Peanut Butter Fudge

If candy-making intimidates you, this is the perfect recipe for you to try.  You don't even need your stove, no thermometers are involved, you barely need a pan.  This fudge can be made completely in the microwave and only takes about five minutes.  It's a perfect recipe to round out your holiday baking when you are short on time. 

Peanut Butter Fudge
Recipe via Erin's Food Files from Alton Brown

1 cup of butter
1 cup peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 lb powdered sugar

Prepare a pan by covering it in wax paper and spraying with nonstick cooking spray, leaving at least one inch overhang of wax paper around all edges.  You can use an 8x11" baking sheet with a one inch rim or an 8x8" square pan if you want thicker fudge. 

In a microwave safe bowl, combine butter and peanut butter.  Microwave on high two minutes, stir and microwave two additional minutes.  Stir in vanilla and powdered sugar.  Mix with a wooden spoon until well combined and smooth.  Pour into prepared pan, smooth, and cover with another sheet of wax paper pressed directly against the surface of the fudge.  Refrigerate at least two hours and cut into one inch squares.

Rocky Road Fudge

Fudge is a classic Christmas dessert but not one I have a ton of experience with.  I've made a couple of different types in the past and found it to be much easier than I expected and this recipe ended up being very easy as well.  The most time consuming part is chopping up the chocolate.  

If you haven't finished your Christmas baking yet, here are some other candy recipes you may be interested in.

Brown Sugar Chocolate Fudge

Peppermint Bark

Buckeyes

Oreo Truffles

Peanut Brittle 

And check back tomorrow for Peanut Butter Fudge!

Rocky Road Fudge

Recipe slightly adapted from Dinner and Dessert

18 oz semi-sweet chocolate, roughly chopped

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/8 tsp salt

14 oz (1 can) sweetened, condensed milk

1 T vanilla extract

1 cup mini marshmallows

1 cup salted peanuts, roughly chopped

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Line an 8x11 inch baking sheet with aluminum foil leaving at least 1" overlap on all sides.  You want to use a baking sheet that has at least a 1" high rim.  Spray foil with nonstick spray.

Set up a double boiler with a couple inches of water over medium heat.  In a heat proof boil or double boiler, toss chopped chocolate with baking soda and salt until well distributed.  Stir in sweetened condensed milk and vanilla.  Set bowl over simmering water, making sure that bowl doesnt touch the water.  Stir continuously with a rubber spatula until chocolate is almost fully melted.  It will likely take about 2-4 minutes to melt, remove bowl from heat when there are just a few remaining pieces and stir until smooth. 

Stir in marshmallows, peanuts, and chocolate chips.  Mixture will be quite thick.  Quickly transfer mixture to prepared pan and smooth into an even layer.  Refrigerate until set, at least two hours.  Use foil overhang to remove fudge from pan, peel off foil and chop into approximately 1" square pieces. 

Holiday Treats: Brown Sugar Chocolate Fudge

The brown sugar in this recipe adds an extra depth of flavor and the semi-sweet chocolate keeps it from being over-the-top sweet. I've gotten lots of good reviews on this one so evidently my first attempt at fudge worked out pretty well.

Brown Sugar Chocolate Fudge
Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit

14 oz semi-sweet chocolate, roughly chopped
7 oz marshmallow creme
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups packed brown sugar
14 oz sweetened condensed milk
3/4 cup heavy cream
6 T unsalted butter
1/4 tsp salt

1/2 - 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Line a small jellyroll pan with foil, leaving a couple inches of overlap on all sides so you can lift out the fudge when its set. Combine chocolate, marshmallow creme, and vanilla in a large bowl.

Combine sugar, sweetened condensed milk, heavy cream and salt in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly until sugar is dissolved, about 10 minutes. Brush the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush occasionally to keep sugar crystals from forming. Attach candy thermometer and increase heat to high.

Bring mixture to a boil and then reduce heat to medium-high and stir constantly but slowly until temperature reaches 230 degrees.


Pour hot mixture over chocolate mixture and stir quickly until well combined and chocolate is melted. Transfer to prepared pan and spread out smoothly.

Top with chocolate chips. Refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours. Cut as desired. Keep refrigerated.

Holiday Treats: Peanut Brittle

Peanut brittle is an old-fashioned holiday classic. It seems like everyone's grandfather loves the stuff. I made some a couple of years ago in the microwave actually but this time I decided to try a stove top recipe. Be careful not to burn yourself, 300 degree boiling sugar is dangerous! I made a couple substitutions to the recipe, but not necessarily on purpose so I'm going to give you the original and my changes.


Peanut Brittle
Adapted from Dinner & Dessert, originally from The Sweet Melissa Baking Book

1 cup light corn syrup (I actually used 3/4 cup light and 1/4 cup dark because I ran out)
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups sugar
1/2 pound shelled roasted peanuts (I used Planter's unsalted, dry-roasted)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature, cut into 1/2" pieces (I used approximately 1/4 cup because I forgot to add it in until I had already spread the brittle out and I would have never been able to work in the whole stick of butter, I dont really think you need the whole stick of butter)

Spray a heavy cookie sheet lightly with cooking spray and set aside. Set out all of your supplies, measuring out your vanilla and combining baking soda and salt. You'll want to have everything ready to go because the final steps happen very quickly once you reach the correct temperature. Also, make sure you use a large enough sauce pan as the mixture will bubble up once you add the baking soda.

Combine sugar and corn syrup in saucepan and cook over medium high heat until boiling. Cover the pan for 3 minutes to prevent sugar crystals from forming. Remove the cover, attach candy thermometer and continue cooking, stirring occasionally until the temperature reaches 320 degrees, about 15 minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in peanuts and baking soda and salt. The mixture will foam and bubble, continue stirring until it starts to calm and then add vanilla and butter. Stir quickly until butter is melted. You will have to work quickly as the candy will start to harden immediately. Pour the mixture onto prepared pan and spread out as thinly as possible.

Let the brittle cool for about 2 hours to room temperature and then break into pieces.

Holiday Treats: Buckeyes

Peanut butter and chocolate are almost always a winning combination so its no surprise that these cute little buckeyes are a holiday favorite. They are pretty easy to put together although it does take a bit of work to mix up the dough for the balls. I found it worked best to use a pastry blender to mix the powdered sugar, peanut butter and butter together. The dough will be quite dry and crumbly, so when you start rolling the balls, first squeeze the dough together so it will hold together. The dipping process is a lot easier if you freeze the peanut butter balls and then poke them with a toothpick to make them easy to dip. I did the dipping in 2 rounds, leaving half the peanut butter balls in the freezer until the first batch was done so they didn't get too soft. The recipe will yield about 6 dozen buckeyes.

Buckeyes

Recipe adapted from Brown Eyed Baker

1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter

1 1/2 pounds (6 cups) powdered sugar

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 package chocolate almond bark

Line 2 cookies sheets with wax paper. Mix together all but the chocolate in a large mixing bowl. Using a pastry blender (or a wooden spoon if you dont have one), mix until well combined and crumbly. Roll into approximately 1" diameter balls and place on prepared cookie sheets. Freeze peanut butter balls for at least 30 minutes.

Cut chocolate into squares and add half to a small, narrow bowl or measuring cup. Melt in the microwave for about 1 1/2 minutes, stirring after each 30 second interval. Poke balls with a toothpick and swirl in chocolate leaving the tops uncovered. Let excess chocolate drip off and return to cookie sheet.

When the whole cookie sheet is done, transfer cookie sheet to refrigerator, melt remaining chocolate and continue dipping. Let buckeyes chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before transferring them to storage containers lined with waxed paper. Put wax paper between any layers of candy when storing and keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

Peppermint Bark

One of the easiest Christmas candies you can make. This takes about 5 minutes of prep time plus a little time in the fridge to set. It is also extremely easy to transport so if you need a last minute snack to take to a holiday party or want something homemade to take to your co-workers, this is quick and easy.

Peppermint Bark

1 lb. semi-sweet chocolate

1 lb. white chocolate

6 candy canes

Line a jellyroll pan with wax paper, leaving about 3" on the sides so you can easily lift out the paper and set aside. (I used a 9x13 pan, make it bigger or smaller depending on how thick you want your candy to be.) Melt semi-sweet chocolate in a double boiler until smooth, stirring constantly. Pour melted chocolate into prepared pan and spread with a rubber spatula. Put pan in the refrigerator to chill for about 15 minutes until set. Meanwhile, add candy canes to food processor and pulse several times until they are broken into small chunks. Do not over process or you will just have peppermint dust.

Remove chilled pan from refrigerator. Melt white chocolate in a double boiler and add some of the peppermint dust if desired. Again, stir constantly until chocolate is melted and smooth. Pour over the semi-sweet chocolate and spread with a rubber spatula. Add crushed candy canes on top and return to refrigerator to chill for at least 1 hour.

Once hardened, lift wax paper sheet and peel off candy. Break candy into pieces as desired.

Note: If you do not have a double boiler, chocolate can be melted in a heat proof bowl set inside a saucepan of simmering water, make sure the bowl you choose fits steadily in the top of the saucepan, or in the microwave, just be careful not to burn the chocolate.

Frosty the Snowman

Frosty the Snowman was one of my favorite Christmas movies as a kid. I've probably seen Frosty, Rudolph and A Christmas Story about a hundred times. I think snowman are super cute so when I decided to make oreo truffles, I thought they would be perfect to make into little snowmen.

Oreo truffles are a super easy Christmas candy that dont require candy thermometers or any other special equipment. You can make them into traditional truffles, just replace the lollipop stick with a toothpick to dip them in the chocolate coating.


Oreo Truffles
Makes approximately 36 truffles

1 package oreos (somehow mine was mixing about 5 cookies...)
8 oz cream cheese, softened
12 white chocolate

Line a baking sheet with wax paper. Crush oreos in a food processor until the cookies become fine crumbs. If you dont have a food processor, add cookies to a bag and crush with a rolling pin. Add cream cheese and stir until well combined. Roll into 1" diameter balls and transfer to prepared baking sheet. Gently push in lollipop sticks if desired. Freeze for at least 30 minutes.


Melt white chocolate in a double boiler or the microwave. If you use the microwave, use 50% power or the defrost setting and microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring between intervals until melted. Dip the frozen oreo balls in melted chocolate. Drain off excess and transfer to a 2nd baking sheet lined with wax paper.



Chill for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator and decorate if desired. I used edible food pens to decorate these. Next time I think I will use royal icing as the markers didn't cooperate as well I would have liked on the chocolate. They worked ok at first but as the chocolate got warmer, the writing became more difficult.


Store truffles in the refrigerator until ready to serve.