There was a time, in my childhood, during which my parents chose to go without a microwave. I know--hippies!
As a result, I became exceedingly adept at cooking everything with the toaster--for instance, putting foil on top of the toaster oven and heating up microwave pizza using the heat rising from inside of the toaster. Totally not a fire hazard at all.
These days, now that I have a microwave of my very own, I really want you to know that I appreciate its presence very much and strive to honor it whenever possible. And what bigger tribute to la belle microwave than making delicious microwave fudge? This is a riff on a recipe I found on Allrecipes.com, but I made the executive decision to use half and half instead of milk (good idea) and to add a healthy dose of peanut butter chips for added rich deliciousness. Here's how you make some microwave magic at home:
Microwave Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Fudge
- 4 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
- 1/2 cup half and half, divided
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup peanut butter chip morsels, divided into 1/2 and 1/4 cup
Procedure
- Line an 8x8-inch or 9x9-inch pyrex pan with parchment paper or waxed paper.
- In a large microwave safe bowl, stir together the confectioners' sugar and cocoa. Pour 1/4 cup of the half and half over the mixture and place butter in bowl. Do not mix (it will be too thick to mix, anyway). Microwave on high until butter is melted, about 2 minutes. Stir in the vanilla and 1/2 cup of the peanut butter morsels. Stir vigorously until smooth. You can also put the mixture into a stand mixer if that sounds exhausting. If your mixture is too dry, add up to 1/4 cup more half and half, a little at a time, until the mixture comes together in a fudge-like consistency.
- Spoon the mixture into your prepared pan and using a rubber spatula, spread the mixture so that it is evenly distributed. If desired, sprinkle the top with the remaining peanut butter morsel chips.
- Chill in the refrigerator for an hour, or the freezer for half an hour, before serving. Makes about 16 squares.