I was going through some old recipes the other day and came across this one for my grandma’s peanut butter fudge. It was locally known as “Freddie Fudge,” (my grandma’s name was Freddie), and she got asked to make it at least once a week by someone. She kept the recipe a secret for years, but eventually gave it out, although no one has ever been able to make it taste quite like hers!

One thing I do remember is that she always used Jif peanut butter, so I used it as well. My batch came out pretty close to what hers used to taste like, but it still wasn’t the exact same. Maybe it was just having the best grandma ever cooking it that made it taste so good!

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 1 16-oz jar peanut butter (I used creamy, but you can also use crunchy if you want some added texture from the peanuts)
• 1 cup milk
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 tbs vanilla extract

Start by bringing the sugar and milk to a rolling boil. You will need a larger size pot because the mixture will get frothy and “grow” as it boils.

After it comes to a rolling boil, turn the heat down to low-medium and keep boiling for about 10 minutes, whisking occasionally. You want the heat high enough for it to bubble the entire time, but not so high that it boils over.

Next remove the pot from the heat and whisk in the peanut butter and vanilla. Once the mixture is smooth and creamy, spread it evenly into a greased 13×9 dish.

Allow the fudge to cool completely – it will harden up as it cools.

Once it has completely cooled, cut it into small squares and serve!

These little squares are very rich and sweet, so I can usually just eat one, although my husband managed to eat four at one time!

Every time I take a bite of one of these, I’m 7 years old again standing in my grandma’s kitchen. I love how certain tastes and smells can take us back in time to when things seemed much simpler. I hope you and your family enjoy this recipe as much as we do!

Thanks y’all!

– Nikki