Today, we’re kicking off our annual month of chocolate desserts with soft, delicious fudge that only requires four pantry ingredients. Bonus: It’s vegan! (Wouldn’t it make a great gift?) Monique of Ambitious Kitchen shares her recipe…
Chocolate and Peanut Butter Freezer Fudge
by Monique Volz of Ambitious Kitchen
I love that this recipe literally takes five minutes to assemble, then you’ll just stick it in the freezer until the fudge hardens a bit — usually, about 10 to 15 minutes. Then boom! Dessert is served. A low sugar, high-protein treat that you’ll want to make every week.
Recipe: Four-Ingredient Freezer Fudge
Serves 18 squares
You’ll need:
For the peanut butter layer:
1/2 cup drippy peanut butter
1/3 cup coconut butter
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
For the chocolate layer:
1/2 cup drippy peanut butter
1/3 cup coconut butter
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder (or raw cacao powder)
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
Optional: Coarse sea salt, for sprinkling on top
Line an 8 x 4 inch loaf pan with parchment paper (this makes it easy to remove the fudge from the pan later).
To make the peanut butter layer, mix together peanut butter, coconut butter and maple syrup in a medium bowl. Mix until smooth.
To make the chocolate layer, mix together peanut butter, coconut butter, cocoa powder and maple syrup in a medium bowl. Mix until combined and smooth.
Add the chocolate fudge layer to the loaf pan, spreading toward the sides. Tap the pan on the counter a few times to get any air bubbles out and help distribute the layer evenly.
Next add the peanut butter layer on top. Use a rubber spatula to gently spread toward the edges of the pan, being careful not to mix with the chocolate layer. Place in the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the fudge hardens.
Once the fudge has hardened, remove from the pan and allow to sit at room temperature for 5 minutes before cutting into squares. Do not leave out at room temperature for more than 10 to 15 minutes at a time.
How to properly store fudge: Place cut squares in a plastic baggie or container and freeze for up to three months.
Thank you so much, Monique!
P.S. More recipes, including chocolate dipped peanut butter cookies (with pretzels!), and three-ingredient butter cookies.
(Recipe by Monique Volz. Photos by Sarah Fennel of Broma Bakery. Thanks to Stella Blackmon for helping with this series.)
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A few words of advice for those who (like me) have not previously made fudge: even though heat is not mentioned here, you will probably need to heat both the peanut butter and the chocolate mixtures in order to melt the coconut butter (or the coconut butter won’t mix in, though maybe I was too impatient. Seemed like it would take a looooot if mixing without heat). I did this by incrementally hearing them in the microwave. The peanut butter mixture ended up a pourable liquid, and the chocolate mixture I heated till it was soft and spreadable, though it was solid enough that it had little cracks in it when I spread it. I wouldn’t recommend going crazy on the heating or you will have to freeze the finished product forever for it to solidify. I put it in the freezer for about 35-40 minutes, till it looked solid, but found when I cut it that only the edges were solid and the middle was still too soft to come out and retain its shape, so it is currently in the freezer for a bit longer. I assume if I had not heated The mixture the 10-15 mins recommended in the freezer would have been sufficient, but again am not confident the coconut butter would have mixed in. at any rate, the end result tastes good!
OMG! I would lost my mind and eat all the recipe in one day! *_*
http://www.fine-alchemy.blogspot.com
Is it acceptable and substitute-able to use honey instead of maple syrup?
is coconut butter different from coconut oil?
I have the exact same question!
Also, do you use unsweetened peanut butter (like the organic kind) or the regular kind?
Yay for paleo-primal, real-food, simple recipes!
What’s the difference between coconut butter and coconut oil?
This sounds so good! I use cacao in my smoothies, but is the chocolate flavor strong? I like that it doesn’t have a lot of added sugar though!
Reminds me of this dreamy (and so, so easy to make) vegan-ish chocolate pie from Pinch of Yum.
https://pinchofyum.com/vegan-chocolate-pie
Yaaaay thank you for the vegan recipe :) Can’t wait to try it!
Damn it, now I have to make and eat this!
And by damn it, I mean YESSSS!!!!!
I can’t find coconut butter in my store. Is there a substitute for it? Or can I use coconut oil?
Looks delicious! I haven’t heard of coconut butter. Definitely will be making this for the holidays.
Could I just microwave my regular peanut butter to make it drippy or do I need to buy special peanut butter?
This looks sooo tasty but unfortunately I have a coconut allergy! Any ideas for coconut butter substitutes that are still healthy?
Palm shortening maybe?
Yes! More vegan/dairy-free recipes! I make a “fudge” very similar to this with just peanut butter, raw cocoa powder, honey, and coconut oil. The first couple of times I made it, it felt too rich, and now my husband and I eat multiple spoonfuls of it for dessert! It’s practically healthy. ;) I’ll be trying out this version!
Yum! I wonder if these would be good with PB2 to make them an even healthier treat…
Yum! I’m going to try this out!
Coconut butter is actually easy to make; here’s a recipe:
http://reallifedelicious.com/life-coconut-butter/
I always have hard time baking vegan goods! I will give a try of this one.
Excited to make this but not sure about coconut butter or “drippy” peanut butter. Any recommendations or clarifications?
Trader Joe’s has great organic “drippy” pb! :)
I was thinking drippy PB might be like when you buy organic or natural and there is separation… it tends to be drippier than something like Jiff, even after you stir to combine the oil and peanuts.
Agreed – confused on what drippy pb is
Kroger’s Simple Truth creamy peanut butter is also pretty drippy. :D
You could probably add some type of oil (vegetable, sunflower, canola, avocado, etc.) to your pb if it’s too thick to be spreadable.
I would make this with sun butter since my son has a severe nut allergy.
Ooooh yum! I would add a layer of melted enjoy life chocolate chips on top to make it extra chocolatey!
This looks amazing and I love that it’s made w/o refined sugar!
I’d love to know if there is a specific brand of coconut butter Monique recommends. They seem to vary widely in consistency and taste.
Still too much sugar for me (#dibeetusssss), but it looks simple and delicious! Maybe I’ll make them for someone and just smell my kitchen! haha
what is drippy peanut butter?
Utterly by accident I discovered that Trader Joe’s natural peanut butter is incredibly drippy.
Does anyone have a suggestion for a good drippy peanut butter? :-) Also, where can you find coconut butter?
You can find it at amazon and even some chain grocery stores are carrying it now. This is the brand I like https://www.vitacost.com/artisana-organics-coconut-butter
Help- that link goes to coconut butter. Anyone know what drippy peanut butter is?
Crazy Richard’s peanut butter is available online and is quite drippy. :)
Yum! I’m so happy to see you feature a vegan recipe : )
Me too! This just made my day!
Weeeeeee! Me too!!! A vegan recipe on my favourite blog – week made :)
Yes! More vegan recipes please :)
Yes! Please do more vegan recipes! :)
What in the world is coconut butter? I’ve not heard of this. Looks yum!
I had the same question! Looks like you can make it: https://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2011/01/26/make-your-own-coconut-butter/
Or buy it.
This is the brand I like! https://www.vitacost.com/artisana-organics-coconut-butter