Last Minute Christmas Treats: Easy Peanut Butter Fudge

Still looking for a last minute treat to package up and give to all your aunties and second cousins? Look no further! I stumbled upon this recipe the other day and it looked too easy not to try. The finished product looks like fudge, has the consistency of fudge, and tastes - well, mostly like peanut butter, but in a fudgey way. A good way. ;-)

Like the chocolate stuff, this isn't real fudge, so if you're a die-hard fudge fan you might be disappointed - but if you're just after a sugar hit (or you love peanut butter) this is pretty good stuff. And, better still, it takes maybe 15 minutes to make, plus an hour to set and a little bit of time to hack it into bite-sized morsels and wrap it up nicely.

Step one is bringing the peanut butter and butter to the boil - you don't need to stir constantly but definitely don't stray far from the pan. I may have gotten slightly distracted reading a funny story and possibly-just-a-little-bit burned the bottom of the pan. Oopsy. That looks like this, just so you know what to avoid:

Step two is mixing in the other ingredients - you'll get a bit of an arm workout getting the sugar all mixed in, but that's okay, because step three is pouring it into pans to set, and then you're all done.

And pour is a bit generous - more like scoop and press. I'm sure you could also roll it into truffles, though it is pretty crumbly so might confuse people since truffles are usually quite smooth.

I also spread chocolate over one pan-ful - I made lots so both Mr Cake and I could take some to work and we could get the neighbour kids nice and hyped up on sugar (sorry neighbour parents! Hopefully you ate enough yourself that this didn't eventuate...). The chocolate wasn't super fantastic as it didn't really stick to the fudgey stuff, so I wouldn't bother with that again.

It's pretty tasty stuff - you won't like it if you don't like peanut butter, though, let it be said. And it is pretty sugary, too - but tasty and quick. And you'll need quick if you're still seeking inspiration at this late hour. ;-) 

Peanut Butter Fudge (adapted from Brown Eyed Baker)
Ingredients
230g butter
1¼ cups smooth peanut butter
1/2 tsp salt
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
4½ cups icing sugar

Line a brownie pan or square cake tin with baking paper. Heat the butter and peanut butter over a medium heat, stirring regularly, until the mixture comes to the boil.

Pour into a large bowl, and add salt and vanilla and then the icing sugar. Mix until smooth, then press into your tin. Chill for 1 hour to set then cut into pieces. Can be stored at cool room temperature once set.