Peanut Butter Fudge

Yummy note: Peanut butter, oh how I love thee. It is kind of like a bad word though around my house, as my daughter has a nut allergy. Luckily it is not so severe, that we can still have peanut butter in our house, whew, I can still get my peanut butter fix. So when I saw this Peanut Butter Fudge recipe on my Secret Recipe Club friend's site this month, I had to try it. Fudge consistency is huge for me, I really don't care for the super creamy fudges, so when Veronica from My Catholic Kitchen described it as "This fudge is like the inside of those eggs you get for Easter." I knew this recipe might just be what I was looking for... Actually I think it tastes very similar to that of a another recipe I almost made of Veronica's here called a buckeye. Both equally delicious, thanks Veronica. Make sure you stop by My Catholic Kitchen's blog for some inspiration and wonderful recipes. 

Peanut Butter Fudge 

Ingredients:

5 ounces of unsalted butter

2/3 cup smooth peanut butter

1/2 teaspoon salt

(Don't leave this out! It adds to the nice nutty flavor)

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

2 1/4 cups powdered sugar

Directions: 

In a small pan, melt butter and peanut butter together and then bring to a boil on high. (Alternatively, I also made this in the microwave too! In a microwaveable bowl, place butter and peanut butter and cover with plastic wrap. Microwave on high for about 1 1/2- 2 minutes.  Next stir mixture and microwave another 2 minutes, mixture will be hot and bubbly!) 

Remove pan from the heat after mixture starts boiling. Add in vanilla and salt. 

Stir in powdered sugar until smooth. Note the mixture starts to get really thick here! So stir it with some muscle to incorporate the powdered sugar well. ;-)  

Put the fudge into a 9 x 9 pan lined with parchment paper for easier removal. Allow to cool and store in the refrigerator until to cut into pieces and enjoy. 

 

 

Note: So I must admit, I tried this recipe out using a different type of peanut butter first. Like I said before I love peanut butter, so I have several types always in my cabinet. I have this one called PB2, which is a powdered peanut butter. It truly has a great fresh taste when you prepare the peanut butter, however it's make up is a bit different, it has less fat than the regular peanut butter, so the fudge did not turn out with the best consistency. However, it tasted really good, so I couldn't let it go to waste... so I dipped it in chocolate and made some chocolate covered peanut butter treats out of them instead. :) 

Have fun checking out the others in the Secret Recipe Club group C as they make some amazing culinary treats! 

Lemon Meringue Bars

Yummy note:

The other night I was hungry for lemon meringue pie, but really didn't want to make a whole big pie. For some reason, no one else really would probably eat the pie with me in my house and I'd have to eat the entire thing! So I opted to make a different variety of the lemon meringue pie by converting it into bars. I had the same flavors as if it was in the pie format-- a graham cracker buttery crust, tart lemony pie filling, and of course, ooey, gooey roasted marshmallow meringue-like topping. The bar format wasn't exactly portable, as I had to use a fork for a few of the times I ate them, but it was still really tasty, not to mention easy to throw together. So Lemon Meringue Bars were born. This was one of those late night creations I made, so I unfortunately didn't have a ton of pictures to go. Enjoy this summery treat. 

Lemon Meringue Bars 

Ingredients:

Crust: 

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

6 tablespoons butter, melted

4 tablespoons sugar

Filling: 

1 can of Lemon Pie Filling

Topping: 

about 2-3 cups of mini marshmallows 

(or enough to just give it a nice even single layer across the pie filling)

Directions:

Mix crust ingredients together and press in the bottom of an 8x8 inch pan that has been sprayed or lined with parchment paper for easy removal of the bars.  Bake at 350 for maybe 5-8 minutes just enough to start to set up the graham cracker crust. Pour over the can of lemon pie filling and place marshmallows on top to completely cover the lemon filling. Bake again for another 10-15 minutes or until marshmallows start to get a golden brown color. If the oven is not turning it to the golden brown you'd like, you could also put it in the boiler for a few minutes to speed up the process. Next, set aside and chill the lemon meringue bars before cutting.