With that said, they could also be called Fudgy Cookie Bars. But if you had the option of tasting fudge or a cookie bar which would you pick? Right! And that's why they are called fudge. Seriously, this sweet has some heft and some cookie-ish-ness to its profile (thought I'd be up front with this news). Hereafter though, I am going to refer to this recipe's end product as fudge...because it looks like fudge, tastes a lot like fudge, and your enthusiasm will go a long way to convince others that it is fudge.
Notes:
1. I used butter rather than coconut oil, but I plan on remaking again soon to see the difference. I did not add any extra salt because the butter was salted.
2. I used natural ground peanut butter which is not so smooth. I thought the finished product had a more granular appearance. The taste was not affected, however. I would like to try the almond butter next time since really smooth peanut butter has more than peanuts on the ingredient list.
3. To toast the pecans, I used a cast iron skillet and my stove top (no need to turn on the oven). With the pecans in the skillet, using medium heat, I had toasted nuts in about 7 minutes. Remember to give the nuts a stir or two and keep your eye on their progress. Depending on your heat, they can go from fragrant to burnt quickly :(
3. I used honey rather than maple syrup this time around. So many reasons to make this again!!
4. The heated mixture goes into the prepared pan easily and was fairly easy to spread with an offset spatula.
5. I used a 9-inch square pan. After spreading the fudge into the pan, I refrigerated for about 3-4 hours before lifting out and slicing.
Slightly Healthy Salted Oat Fudge
(mentor recipe here)
Yield: 3 dozen, but dependent upon size of cut
3/4 cup natural ground peanut butter
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup honey
4 tablespoons butter, cut into cubes
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 and 3/4 cups of oats, ground into flour
1 cup pecans or other nuts, chopped up a bit or whole
Flaky sea salt for sprinkling on the top (optional)
Directions
1. Toast your pecans, using either the method noted above or in the mentor recipe.
2. After toasting, spread the nuts on a cutting board and allow to cool. Then chop into small pieces.
3. Prepare your square baking pan. Cut two strips of parchment paper to fit across the bottom of the pan with enough extra length to be able to fold the strips up the sides. These will help lift the fudge out of the pan.
Notes:
1. I used butter rather than coconut oil, but I plan on remaking again soon to see the difference. I did not add any extra salt because the butter was salted.
2. I used natural ground peanut butter which is not so smooth. I thought the finished product had a more granular appearance. The taste was not affected, however. I would like to try the almond butter next time since really smooth peanut butter has more than peanuts on the ingredient list.
3. To toast the pecans, I used a cast iron skillet and my stove top (no need to turn on the oven). With the pecans in the skillet, using medium heat, I had toasted nuts in about 7 minutes. Remember to give the nuts a stir or two and keep your eye on their progress. Depending on your heat, they can go from fragrant to burnt quickly :(
3. I used honey rather than maple syrup this time around. So many reasons to make this again!!
4. The heated mixture goes into the prepared pan easily and was fairly easy to spread with an offset spatula.
5. I used a 9-inch square pan. After spreading the fudge into the pan, I refrigerated for about 3-4 hours before lifting out and slicing.
Slightly Healthy Salted Oat Fudge
(mentor recipe here)
Yield: 3 dozen, but dependent upon size of cut
3/4 cup natural ground peanut butter
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup honey
4 tablespoons butter, cut into cubes
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 and 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 and 3/4 cups of oats, ground into flour
1 cup pecans or other nuts, chopped up a bit or whole
Flaky sea salt for sprinkling on the top (optional)
Directions
1. Toast your pecans, using either the method noted above or in the mentor recipe.
2. After toasting, spread the nuts on a cutting board and allow to cool. Then chop into small pieces.
3. Prepare your square baking pan. Cut two strips of parchment paper to fit across the bottom of the pan with enough extra length to be able to fold the strips up the sides. These will help lift the fudge out of the pan.
4. Prepare your oat flour, if necessary. Place the oats into a processor and blend until you have a fine flour.
5. Prepare the fudge. In a medium-sized sauce pan, combine the peanut butter, chocolate chips, honey, butter, and cinnamon. Stir until the mixture is melted and thoroughly combined. Remove pot from heat.
6. Stir the vanilla extract into the pot.
7. Then add the oat flour and stir.
8. Add in the toasted and chopped nuts. Stir. The mixture will be thick by now.
9. Drop the fudge into your prepared baking pan. Use an offset spatula to move the fudge across the pan to level it. If you wish, sprinkle the top with some flakes of sea salt.
10. Cover with saran and chill a couple hours or longer.
11. When ready to serve, remove from refrigerator, lift fudge out of pan, and place on a cutting board.
12. Use a chef's knife (or one with some blade length) to slice the fudge into rows and columns according to your size needs. Mine were about 1" x 1.5" rectangles.
13. Leftovers keep nicely in the refrigerator for a week (or longer). They can be eaten cold or allowed to come to room temperature. Either way, they are a keeper!
5. Prepare the fudge. In a medium-sized sauce pan, combine the peanut butter, chocolate chips, honey, butter, and cinnamon. Stir until the mixture is melted and thoroughly combined. Remove pot from heat.
6. Stir the vanilla extract into the pot.
7. Then add the oat flour and stir.
8. Add in the toasted and chopped nuts. Stir. The mixture will be thick by now.
9. Drop the fudge into your prepared baking pan. Use an offset spatula to move the fudge across the pan to level it. If you wish, sprinkle the top with some flakes of sea salt.
10. Cover with saran and chill a couple hours or longer.
11. When ready to serve, remove from refrigerator, lift fudge out of pan, and place on a cutting board.
12. Use a chef's knife (or one with some blade length) to slice the fudge into rows and columns according to your size needs. Mine were about 1" x 1.5" rectangles.
13. Leftovers keep nicely in the refrigerator for a week (or longer). They can be eaten cold or allowed to come to room temperature. Either way, they are a keeper!
