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Peanut
Butter Fudge is a simple enough recipe; just a mixing together of melted butter,
melted peanut butter, vanilla, and confectioners' (powdered or icing) sugar. It
belongs in the "no-cook" fudge category which Andrew F. Smith in his book "The
Oxford Companion to American Food & Drink" tells us was developed in the 1950s.
This type of fudge is much faster and simpler to make than the old fashioned
fudge which is made from a mixture of sugar, butter, and cream that is cooked to
the soft ball stage, cooled, and then beaten until creamy.
But don't think that just because "no-cook" fudge is easy to prepare that
flavor is sacrificed. Peanut Butter Fudge has a nice peanut taste with a
creamy smooth texture that literally melts in your mouth. To prepare the
fudge all
you need to do is melt the butter and peanut butter and then stir in
the vanilla and powdered (confectioners or icing) sugar. That is it. You
can even use the microwave to melt the butter and peanut butter. Once made
it can stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a
week.
So what is peanut butter? Peanut butter is a smooth paste made from
roasted peanuts. The peanuts are ground, and then salt, a sweetener, and
sometimes a
stabilizer (to keep the oil from separating) are added. Peanut butter that
is labeled "Old-Fashioned" or "Natural" does not contain a stabilizer
which means the peanut butter will separate and you will have to stir the
peanut butter before using. Now, when buying peanut butter always check
the list of ingredients to see if trans fats are listed (labeled as
"partially hydrogenated oil" or "hydrogenated oil"). Trans fat or trans
fatty acids are really nasty fats as they are thought to cause heart
disease (raise bad LDL cholesterol, increase triglyceride levels, and lower good HDL
cholesterol). Keep in mind that nutrition labels do not always list small
amounts of trans fat so that is why you must look at the list of
ingredients. |
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