Okay, this is a recipe that can really save you when you remember the night before a gathering that you need to bring something. Store's closed, you're tired, and it's way too late to let butter properly come to room temp. Oh, and your electric mixer's bowl is dirty. And your family is watching a movie, and you want to enjoy Christmas vacation.
Totally hypothetical.
But anyway, give this 15 minutes or so and you'll have a lovely 8x8 pan of fudge cooling in your fridge. You've got 64 pieces, you bring those to the family gathering and generously leave some when you depart. Then you take the rest to a (New Year's) party, leaving any remnants behind. Guilt-free! Unless you happened to stuff your face rather ungraciously at the party.
Plus, this is a really good excuse to just eat peanut butter by the handful. It's crazy good, no joke. This coming from the girl who's dubious about microwave recipes. I found one that exceeded my expectations, woot!
The only thing is if you don't have a pound of confectioners' sugar on hand (you should be able to find it in boxes or something), you need to weigh it out using a kitchen scale. Any other way I wouldn't recommend, but if you get super desperate try 3 1/2 cups and go from there. If the mixture seems too easy to stir yet add more, but do not let it get super crumbly. It has to be able to easily maintain its shape when being pressed into the pan. Now don't be intimidated by all this mumbo-jumbo, microwaves vary sometimes in power and humidity plays a key factor, just work with it. It's easy!
Eat it, like it!
Peanut Butter Fudge
Yield: sixty-four 1-inch pieces
Ingredients:
- 8 oz. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, plus more at room temp. for greasing pan
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 16 oz. (1 pound) confectioners' sugar
Line an 8 x 8-inch baking dish with parchment paper. Lightly grease with butter.
Combine the butter and peanut butter in a microwave safe bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Microwave on full power for 2 minutes. Remove from the microwave, stir, and microwave on full power for 2 minutes more. Carefully remove the bowl from the microwave. Add the vanilla and confectioners’ sugar to the bowl. Stir with a wooden spoon or spatula until evenly combined. The mixture will become difficult to stir and lose its sheen.
Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and spread into an even layer. Place an additional piece of parchment directly on the surface of the fudge. Refrigerate until cool, at least 2 hours. Use a large knife to cut into 1-inch pieces. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week (I choose to keep mine in the fridge, it seemed to hold up better that way.).
Sources: Annie's Eats, originally from Alton Brown
