Hello and welcome to stressville. Our house offer was accepted this weekend and we’re in the midst of coordinating inspections, lawyer fees and contracts. I’m really excited though and for the most part I’ve been handling it like I normally would aka baking all the things and forgetting all about my real world responsibilities.
Anyway, while I’m off in la la land (and possibly taking a few days off from blogging), I wanted to give you a recipe for HEALTHY fudge. It’s real, dreamy and also tastes like the real deal. Plus only 4 ingredients are involved!
Tell me: Have you ever had a dreamy healthy fudge before?
I’m not sure if you remember, but last year I made an amazing cake batter fudge made with cashew butter, coconut butter and a few other scrumptious things. It was basically my go to dessert all summer because it only took a few minutes to make… and devour.
This version calls for coconut oil instead of coconut butter. It’s simple to make and basically tastes like a peanut butter cup.
I love that this recipe literally takes 5 minutes to make, then you’ll just stick it in the freezer until the fudge hardens a bit — usually this only takes about 10-15 minutes. Then boom! Dessert is served. A low sugar, high-protein treat that you’ll want to make every week. Promise.
Nom. Nom. Nom. Nom. Nom. Nom.
Kinda want to lick the screen right now, don’t you?
If you make this recipe, please leave a comment below to let me know how it turned out for you. You can also tag #ambitiouskitchen on Instagram so I can see your creations! xo.
More healthy no bake treats to try:
No Bake Salted Tahini Cookie Dough Fudge
Paleo No Bake Cookie Dough Truffles
Salted Dark Chocolate Coconut Almond Protein Candy Bars
No Bake Superfood Brownie Energy Bars + video
Feel Good Vegan Cherry Cheesecake Bars
Ambitious Kitchen
Cookbook
125 Ridiculously Good For You, Sometimes Indulgent, and Absolutely Never Boring Recipes for Every Meal of the Day
Chocolate Peanut Butter Freezer Fudge (vegan & gluten free!)
Ingredients
- For the peanut butter layer:
- 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup (or coconut palm syrup)
- For the chocolate layer:
- 3/4 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder (or raw cacao powder)
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup (or coconut palm syrup)
- Optional: Coarse sea salt, for sprinkling on top
Instructions
- Line an 8x4 inch loaf pan with parchment paper (this makes it easy to remove the fudge from the pan later).
- To make the peanut butter layer: In a medium bowl mix together peanut butter, coconut oil and maple syrup. Mix until smooth.
- To make the chocolate layer: In a medium bowl, mix together peanut butter, coconut oil, cocoa powder and maple syrup. Mix until smooth and combined.
- Add the chocolate fudge layer to the loaf pan and spread evenly towards the sides. Tap the pan on the counter a few times to get any air bubbles out and also to help distribute the layer evenly. Freeze for 10 minutes.
- Next add the peanut butter layer on top. Use a rubber spatula to gently spread over the chocolate layer, towards the edges of the pan, being careful not to mix them. You can sprinkle sea salt on top if your PB doesn’t contain salt. Place in freezer for 15-10 minutes or until the fudge hardens.
- Once the fudge has hardened, remove from the pan and cut into 18 squares. Do not leave out at room temperature for more than 10 minutes at a time.
- How to properly store fudge: Place cut squares in a plastic container and freeze for up to 3 months.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen
Photography by: Sarah Fennel // Broma Bakery
If I wanted to make the chocolate layer more chocolaty, how much cocoa powder would you recommend adding?
2 tablespoons should be perfect! But feel free to add more if you’d like.
This is delicious, but I would have preferred a much stronger chocolate flavor to balance out the peanut butter. It basically just tastes like peanut butter fudge, which is good but not what I was expecting. I sprinkled dark chocolate chips in the top layer for more chocolate though and would highly recommend! I think next time I’ll sub melted chocolate for half of the peanut butter in the bottom layer to get more of the chocolate flavor.
Hi, Melissa! Thanks so much for the feedback, and that’s a great idea to add in some melted chocolate. I think you could also increase the amount of cocoa powder. Let me know how it goes next time you make it 🙂
I was really disappointed by this 🙁 I love alllllll your recipes, so I just automatically assume they’re going to be amazing, but this one just didn’t do it for me. I followed the recipe exactly (except I made a 1/2 batch), and it just tastes like…cold oily peanut butter, I guess. It didn’t satisfy my sweet-tooth craving, and the taste just doesn’t make up for the calories of the oil. : / Sorry! I hate leaving negative feedback, but I just didn’t feel right leaving the recipe at a 5 stars average.
Hi, Melinda! Oh don’t apologize, the feedback is SO helpful! Sorry to hear you didn’t love it. It’s certainly a higher fat treat and tastes really rich. What kind of PB did you use? If you want something similar but not quite as dense, I’d recommend these PB oatmeal bars!
Thanks! I’ll give those a try 🙂
I used my homemade peanut butter….essentially peanuts with a little bit of olive oil and a little bit of honey.
Hmm ok the additional olive oil in your PB may have made them a little greasier. Oh well! Thanks again for commenting 🙂
I rarely post reviews for recipes but came to say how much I loved this! I have gestational diabetes and finding treats that are lower in carbs and sugar and higher in protein is such a challenge. This helped me satisfy the craving for something sweet without raising my blood sugar – and the rest of the family loved it, too. Thank you!!
Aw I’m so happy to hear that this recipe fits your needs and that you loved it, Erin! We just came out with a similar recipe that you might enjoy, too: Peanut Butter Cup Freezer Fudge 🙂
Great recipe. I am not sure why this is written in a way that has you measure and mix two separate times – I prefer to measure all ingredients except cocoa, then split into two and add the cocoa to half, rather than measure and mix it all again! I have made this several times, and this time I edited a bit. I did the whole thing cocoa, no PB layer! I also added a little vanilla extract. It was great. Thank you for sharing this.
Perfect! Great tip 🙂 Glad you love it!
Excellent
Glad you liked this one!
I made tahini brownies. My family and friends love it. I add to my recipe book in my kitchen❤️
Amazing! So happy to hear that!
Wow! These are the best dessert! I have diabetes & struggle to find a dessert that doesn’t send my blood sugar through the roof. These have NO impact on my blood sugar & they taste fantastic! Creamy, not too sweet…just perfect! Even my husband thought they were delicious. For fun, I added 2 Tbs. unsweetened shredded coconut to one layer & 2 Tbs. hemp hearts to the other layer. These will always be in my freezer for that moment I need something a little sweet!
Made these after supper tonight because I was craving something sweet. I subbed the cocoa powder for chocolate protein powder and omitted the sweetener for that section. Turned out delicious! Great recipe!
I’m glad that swap worked out! Such a great treat.
These are so amazing! Slowly but surely making (baking?) my way through your blog and so far everything is amazing and everything I tried I made at least twice. These will be no exception! Thanks Monique!
So happy to hear that, Patricia! I hope you keep finding new recipes you love 🙂
This is such a good recipe. I love to have a square on my low carb days. It really satisfies my sweet craving.
Perfect treat to keep in the freezer!
Applesauce as a sweetener replacement?
Hi. Can i reduce the fat content by reducing the peanut butter and coconut oil slightly and also adding in a scoop of whey protein?
Do you think this would work with carob powder in place of the cocoa? My son would love this, but is allergic to chocolate.
Thanks!
Yes that should work!
Hi, just found your blog and was wondering if you could provide a swap for the maple syrup? Hubby doesn’t care for that at all. Thank you!
You could try honey or agave nectar! Just note that it might have a “honey” taste.
Can I use cashew butter instead of the coconut butter?
Unfortunately they won’t be the same swap in here!
Why do you say four ingredients for the chocolate peanut butter fudge when it’s four per each flavor?
Hi Sally! Three of the ingredients are the same for both the peanut butter layer and the chocolate layer, and then there is one additional one for the chocolate layer (cocoa powder). So there are 4 total ingredients!
I have a coconut allergy. What other butter can I use to maintain the appropriate consistency? Ugh…I feel like I am Asking a stupid question & I get so dumbfounded when I see these questions. Lol But alas this is a good question because I read all of the things about the coconut butter making this recipe what it is!
Thanks in advance for your response!?
This looks awesome – is there any substitute for coconut butter if you can’t find any?
I think *maybe* you could use coconut oil as a sub! It will change the consistency but it should still work.
Is it coconut oil or butter? It says oil in the recipe but everyone is referring to coconut butter. Thanks!
This version calls for coconut oil! My other fudge (here) uses coconut butter.
Thank you.
This was amazing and absolutely calmed down my sugar cravings. Even my 12 year old liked it!! Thank you for sharing.
So so happy you and your kiddo liked these!
Is there a substitute for coconut butter. Husband is allergic to coconut
What do you mean drippy PB? My natural PB is dry.
Coconut butter? I’ve seen that everywhere yet I’ve never tried it! Is it the most ideal base for this fudge recipe?
Oh my, this looks so rich and delicious! I’ll have to make a quarter of this at a time or else I think I’ll devour it in one day haha!
What neighborhood are you moving to?! Congrats!
Ravenswood!
Congratulations on the house, lady! This fudge looks absolutely dangerous 😉
So this looks fabulous!
Oh, I love the two layer situation going on with this fudge – looks delectable!! I might be out of the loop, because I’ve never heard of coconut butter but it sounds AMAZING – will be checking out soon! Pinned 🙂
Uhhh yea freezer fudge is the best thing since sliced bread! Love the choco-pb combo!
Ahhh congratulations on the accepted offer!! You definitely deserve to take a break and eat this fudge. Looks amazing, Monique! xo