Food Friday--Peanut Butter Fudges

I am weird in that I don't care for regular chocolate fudge.  I'm not crazy about chocolate in general.  Or fudge.  But this fudge.  This peanut butter fudge.  The recipe has been in my family for thousands of generations.  Not really.  I'm pretty sure Marshmallow Creme didn't exist thousands of generations ago, but this recipe has been in my family for at least 5 generations.  It's sweet and buttery and according to my teenage son, worthy of a sigh of contentment.

Peanut Butter Fudge (the old fashioned way)

What you need
2 cups pure cane sugar
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup marshmallow creme
1 tablespoon butter
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

What you do
Grab a big bowl, preferably glass or ceramic, and add the peanut butter, marshmallow creme, butter and vanilla in it.  Then grab an 8 x 8 (or 9 x 9) inch pan and butter the inside thoroughly.  You could also use a 9 x 13 inch Pyrex baking dish if you wanted, but your fudge will not be as thick.

Now that you have done that, cook your sugar and evaporated milk together over medium heat stirring constantly until it comes to a full, rolling boil, then stop stirring and let it boil until it reaches soft ball stage, 234 degrees on a candy thermometer.

Now, pour your sugar syrup into the bowl with the other stuff and mix it all together with a wooden (or bamboo) spoon, and once everything is thoroughly combined (it will be thick!) transfer it to your buttered dish and smooth out the top.  Let it sit until it firms up and cut into approximately 1 inch squares.  Trust me, one or two squares that size is plenty.  Store in an airtight container for up to a week.


Now, want to know an easier way to do this with fewer ingredients that tastes almost as good?

 (not my great grandmothers) Peanut Butter Fudge

What you need
8 ounces unsalted butter, plus a bit more for greasing your pan.
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 pound powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

What you do
Butter an 8 x 8 inch pan lined with parchment paper.

Then put your peanut butter and butter in a large, microwave safe bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Nuke it on high for 2 minutes, then uncover and stir, re-cover and nuke it for 2 more minutes. Be careful when working with it, it will be HOT.

Add the vanilla and powdered sugar and stir with a wooden spoon. The fudge will become hard to stir and will lose it's sheen. Spread it into your buttered parchment-lined pan and cover the top with parchment paper. Refrigerate until cool and set, about 2 hours, then cut into 1 inch squares and store in an airtight container for up to a week.  

(Thanks to my mom for handing over the coveted first P.B. Fudge recipe, and thanks to Alton Brown for the much less time consuming second one.)

Food Friday--Marshmallow-Oreo-Squares

It is nearly 2:00 in the morning and I am working on a paper that is due Sunday.  It's a ten-pager that I only found out about earlier this week.  So far I have completed seven pages and now I am stuck, so I figured I would post a recipe.  :)

I don't really know what to call this except OMG-my-teeth-are-rotting-out-of-my-head sweet.  If you like Oreos and Rice Krispie Treats, you might like this.  It's easy, I'll say that much for it.  The teenager in my home likes it, but thinks that instead of crushing the cookies, I should have run them through the food processor, and I think he is right.

I will post a picture of the finished product after I get the paper done.

Yummy!

Marshmallow Oreo Bars

What you need
1 bag of Marshmallows
1 package of Oreos (not the Double Stuff unless you want to kill yourself with sugar)
4 Tablespoons butter

What you do

Place your marshmallows (you could even make your own if I gave you the recipe!) in a large, preferably glass bowl. 

Cut your butter into chunks and toss randomly on top of the marshmallows. 

Either crush your Oreos, or run them briefly through a food processor.  You want them ground up, not liquefied, so don't leave them in too long. 

Line an 8x8 baking dish with parchment paper, aluminum foil, or plastic wrap if you must, making sure to let some overhang the top--this is for you to grab hold of and remove the sticky mass from the dish,

After the Oreos are dealt with, put your bowl of marshmallows in the microwave and nuke until they are big and puffy, about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes.

Stir the Oreo particles into the marshmallows really well, then dump into your lined baking dish and smooth the top the best you can. 

Let cool, then remove from the dish and cut into squares.  Give your dentist lots of money for dentures because your teeth rotted out.