Double Peanut Butter Fudge

Skip the candy thermometer. This double peanut butter fudge is the no-cook kind, built on confectioners’ sugar instead of boiled granulated sugar. The double in the name comes from chunky peanut butter in the base plus chopped peanuts folded through, so every square delivers two layers of peanut texture.

Powdered milk is the move that keeps this fudge from going soft and greasy at room temperature. The dry milk solids absorb excess fat from the butter and peanut butter, holding the fudge together with a clean, melt-on-the-tongue texture rather than a sticky paste.

The corn syrup is functional, not for sweetness. It prevents the powdered sugar from recrystallizing into a gritty fudge, which is the most common failure of no-cook recipes. Skip the corn syrup and you’ll have grainy fudge by the third day.

Add the powdered sugar mixture in two stages so it incorporates evenly. Dumping it all in at once creates dry pockets and uneven texture.

Pro Tips

• Sift the powdered sugar and milk powder together. Lumps in either don’t dissolve and stay as gritty bites in the finished fudge.
• Use natural-style peanut butter only if it’s well stirred and not separated. Pour-off oil from a separated jar throws off the recipe.
• Press the fudge firmly into the buttered pan with a spatula or your hands. Compact fudge cuts into clean squares; loose fudge crumbles.
• Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week. Refrigeration makes the fudge hard.

Variations

• Drizzle with melted chocolate or top with chocolate chips before chilling for a chocolate-PB combo.
• Add a pinch of flaky sea salt on top for salted peanut butter fudge.
• Stir in mini marshmallows for a rocky-road-style version.