Peanut Butter Fudge

There's not much more satisfying then finding a creamy melt-in-your-mouth fudge recipe. I have just such a recipe. For years, all the way back to childhood, my father made Chocolate Fudge for Christmas. That was the only type of fudge he ever made. I've had samples at candy stores I've gone to over the years, but it never occurred to me to make anything other than chocolate fudge at Christmastime... until 2014. I decided to give Peanut Butter Fudge a try, so I searched Pinterest and read a number of recipes to get ideas. While reading one of them, I realized that it was identical to my traditional chocolate fudge recipe, and the lightbulb in my head went off. So that's what I decided to try - my go-to recipe swapped out with peanut butter, and it was a major success. I made it again this past Christmas and put it in tins and brought some for the holiday party at work, and it clearly came out on top as one of the favorites. In 2014 I made a single batch of this, but in 2015 I ended up making a quadruple batch. Be warned, if you make this, then you'll probably be making it every year for years to come. It is worth it though. You can switch it up just a bit if you'd like at use crunchy peanut butter or add chopped peanuts to it. However you try it, I promise that this will be a big hit.

1 1/2 cups butter (plus more for the pan)
6 cups sugar
1 1/3 cups evaporated milk
2 cups creamy peanut butter
13 ounces puffed marshmallow cream
2 tsp vanilla

Butter the sides and bottom of two 9x13 pans. In a large soup pot, add butter, sugar and evaporated milk.

 

Bring to a boil over med-high heat. Boil until candy thermometer reaches 234 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter until incorporated. Stir in vanilla and marshmallow cream until incorporated and smooth. Pour into prepared pans. Once it has begun to set, cut the fudge. Chill it to help it set faster. It is a candy and can set at room temperature, but I find it lasts much longer and I enjoy the texture better when I store it in the fridge.