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.)