Grandma Wright's Peanut Butter Fudge
In just 30 minutes, 6 ingredients transform into rich Peanut Butter Fudge - a classic family recipe perfect to share during the holidays.
Servings: 48
Calories: 157kcal
Equipment
- Sturdy bottomed, 4-quart pot
- Candy thermometer (paddle-style preferred)
- 9x13 inch pan
- parchment paper (optional)
- bench scraper (optional)
Ingredients
- 4 cups sugar (800 grams)
- 1 ½ cups evaporated milk (370 grams/1 can; NOT sweetened condensed milk)
- 3 tablespoons white corn syrup (60 grams)
- 2 cups peanut butter (512 grams/ one 18-ounce jar, scraped clean)
- 7 ounces marshmallow creme (200 grams, or 4 ½ cups of miniature marshmallows, which I weigh out)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Combine sugar, evaporated milk, and corn syrup in a heavy-bottomed, large pot. Heat over medium to medium-high heat. Stir to mix the liquid, and then stir occasionally, scraping the bottom, while you bring it to a boil. This usually takes me about 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare your other ingredients and your baking pan. Line a 9x13 inch pan (or other pan) with parchment paper, or butter it well. Measure out your marshmallows, if using them instead of marshmallow creme. Measure out your peanut butter if you want a head start of scraping it from the jar.
- Once the mixture boils, insert a candy thermometer into the liquid. Be sure the bulb of the thermometer doesn't touch the bottom. Do not stir.
- Cook until the syrup reaches 234F (the soft ball stage of candy making). Remove the pot from heat.
- Add the peanut butter, marshmallows, and vanilla. (I usually add marshmallows first to give them a head start to dissolve.)
- Use a clean silicone spatula to stir constantly until everything is smooth and mixed well. The mixture thickens and stiffens up quickly once most of the marshmallows are dissolved.
- Pour the fudge into the prepared pan. Scrape it into the prepared pan. (I sometimes pour it when I have just 2-3 mini marshmallows remaining, and smooth them out in the pan.)
- Let the fudge set at room temperature for at least 2-4 hours. Cover with plastic wrap if leaving overnight before cutting.
- Lift the parchment from the pan to remove the fudge. Cut into bars if sharing as gifts, or into squares. Yields about 3.5 pounds of fudge.
- Wrap bricks of fudge in layers of parchment paper and plastic wrap if giving as gifts. Otherwise, store in an airtight container at room temperature for a few weeks.
Notes
DO NOT USE SWEETENED CONDENSED MILK. Only use evaporated milk.
Use regular peanut butter with sugar and oil added; lower fat, reduced sugar, and natural peanut butter without oil and sugar will not work properly.
You can use a 7 ounce jar of marshmallow creme like Lori's grandma did, or you can measure out 7 ounces/200 grams/ 4 ½ cups of miniature marshmallows as I do. Larger marshmallows would need to be cut into tiny pieces to melt properly.,
Be sure to use a candy thermometer to cook the syrup to the right temperature.
Work quickly once the syrup is done. The fudge will set quickly once most of the marshmallows have dissolved.
Calorie count calculated in MyNetDiary and is an estimate only. It assumes the pan of fudge cut into a 6x8 grid to yield 48 pieces of fudge.
Recipe revised slightly 11/28/2025.
Nutrition
Calories: 157kcal
