:
a) Keeping an eye on the texture of the fudge is crucial. If the dessert turns mushy and softer than usual, you must not eat it.
b) If there are one too many cracks on your fudge, it is not a good sign. This implies that the dessert has been exposed to unwanted air. Your fudge will then taste chalky and dry.
c) Peanut butter fudge can tend to become rock hard after being stored for a while. If your fudge square is just as hard, paired with an unusual greasy crust, you must get rid of the fudge right away.
Conclusion
Microwave peanut butter fudge has to be one of the easiest dessert recipes we’ve ever made. You get all of the rewards with very little effort. In fact, when we think about it, the hardest part is waiting for the fudge to set and stopping the kids from dipping their sticky fingers into the bowl as we are stirring. How many chunks can you eat in one go? Our record is 5. Let us know in the comments below.
My daughter would make me make this weekly for her. This is so easy
Looks easy & yummy!
Thanks for the recipe! I made some and my husband and son loved it!
Great to hear! It is such a tasty recipe.
I’m going to try this recipe.
Let me know how you get on!
Yummy,my grandson’s would love this!
I tried this is so good and easy thanks for the post
Awesome! Thanks for letting me know.
I could eat this every day! My sister would love it as well.
It’s so good!
My daughter is now making this herself Thanks for recipe
Let me know how she gets on.
This looks yummy!
Such a good recipe!
Seeing this recipe everyday makes me hungry
Looks really tasty
Definitely is.
i might have my girls make this today
Make it! You won’t regret it.
This fudge is to die for! A special thanks for all the different ways to store the fudge and also how to tell if it’s getting spoiled. I wish everyone who posts recipes could be so thoughtful! Merry Christmas!
Looks easy and delicious
fun holiday recipe to do with the kids
LIKE IT
This was a big hit at the Bake sale