This fudge is simple to make and combines the delicious flavor of chocolate and peanut butter! Vegan friendly and is less sweet than traditional fudge.

To me, my grandma was the best cook. I would watch her in in the kitchen and was amazed by her ability. She never measured, but instead made everything by sight, feel, and taste. One of my favorite things she used to make was peanut butter fudge. It was truly the best I’ve ever had. It consisted of sugar, cocoa, and milk, which she cooked in a pot until until it reached the “soft ball” stage. She tested it by dropping a spoonful of the fudge mixture into a cup of cold water. She’d pinch it together with her fingers and if it held together in a soft, pliable ball, the fudge was done. Then she beat in some butter and vanilla, then the peanut butter. She wouldn’t mix the peanut butter in all the way though, leaving thick swirls marbled into the fudge.

Those were obviously my favorite parts! 😋

I make her fudge from time to time, but as it’s mostly made of sugar, I find it’s a little too sweet for my taste these days. So, whenever I get a craving for grandma’s fudge, I make a version of this easy dairy-free fudge instead, which uses chocolate chips over sugar and cocoa. It makes the fudge much more chocolatey and less sweet. Plus, if you use coconut milk and dairy-free chocolate chips, the fudge is completely dairy-free and vegan friendly.

This fudge at room temperature is pretty soft, (my fave!) but I keep it stored in an airtight container in the fridge, which keeps it firm. You can eat it cold or leave it out for 15–20 minutes until it becomes softer. Either way, it’s delish!

I hope you give it a try and enjoy it for yourself!

Chocolate and Peanut Butter Swirl Fudge

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Author: Joscelyn Abreu
Yield: 18 squares 1x

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Description

This fudge is simple to make and combines the delicious flavor of chocolate and peanut butter! Vegan friendly and is less sweet than traditional fudge.

Ingredients

Scale

Chocolate Fudge:

2 cups chopped semi-sweet chocolate or chocolate chips
1/2 cup natural peanut butter or almond butter (or other nut/seed butter)
1/3 cup full-fat canned coconut milk
1–2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey
pinch of salt

Peanut Butter Swirl:

1/4 cup natural peanut butter
2 tablespoons coconut oil or regular/dairy-free butter, melted (use refined coconut oil for less coconut flavor)
1–2 teaspoons maple syrup, to taste

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Instructions

Line a 9×5 loaf pan with parchment paper and set aside.
In a small bowl, stir together peanut butter, melted coconut oil, and maple syrup until smooth. If it doesn’t come together easily, heat in the microwave for 15–20 seconds, then stir until smooth. Set aside while preparing the chocolate mixture.
Place chocolate chips, peanut butter, coconut milk, maple syrup, and salt into a medium pot and place on the stove over low heat. Cook over very low heat, stirring often, until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is creamy. Alternatively, you can place everything into a heat safe bowl and heat in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds, until chocolate is completely melted. Careful not to over heat the chocolate, or it can become grainy.
Pour half of the chocolate mixture into prepared pan. Place a few teaspoons of the peanut butter mixture over the chocolate and use a knife to swirl together. Spread the rest of the chocolate on top and swirl in the remaining peanut butter mixture.
Chill fudge in the fridge or freezer for 1–2 hours, or until firm.
Cut into squares using a sharp knife and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer until ready to eat.
To serve, let sit at room temperature for a few minutes, just until slightly softened.

Category: Vegan, Dessert, Dairy-Free

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Fluffy and creamy vanilla buttercream that’s mildly sweetened and can easily be made dairy-free/vegan!

Years ago, when my kiddos were little, I made specialty cakes for birthdays, weddings, etc, to earn a little extra money as a stay at home mom. I was constantly testing new recipes looking for the perfect cake and frostings for my customers. I’ve always been a cake person, but I’m that person who eats the cake and leaves the glob of frosting on the plate. I’m usually not a big fan of buttercream because often times it’s too sickenly sweet for my liking.

I stumbled upon a recipe for swiss meringue buttercream and fell in love! I had finally found THE go-to buttercream which wasn’t as sweet as the powdered sugar version. The base was made from egg whites, which were whipped to cloud-like perfection. You would then add the butter and beat until fluffy. It was the best…but what about those who had an egg allergy or were vegan?

I’ve been trying to come up with a vegan friendly swiss meringue-like buttercream for a while now. I even tried using whipped aquafaba, which is the vegan version of meringue made from the liquid of canned chickpeas. Yeah, that was a fail. Aside from the weird bean flavor, the “meringue” broke as soon as I added the butter and could never be salvaged.

I somehow came across a technique for emulsifying butter with liquid sugar and after a few failed attempts and some tweaks, I not only figured out a way to make it work, but was even able to make it vegan friendly!

The only problem using dairy-free ingredients is that vegan butter is usually salted. That doesn’t add a good flavor to buttercream, so when making the vegan version, I use less butter and more shortening. If you’re able to use real unsalted butter though, it tastes even better.

I’ve made this several times and it’s almost fool proof. The trick is to beat the butter/shortening really well in the beginning so that it’s creamy and lump free. Then add the sugar syrup very slowly while beating so that the emulsion doesn’t break. Even if it does, it has always come back together for me when you continue to beat it on high for several minutes.

What results is a silky smooth buttercream that’s mildly sweetened and pipes like a dream! I find it best if working in a cool, not hot, environment so that it doesn’t melt. It also holds up well when kept at a cool room temperature for a couple of days.

They’re perfect paired with these Simple Vanilla Cupcakes with Fresh Berries too!

I hope you get a chance to give this a try! I also included a couple of my other buttercreams below, so be sure to check those out as well! Enjoy!