Much as I love to dive into a lengthy baking project (and oh, do I ever!) sometimes simple is best. There’s no better example of this than our long-standing holiday favorite – fudge. This recipe uses just four ingredients and it’s super quick to make. I always use my microwave to make this candy, but if you don’t have one then a stove top will work just fine, too.
You’ll need an 8x8x2-inch square pan for most fudge recipes, and this one is no different. However, I love using my mini Le Creuset 7 x 5-inch baking dish, too. If you have one, this recipe fits in it just fine.
The great thing about fudge is that one batch makes many servings (about 32 pieces), so there’s plenty to share. When I make fudge for stocking stuffers, I divvy the pieces up 6 per cellophane bag.That’s about 5 stocking stuffers with a few pieces leftover for snacking.
This is one of the easiest fudge recipes I’ve ever made, and it’s pretty, too! It’s silky smooth and its flavor is reminiscent of a peanut butter cup.
I love getting creative with the packaging of holiday treats. As I mentioned earlier, I usually opt for a simple cellophane bag with festive ribbon, but a pretty candy tin works well for gifting an entire batch of fudge.
Want more giftable goodies?
Last year’s fourth day advent recipe was
Gourmet Toasted Cookie Dough in a Jar!
Easy Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl Fudge
Ingredients
- 12 ounce bag 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
- 4 tablespoons salted butter divided
- 1 can 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk, divided
- 1/2 cup 3.5 ounces peanut butter baking chips
Instructions
- Grease an 8x8x2-inch square baking pan with butter or shortening and line with parchment paper that overhangs all four sides of the pan (the grease will make the paper stick to the pan).
- Combine the semisweet chips, 2 tablespoons of the butter and 1 cup of the milk in a large microwave-safe bowl. Heat at 30 second increments at 100% power until the mixture can be stirred smooth, about 1 minute 30 seconds.
- In a separate bowl, combine the peanut butter chips, the remaining 2 tablespoons butter, and the remaining sweetened condensed milk. Use a small rubber spatula to efficiently remove all of the milk from the can. Heat in the microwave in 30 second increments at 100% power until the mixture can be stirred smooth, about 1 minute.
- Pour the chocolate mixture into the prepared pan followed by the peanut butter mixture on top. Use a butter knife to swirl the peanut butter portion into the chocolate portion.
- Refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours. Lift the candy from the pan using the overhanging parchment paper. Cut into 2-inch squares.
- Package in a festive air-tight tin or in cellophane bags tied with ribbon for gift-giving.
This fudge is definitely going in my holiday gift bags! 🙂 Quick question: Is there any reason not to use chocolate wafers/disks, or do the chocolate chips specifically impart any structural/chemical benefits? Same thing with PB chips vs. smooth peanut butter? Thanks!
Hi! You can absolutely use higher quality chocolate (disks, blocks wafers) in equal measure for the chips. The recipe is written to be friendly for the busy home baker. It's a no-brainer to throw a 12 ounce bag of chips in the grocery cart. 🙂
I've never substituted smooth pb in this recipe, but someone commented on my Facebook post yesterday saying they have subbed smooth pb with success. I hope this helps! Thanks for asking. xo
This looks delicious and like the perfect gift! But this post also reminded me that giving edible cookie dough as gifts is pretty much the best idea ever. That's basically all I want for Christmas 🙂
Sues
Thank you very much ! Original gift simple to make ! Have a pleasant week !
Thank you very much ! Original gift, simple to make ! Have a pleasant week !
Oh yes please! peanut butter and chocolate are pretty much bffs and especially in fudge!
Yum! Peanut butter & chocolate is always a great combo!
Kari
http://sweetteasweetie.com/10-minute-pretzel-chocolate-chip-cookies/
Thank you for your reply above– that is really helpful. Happy Holidays! 🙂
Excited to make this! Do you know if you can make in advance and then successfully freeze this fudge before gift giving?
Yes! This fudge freezes well!
14oz of condensed milk divided, then saying add 1 cup to the chocolate and 1 cup to the peanut butter is very confusing as I nearly added too much to the chocolate. Can this be changed to alleviate further confusion?
Hi! Can you further clarify? Because I don't see where the recipe says to add '1 cup to the peanut butter'
For the peanut butter portion, it says in the recipe: In a separate bowl, combine the peanut butter chips, the remaining 2 tablespoons butter, and the remaining sweetened condensed milk.
Where did you get your cute square purple liners?
Hi Renee! They are Wilton mini cupcakes papers. I can't seem to find them online. The papers are round, and they kind of take on the square shape of the fudge when you place them in a liner. ☺️
Wow I would love this but I am not a fan of the microwave cooking. Can this be made on the stove? And what would be the process? Thanks! Rosie
How do you store your fudge? In the fridge? In a container on the counter?
Hi! This fudge is shelf stable, so it can be stored in a container on the counter top.
Hi Heather,
thanks for sharing, but I'm as confused as the Unknown person last year.
I use metric measurements, but also have cups at home.
However, if I fill my 1-cup cup with the milk, there will be nearly nothing left for the peanut butter, while Internet converters vary a lot, suggesting that 1 cup condensed milk can be 306g (just above 3/4 can) or as little as 150g (less than half a can).
Could you please tell me how much of the can you put with the PB approximately, please?
thanks in advance.
Hi! My one cup measure holds about 10.35 oz. (294 grams) of the sweetened condensed milk. The milk left over for the peanut butter swirl is about 3.05 oz. (87 grams). That comes to about 13.5 grams total condensed milk for the recipe, which is the best I could effectively scrape out of the 14oz. can with a rubber spatula. I hope this helps! Thanks for brining my attention to the question I missed previously!
Thanks a lot for your speedy & accurate answer, Heather!
I'm off to making these for gifting tomorrow! 🙂
I REALLY want to make this. Does it hold its shape once cut or does the peanut butter make it soft?
This fudge definitely holds its shape!
Thank you for sharing!!! Can you use Unsalted butter? Will it make a difference in consistency?
Yes, you can absolutely use unsalted butter!
Can I use real peanut butter instead of peanut butter chips?
Hi Linda,
Real peanut butter won’t set up like the peanut butter chips. You’d just have a ribbon of creamy peanut butter running through the fudge. It would probably taste good, but it might get messy when slicing and packaging.
My peanut layer didn’t sink in as well as yours and I’m sure it will taste fine, but it doesn’t look as nice. Do you usually make the chocolate layer more liquid than the peanut layer so the peanut layer sinks in more? Thank you!
Hi! This fudge sets quickly. I suspect the chocolate layer set up a little too much while the peanut butter layer was being prepared. You could microwave the chocolate mixture for 30 seconds just before pouring it into the pan, so the peanut butter layer will be sure to sink down and swirl well. The two fudge layers should be about the same consistency going into the pan. Also pick up and drop the pan a few times on the countertop to even the surface of the fudge after swirling.
We don’t have a microwave so I used a double boiler . It did take a little longer to make but it worked. I had no problems in swirling the peanut butter into the chocolate. My best friend who loves peanut butter cups was so happy to get this part of a late birthday present. Thanks for the recipe and have a great weekend !
Can I swap the chocolate chips with the peanut butter chips and vise versa? I prefer more peanut butter to chocolate ratio.
I was looking for something similar to a peanut butter cup to send to my friend for her birthday. I live in Kentucky but I’m from New York my best friend lives in New York so we don’t get to see each other often. She loves peanut butter cups and this recipe definitely reminded me of peanut butter cups. I froze it before I mailed it so that it would get to her in one piece and still taste fresh. She was so happy to get it among other things I sent her. We don’t have a microwave so I… Read more »