Peanut Butter

Peanut Butter Pantry Fudge: 10 Minutes to Make, 10 Seconds to Eat

Two weeks ago, my husband and I moved into a new apartment. I went through all our kitchen items, taking stock of this and that: gelatin sheets, various nuts, all kinds of salt, spices up the wazoo, and of course, my trusty box of chocolate. I did a good deal of tossing, but the hoarder in me hates to waste perfectly good food, especially bits of chocolate that can be thrown into cookies, fruit breads, and muffins.

Welcome to the world, pantry fudge. Photo by Ty Mecham

I noticed I had an abundance of white chocolate, peanut butter, hazelnuts, and big hunks of Gianduja. I brought them out onto the counter, handling each one, and asked myself the Marie Kondo question: Does this item give me pleasure? Yes, yes, yes.

If you’ve never had Gianduja, it’s a heady combo of chocolate and hazelnut paste. It comes in baking blocks, and is used as a flavor for bon bons and chocolate bars. It tastes very much like Nutella.

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With the peanut butter on the cusp of expiration, I wondered what I might test out and thought of a recent idea my friend Rachel Simons, co-founder of Seed and Mill (a New York-based tahini and halvah company) had about making a rocky road candy using tahini, marshmallows, and pretzels.

I thought I could use the same approach to fudge using a nut butter. I melted the white chocolate over a double boiler and whisked in a whole container of creamy peanut butter. I poured that onto a wax paper–lined lasagna pan. Cleaning the bowl out, I put the Gianduja in the double boiler, which melts super quickly, and swirled that into the white chocolate-peanut butter mixture. I grabbed a few handfuls of pre-toasted hazelnuts and cacao nibs from the freezer and scattered those on top. After an hour or so in the fridge, the mess solidified into a decadent, totally addictive candy.

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Top Comment:
“bag of semisweet chocolate chips, 1 bag of butterscotch chips, 1 cup of chunky peanut butter and a bag of mini marshmallows. Melt the chips together, stir in peanut butter then add marshmallows and smooth out into a buttered 9x13 pan. Refrigerate until solid then turn out of pan, cut into bars and keep refrigerated (for the short time they last!) Would be great with some pretzels bits thrown in for extra crunch and some salt!”
— Kayley M.
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The best part about this recipe is that you can make it in even less time than I did, just by adding the Gianduja—or, if you don’t have it, dark chocolate with as many swirls of Nutella as you please—straight to the white chocolate–peanut butter mixture. It’s truly the ultimate pantry fudge, and takes about 10 minutes to make.

Feel free to get creative and use combinations of things from your own pantry.

What's your favorite kind of fudge? Tell us in the comments below.


This is good, too

See what other Food52 readers are saying.

  • rebecca
    rebecca
  • Kayley Meredith
    Kayley Meredith
  • Danielle Rehfeld Colen
    Danielle Rehfeld Colen
  • BocaCindi
    BocaCindi
Danielle rehfeld is a New York based cook and writer. Her website the inherited plate features recipes and videos that celebrate foods and people from our rich global Community.

6 Comments

rebecca August 19, 2018
Any tips on where to get Gianduja for less than $120? I love hazelnut and chocolate, but not quite that much! Thanks!
 
Danielle R. August 24, 2018
Hi rebecca-thanks for commenting. You can try doing 3 1/2 oz dark or milk chocolate melted ina double boiler and whisk in a container of Nutella. Then swirl that into the peanut butter mixture and freeze. Should be ready in 1-2 hrs
 
Kayley M. August 17, 2018
My very favorite is also very easy and super addictive! 1 bag of semisweet chocolate chips, 1 bag of butterscotch chips, 1 cup of chunky peanut butter and a bag of mini marshmallows. Melt the chips together, stir in peanut butter then add marshmallows and smooth out into a buttered 9x13 pan. Refrigerate until solid then turn out of pan, cut into bars and keep refrigerated (for the short time they last!) Would be great with some pretzels bits thrown in for extra crunch and some salt!
 
Danielle R. August 18, 2018
Sounds great!!!!
 
BocaCindi August 24, 2018
Wow!!!
 
Danielle R. August 24, 2018
😘❤️