Buckeye Fudge Candy Recipe (2024)

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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!

Buckeye Fudge Candy Recipe (1)

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!

Table of Contents

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 FudgeRecipeare 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 (2)

Must Have Resources:

When making Buckeye Fudgeat 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 Candy Recipe (3)

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 Candy Recipe (4)

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

Buckeye Fudge Candy Recipe (5)

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. Buckeye Fudge Candy Recipe (6)

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. Buckeye Fudge Candy Recipe (7)
  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: 30Serving 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?

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Buckeye Fudge Candy Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is Buckeye candy made of? ›

Buckeyes are a confection made from a peanut butter fudge partially dipped in chocolate to leave a circle of peanut butter visible. Buckeyes are similar to peanut butter balls (or peanut-butter-filled chocolate balls), which are completely covered in chocolate.

Can you leave Buckeyes out? ›

How to Store Buckeyes. Buckeyes are fine to sit out at room temperature on holiday cookie plates for up to 24 hours, though if you're keeping them around for longer than that, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator where they'll stay fresh for up to 2 weeks. Buckeyes also freeze super well.

Why won t my peanut butter fudge harden? ›

The main reason is that your Fudge has not reached the optimum temperature. If your mixture only reaches 110 or 112 degrees Celsius it will always be soft. That's why we recommend investing in a sugar thermometer.

Why is it called buckeye candy? ›

The buckeye candy resembles the nut of the buckeye tree, with a shiny, dark brown exterior and light brown "eye." The story goes that buckeye's name came from Native Americans who thought the glossy, chestnut-brown seed resembled the eye of, you guessed it, a buck (that's a male deer, for you city folk).

Are raw buckeyes edible? ›

The seeds of yellow buckeye are poisonous to humans if eaten raw. Native Americans detoxified the seeds with a roasting procedure using hot rocks. Bookbinders have benefitted from the toxic properties of buckeye.

Why is fudge so hard to make? ›

Conversely, if the cooking time is too brief and there is not enough evaporation, too much water will remain and the fudge will be too soft. A temperature of 112°C to 114°C (234°F to 237°F) must be maintained. This will ensure the fudge has the ideal concentration of water and sugar. Fudge is difficult to make.

What makes high quality fudge? ›

You have to control two temperatures to make successful fudge: the cooking temperature AND the temperature at which the mixture cools before stirring to make it crystallize. Confectionery experiments have shown that the ideal cooking temperature for fudge is around 114 to 115 °C (237 to 239 °F).

Why do you carry a buckeye in your pocket? ›

Carrying buckeye seed is an old custom. They were carried as a folk remedy to ward off rheumatism, hemorrhoids and other assorted ailments. But mostly, it was considered a lucky charm. An old saying went, “You'll never find a dead man with a buckeye in his pocket.”

Why are my buckeyes dry? ›

To avoid a dry, crumby dough . . .

Mix together the peanut butter and butter first, and then stir in the powdered sugar one cup at a time, until you reach the right consistency. Usually about 3 cups of powdered sugar will do for approximately 1 1/2-2 cups of peanut butter.

Why do people keep buckeyes? ›

During September, buckeyes, which are large, shiny brown seeds, can be found underneath Aesculus trees. According to legend, carrying a pocketful of buckeyes brings good luck. Early Native Americans called these seeds buckeyes for their resemblance to the eyes of male deer, known as bucks.

What ingredient makes fudge Harden? ›

It sounds like your fudge simply wasn't heated enough. Fudge is basically a superconcentrated syrup, and it sets when sugar dissolved in the water (from the butter and milk) comes out of solution as the mixture cools and forms crystals.

Why did my fudge turn out like caramel? ›

Fudge can turn into caramel due to overcooking or undercooking, incorrect temperatures, or wrong ingredients.

How do you make fudge more solid? ›

How do you fix fudge that is too soft? Bring the fudge back to a boil with 1–2 US tbsp (15–30 ml) of cream. If your fudge is soft or runny, it probably didn't come up to a high enough temperature while it was cooking. Put it back into the saucepan and add 1–2 US tbsp (15–30 ml) of 35% fat whipping cream.

What does buckeye taste like? ›

The Buckeye is more like Reese's peanut butter cup than a peanut butter ball. The peanut butter center is surrounded by a thin chocolate shell, then covered in thick chocolate.

What is inside a buckeye? ›

Chocolate buckeyes are peanut butter bonbons partially dipped in chocolate. Part of the light-colored filling is left un-coated giving the candy the appearance of a buckeye nut. While the buckeye nut is poisonous, the buckeye treat is delicious.

What kind of fruit is a buckeye? ›

The term “buckeye” can refer to both a tree and its fruit. In the context of the tree, a Buckeye refers to a species belonging to the Aesculus genus, characterized by its palmately compound leaves and showy flowers. On the other hand, the Buckeye nut, or horse chestnut, is the fruit of the Buckeye tree.

Are chestnuts and buckeyes the same thing? ›

The buckeyes and horse chestnut are not related to the edible chestnut (Castanea spp. Plant Family Hippocastanaceae Habitat Generally prefer rich moist soils, woodlands, etc., but some species have adapted to drier conditions. Horse chestnuts are frequently planted as ornamental shade trees.

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