Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge

This recipe is one of the first recipes on this blog, and one I still love very much to this day... because it's hard not to love the chocolate & peanut butter combo, right? I created it while in the mood for a brownie of sorts, but also in the mood for something quick & easy, rich and chocolatey, and with no-baking (as with brownies) or standing over the stove (as with fudge) required because it was super hot, and this chocolate peanut butter fudge didn't disappoint. It's super easy to throw together, wholesome ingredients, and all the chocolate!

I also love how versatile it is. You can play around with a lot of the things going on here. For instance:

• make it fully raw fudge by using a raw sweetener (like raw coconut nectar, agave, etc.) and raw cacao powder (instead of cocoa powder)
• make it (vegan) paleo-friendly fudge by using roasted almond butter or coconut butter (manna)
• top it with other toppings, like hemp seeds, chocolate drizzle, chopped nuts, or a peanut butter drizzle
• make it coconut-free by using cacao butter instead of coconut oil
• make it nut-free by using a seed butter (sunflower seed, tahini, etc.) or go with the coconut butter suggestion
• make it oil-free by using avocado instead of the coconut oil -- this is one I have not yet tried myself, but one of my readers shared it worked well for her in comments, and I can totally see it working
• don't like peanut butter? Try it with cashew butter, pecan, hazelnut, almond, etc. butter of your choice
• kick it up a notch by adding a pinch of chili powder, or maybe spice things up with a dash of cinnamon...

You get the gist... Lots of room to modify it to your needs and create a delicious dessert out of stuff already in your pantry any time. My kind of recipe! Just keep in mind that as you swap things around you might need to adjust the flavors a little to your taste (as some nut butters, like peanut and cashew, are naturally sweeter, for example).

But I do hope you give the original chocolate peanut butter fudge recipe a try (if you can, of course), because there's no beating that richness and flavor in this treat in my opinion.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge (Vegan + Gluten-Free)

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★★★★★ 5 from 7 reviews

• Author: Audrey @ Unconventional Baker
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Total Time: 10 minutes
• Yield: 9 squares
• Category: Chocolate
• Method: No-Bake
• Cuisine: Dessert

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Description

Sweet, creamy fudge made with peanut butter and topped with crunchy cacao nibs. A quick & easy freezer recipe! Dairy-free and gluten-free, with paleo & nut-free option.

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Ingredients

Brownie Fudge Base:

• 1 ½ cups smooth natural peanut butter*
• ½ cup cocoa powder
• ½ cup maple syrup
• 6 tbsp unsweetened non-dairy milk
• 3 tbsp coconut oil, liquefied**
• 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract
• ¼ tsp salt

Toppings:

• ¼ cup raw cacao nibs

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Instructions

1. Make sure all ingredients are at room temperature before getting started***. Place all brownie fudge base ingredients in a food processor and process until a smooth mixture forms.
2. Line a small freezer-safe container (I used a 6 × 6" container, but anything of a similar size will do) with some parchment paper. Transfer the mixture into the container and spread it into an even layer.
3. Sprinkle with cacao nibs on top. Cover container and freeze for 4 hours to set (or overnight). Cut into squares and enjoy! Keep the brownie fudge in the freezer until serving time.

Notes

*Cashew butter works great in these brownies, as does hazelnut butter, pecan butter, almond butter, etc. And you can use a seed butter if you prefer for a nut-free option. Though keep in mind that you might need to adjust the sweetness depending on the type of butter you use as they all lend their unique flavor and sweetness level to the recipe (peanut butter and cashew butter are naturally on the sweeter side of nut butters).

**You can also use non-dairy butter if you prefer, just add less salt to the recipe if that's the case, since most non-dairy butters tend to be on the salty side.

***You want the ingredients to be room temp, and neither too cold (as that can make your mixture seize up due to the cold making the coconut oil solidify in the food processor) nor too hot (as that can make the mixture chunk up and become separated due to the maple syrup getting inadvertently cooked). So make sure your syrup and non-dairy milk aren't straight from the fridge and that your coconut oil isn't super hot for best results.