Peanut Butter Maple Fudge

It's only natural you'll love this fudge made with pure maple syrup and natural peanut butter.

Health benefits of real maple syrup are far more comprehensive than you might expect. The only product in our diet coming directly from a plant's sap, this natural sweetener features over 54 antioxidants that can help delay or prevent diseases caused by free radicals, such as cancer or diabetes. In addition, maple syrup features high levels of zinc and manganese, keeping the heart healthy and boosting the immune system.

Recipe Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups pure maple syrup
3/4 cup milk
4 tablespoons crunchy natural peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup chopped peanuts (optional)

Cooking Directions:

1. Mix syrup and milk together in a large saucepan. Boil mixture on high heat without stirring until it reaches 238°F (115°C) on a candy thermometer (soft ball stage). This will take 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat and cool.
2. Mix peanut butter, vanilla, salt and peanuts together. Beat peanut butter into cooled syrup/milk with a wooden spoon until it loses its gloss. Pat fudge into buttered 8-inch square baking pan and smooth with the back of the spoon.
3. Mark it into squares and let it cool several hours before cutting into 1-inch squares, if desired.

Makes 64 (1-inch) squares.

Tip: The soft-ball stage is a test for candy that describes the point at which a drop of boiling syrup immersed in cold water forms a soft ball that flattens of its own accord when removed. On a candy thermometer, the soft-ball stage is between 234° and 240°F (approximately 115°C).