Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge

With an exception of mint + chocolate, I think peanut butter + chocolate is close to being the best combination of flavors for any dessert. Whether it's pie or candy, ice cream or fudge, it always hits the spot for me. I saw this recipe on MoneySavingMom and thought it would be easy enough for anyone to tackle (especially because you don't have to bake anything). However, unless you have a freezer handy, this might not be the best treat to make... details below.

So go to your pantry and grab these five ingredients:

1. 1 Cup of natural peanut butter

2. 4 Tablespoons of coconut oil

3. 1 1/2 Tablespoons of maple syrup

4. 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt

5. Dark chocolate chips

Start by lining an 8x8 pan with aluminum foil. I didn't have an 8x8 pan so I just roughly measured out how big that would be in my 9x11 pan.

Next, combine all of the ingredients (except for the chocolate chips) in a bowl until it's smooth and creamy.

Once it's ready, pour the mixture into your foil-lined pan.

Sprinkle your chocolate chips on top and stick in the freezer, not the refrigerator, for 2 hours.

Note: I didn't pre-cut any pieces so I'd recommend doing that maybe an hour into the cooling process. Otherwise, you might have a hard time cutting out the pieces (though the foil does help).

Ok, so here's my problem with them. I found that they melted quite quickly the second you remove them from the refrigerator (since coconut oil has a melting point of around 76 degrees) so keep them in the freezer in a plastic bag until you're ready to devour them. Seriously, I held one for less than 3 seconds and it was already melting onto my fingers. Quite messy but still delicious!

TOTAL COSTS: About $20
$2.79 for natural peanut butter from Vons (I recommend getting a brand new jar, since you'll be using most of it!)
$5.99 for coconut oil from Whole Foods
$8.49 for maple syrup from Vons (but it's 100% maple syrup, which is why it's pricey!)
$1.99 for sea salt from Vons
$2.50 for dark chocolate chips from Vons

TOTAL AMOUNT OF TIME: 2 hours, 15 minutes
15 minutes to combine ingredients and add foil to pan
2 hours to chill

EASY-PEASY SCALE (1 super easy - 5 very difficult): 1 out of 5
It's easy, it's relatively fast, and with the foil, you don't have to worry about cleaning up the pan after everyone has eaten it! Just... make sure, they're very cold before serving or switch out the coconut oil for another ingredient that won't make it melt so fast!