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Buckeye Fudge Candy Recipe

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This Buckeye Fudge Candy Recipe is a much easier version of the classic Christmas candy, Buckeyes.  My 12-year-old did the biggest bulk of this easy fudge recipe and it was a major hit.

It is like a creamy peanut butter fudge with a delicious top layer of chocolate!

easy and delicious buckeye fudge

Trust me, you will be adding this Buckeye Fudge to your Christmas Candy making list for sure.

A million years ago, when Ricky and I first started dating.  Well, we were about 2 months in. Anyway, I didn’t feel well. So, I was at his house, lying in his waterbed while he sat on the floor wrapping my Christmas presents.  His Momma had made Christmas candy and brought us each a piece. I had never seen these chocolate peanut butter balls before. Oh my word! The Buckeye candy instantly became my all-time favorite Christmas Candy!

Flash forward a few years.  We were married, I had children, I had my family Christmas Candy recipes down pat. I wanted Buckeye Candy and his Momma didn’t make it!  So, I called my Mother-in-Law, got her recipe, and went to town.  Three attempts later, I was still making these lumpy weird things. Apparently, I am not good at coating things with chocolate. I gave up.

Until…. wait.

I could get that same classic Buckeyes deliciousness without having to coat anything?  Nearly 20 years into this marriage and I now have my very own Buckeye recipe – except, this is fudge and it is phenomenal!  Even better than that? It is a super easy recipe!  Really, the hardest part is probably when you get to the peanut butter mixture and have to stir until smooth.  My arms got a little tired, but that is because I am lazy. LOL!

Specialty Ingredients:

The following ingredients are affiliate links on Amazon because they may be a bit hard to find in your normal store.  I wanted you to be able to see exactly which things we are using.

Sweetened Condensed Milk – I feel like this recipe ends up being all sugar. So, be aware, it is super rich… but oh so good.

Powdered Sugar – while the recipe only calls for 3 cups, be prepared to have more on hand. You are wanting to make an almost dough-like substance.  For me, I had to do 4.5 cups to get the right thickness that I could “press” instead of just pouring out the peanut butter layer.  Just make sure to add the powdered sugar a 1/2 cup at a time until the right consistency is reached.

Chocolate Chips – while this recipe calls for semi-sweet chocolate, you can change the entire thing by changing the chocolate.  Try dark chocolate, milk chocolate, or even white chocolate for a completely different dessert.

Vanilla Extract – The chocoholic in me will never understand why vanilla gets added to chocolate, but it really does enhance the fudge layer so much!

Reminder, not all ingredients in the Buckeye Fudge Recipe are linked above, just the ones that may be a bit difficult to find or that you might be unsure of what to look for.

Buckeye Fudge Candy Recipe

Must Have Resources:

When making Buckeye Fudge at home, you really need to have the following Amazon affiliate tools on hand.

Parchment Paper

Microwave Safe Bowl

9 x 13 Glass Dish

You can get a cake pedestal like the one pictured from Etsy.  Here is my affiliate link to the Cake Stand.

Buckeye Fudge Christmas Candy Dessert Recipe

Best Fudge Recipes:

Once you make this Buckeye Fudge Recipe, the kids are going to love it so much that they are going to start asking for even more fudge recipes.  Don’t fret! I have picked out the best homemade fudge recipes for you to try. ?

This Slow Cooker Fudge from Rainy Day Mum is going to be a game changer for your Christmas Candy making day!

You are going to love this Fudge Pie recipe from Simply Stacie!

I love this Homemade Hot Fudge Sauce from Crystal and Comp

buckeye fudge is the perfect Christmas candy recipe

More Peanut Butter and Chocolate Recipes:

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Fudge and Peanut Butter Poke Cake from Crystal and Comp

Reese’s Brownies

Homemade Peanut Butter Cups from Ruffles and Rain Boots

No Bake Peanut Butter & Chocolate Sandwich Cookies

easy and delicious buckeye fudge

Buckeye Fudge Recipe

Yield: 30 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 2 minutes
Chill Time: 4 hours
Total Time: 4 hours 22 minutes

Delicious, sweetened peanut butter layered with semi-sweet chocolate create a rich dessert that tastes like Buckeyes without the mess, double boiler, or dipping!

Ingredients

PEANUT BUTTER LAYER INGREDIENTS

  • 1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter
  • 1 cup butter or margarine, 2 sticks
  • 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar, have more on hand, just in case

CHOCOLATE FUDGE LAYER INGREDIENTS

  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 11 oz bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
  • 2 T butter or margarine

Instructions

PEANUT BUTTER LAYER DIRECTIONS

  1. Line a 9 x 13 pan with parchment paper and set aside.
  2. In a medium microwave safe bowl, add the peanut butter, 2 sticks of butter, and powdered sugar. Microwave on HIGH in 35 second intervals, stirring after each interval, until completely melted and smooth. Remove from microwave.
  3. Scoop the melted peanut butter mixture into the parchment lined pan. Press it out evenly with the back of a spoon or your fingers. Press peanut butter into pan

CHOCOLATE FUDGE LAYER DIRECTIONS

  1. Add the chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk, and 2 tablespoons of butter to a medium microwave safe bowl. Microwave on HIGH in 35 second intervals, stirring after each interval, until completely melted and smooth.
  2. Remove from microwave and stir in the vanilla extract
  3. Scoop the melted chocolate on top of the peanut butter layer and spread out evenly with a spatula. Press melted chocolate
  4. Chill for 4 hours to allow the fudge to set.
  5. Cut into squares before serving and ENJOY!!

Notes

NOTE: To keep your buckeye fudge the freshest, cover with wax paper, foil or plastic wrap and store in a cool, dry place. I prefer to store mine in the refrigerator but you can keep it at room temperature, also. In addition, this fudge freezes really well (for up to 3 months).

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 30 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 259Total Fat: 17gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 21mgSodium: 126mgCarbohydrates: 26gFiber: 1gSugar: 23gProtein: 4g

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Pinterest

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Janelle

Monday 27th of February 2023

Does the vanilla extract go into the peanut butter layer or the chocolate layer?

Kelli Miller

Tuesday 18th of April 2023

Chocolate. It is step 2 in the chocolate layer

Steph

Thursday 22nd of December 2022

I just made these. They taste yummy, but on many of them the chocolate top separated from the peanut butter bottom. Do you know what would cause that to happen?

Kelli Miller

Wednesday 25th of October 2023

I'm glad to hear you enjoyed the taste of the Buckeye Fudge Candy! As for the separation issue, it could be due to the temperature difference between the chocolate and peanut butter layers when they're combined. Ensure both layers are at room temperature before assembling. Also, chilling the peanut butter layer before adding the chocolate can help.

Joanne

Tuesday 7th of December 2021

We love buckeyes! This fudge looks amazing.

Kippi

Friday 4th of January 2019

Yum, I love those buckeye balls, but rolling and dipping them can take awhile so this recipe I have to try. Thank you for sharing it. Happy New New, Kippi

Kippi

Thursday 3rd of January 2019

Yum, I just pinned this great looking recipe. Happy New Year, Kippi

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