Dad enjoys pretty much anything with peanut butter in it, but he told me most of what he has tried is either "too sweet, too peanut buttery, too dark, too light, too soft, too hard, too something. Not this. There are only a few that are just perfect, and this is one of those!"
My Aunt Marilyn remembered my Grandma making a similar creamy, rich fudge. At first, we thought that Rodney must have used Grandma's recipe, but he admitted that he found this one on the internet. We were so thankful that he and his wife Gail made it for our party and especially grateful that they were willing to share their secret. I'm betting that it will be the star of your Christmas platter, too!
Peanut Butter Fudge
Ingredients:
- 5 cups of sugar
- 1 (12 oz) can of evaporated milk ("shake it up good")
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- pinch of salt
- 1 (16 oz) jar of peanut butter
- 1 (7 oz) jar of marshmallow creme
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla
Directions:
Mix together the first four ingredients in a large saucepan. Begin heating on low, stirring frequently, but never scraping the bottom of the pan. Gradually turn up heat between low and medium. Continue to stir the bubbly part on top around the edge of the pan, scraping sugar crystals off the edge. Slowly turn up heat as the fudge is cooking, but "never go further than 3/4 heat." Using a candy thermometer, heat until mixture reaches 236 degrees, or the soft ball stage.
Remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter until melted. Next, add marshmallow creme and then lastly vanilla and stir until smooth.
Pour into ungreased pan and smooth top. (Rodney used a pie plate and an 8x8 casserole dish.) Let cool for several hours.
Cut into small pieces and store in airtight container.
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