My Papaw's Legendary Peanut Butter Fudge

His name was James Bray, Jimmy to his friends and Papaw to me. But to the employees of his doctors’ offices, our church, and the salon where my grandmother got her hair done every week, he was the man who brought peanut butter fudge at Christmas.

During the holidays, my grandfather always had a CorningWare dish filled with fudge tucked away in the refrigerator. He wanted to make sure there were plenty of pieces on hand for anyone who came by—and, of course, for himself. Then, just before workplaces would close for the winter break and everyone would depart for the end-of-year respite, he’d make batch after batch for these important people, delivering the sweet cubes of candy to their desks in humble plastic containers.

The grateful recipients would tell him how they looked forward to that moment all year, how they circled his appointments on the calendar so they could be present. No one wanted to miss out. They said his peanut butter fudge, edged with a hint of cocoa, was richer and smoother than any other they’d ever had.

Fudge is a gift. Or, rather, making it is a gift. It’s not the simplest confection. It requires patience and persistence, and you must be observant of the slightest shifts in texture and color. Perhaps that’s why no one else in my family had been eager to learn. No one, except me.

Every time my grandfather made his fudge, I stood watch. He’d bring out the recipe card, one written by his mother many decades before and updated in his thin scrawl, and he’d have me follow along as he brought the sugar and evaporated milk to a boil. Papaw had made this recipe so many times he no longer bothered with a candy thermometer. He didn’t need a timer either. After stirring and swirling his way through hundreds of batches, he knew it by feel, and it rarely failed him.

However, the first fudge I made after he died did fail me. Without him, the recipe was nothing but a jumble of words. He’d updated ingredients and amounts as the products had changed over time, and I’d forgotten his clarifications, ones left unwritten on the index card, which was stained and soiled with decades of use. My attempt burned, scorched, even. The molten sugar had nearly become one with the cast-iron skillet, scarring the requisite wooden spoon that he’d approved for use.

But I got better, and the batches of candy did too. Now, my family will tell others that I know how to make Papaw’s fudge, and they’ll request it, eager to recapture that moment of bliss they felt with the first bite.

I make the recipe so infrequently that I have to concentrate like I’m taking a college-admissions test, but an unspoken entreaty comes out with the index card, a nudge from my grandfather to make another batch and keep trying. “It took me years to get it right too,” he’d tell me—and then he’d pass me the peanut butter and the wooden spoon and say to try again.

What You’ll Love About This Peanut Butter Fudge Recipe

• It is firm enough to not squish between your fingertips, but soft enough that it cuts and eats very smooth and creamy, and does not crumble.
• It is sweet, but not overly so—the salty, nutty peanut butter helps temper all the sugar.
• The addition of the cocoa powder is quite interesting—it’s not enough to actually make it taste like chocolate, but it just adds another layer of complexity and depth of flavor.

Peanut Butter Fudge Ingredients

You’ll need a handful of ingredients for this peanut butter fudge recipe. Most are likely in your pantry now:

• Granulated sugar: Adds sweetness and firms up after cooking to make the cocoa thick.
• Unsweetened cocoa: It isn’t enough cocoa to make this fudge chocolaty. It makes it more complex and balanced.
• Evaporated milk: Adds creaminess and moisture to the sugar mixture for cooking.
  
• Water: A splash is needed to get the mixture thin enough that the peanut butter won’t seize the candy when it’s added.
• Unsalted butter: For creaminess and to grease the baking dish so the fudge will slide right out.
• Creamy peanut butter: Skip the all-natural peanut butter. Creamy PBs lke Jif and Peter Pan are the right choice.
• Vanilla extract: Adds great warm vanilla flavor to bring the fudge’s flavors together.

How To Make Peanut Butter Fudge

This peanut butter fudge is simple and streamlined, but it does require paying attention to the temp so it doesn’t overcook. Here’s a brief outline of the process with the full recipe further below:

1. Combine the sugar and cocoa powder in a saucepan. Stir in the milk and water, and add the butter. Heat until the butter is melted. Stir until the mixture is smooth and sugar is dissolved.
2. Bring to a boil, and cook until the fudge mixture reaches 226°F to 227°F.
3. Immediately pull the pan from the heat, and stir in the peanut butter and vanilla until smooth and creamy.
4. Pour the fudge mixture into a buttered 8-inch baking dish. Spread into a smooth layer.
5. Chill the fudge until set, about 4 hours. Then cut into 1-inch pieces.

Test Kitchen Tips for the Best Peanut Butter Fudge

• Have all your ingredients measured out and ready to go, plus your pan prepped, before you start. Once you pull the sugar mixture off the heat, you need to move fast to beat in the peanut butter and get it into the pan before it cools or firms up too much.
• A digital candy thermometer is a great tool to use in this recipe. We like to clip it onto the side of the pot as soon as it starts boiling. Make sure your thermometer probe is not touching the bottom of the actual pot though to get an accurate reading. 
• Make sure your sugar is fully dissolved before mixture reaches a boil. If you’re over a steady medium heat, you should have plenty of time, but if necessary (if your mixture is about to bubble and you can still see graininess), reduce the heat and keep stirring until it’s all smooth and fully dissolved.

How To Store Peanut Butter Fudge

Store peanut butter fudge for up to one week in an airtight container at room temperature. 

More Fudge Favorites

If you love this easy candy, try one of these fudge recipes next: