Peanut Butter Fondant

(c) 2010 Elizabeth LaBau, licensed to About.com, Inc.

Peanut Butter Fondant makes a smooth, rich peanut butter cream filling, perfect for dipping in chocolate. Dip your peanut butter fondants into chocolate and top them with crushed peanuts for a sweet, salty, creamy, crunchy treat. This is an old-fashioned fondant recipe that requires the fondant to be creamed after it is boiled. Be sure to check out this photo tutorial showing how to make fondant if you have any questions about the procedure!

Yield: about 24 fondant balls

Ingredients:

• 1.25 cups granulated sugar
• 2/3 cup cream
• 1 tbsp light corn syrup
• ? tsp salt
• 1/3 cup mini marshmallows
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup peanut butter
• 12 oz chocolate candy coating
• ? cup salted peanuts, finely chopped

Preparation:

1. Place the sugar, cream, corn syrup, and salt in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves, then brush down the sides of the saucepan with a wet pastry brush to prevent sugar crystals from forming. Insert a candy thermometer.

2. Cook the candy without stirring until the thermometer reads 238 degrees F (114 C). Once it reaches the proper temperature, remove it from the heat and take out the thermometer.

3. Add the miniature marshmallows, but don’t stir them in. Instead, pour the candy onto a greased baking sheet and allow it to sit until it feels just warm to the touch. Depending on the temperature of the room, this might take 10-20 minutes.

4. Once the pan is just warm, add the vanilla on top of the candy and begin to stir it with a wooden spoon. This is called “creaming” the fondant and it works best if you move in a figure-8 pattern, scraping the fondant together, working it into an 8 shape, then scraping it back into the center.

5. As you cream the fondant, it will go from shiny and translucent to shiny and opaque and start to get thicker. Continue to work it, and it will eventually lose its shine and become more opaque and have a fudge-like texture and dull finish. This creaming process takes awhile, perhaps 20 minutes, so prepare yourself and alternate arms if necessary.

6. Once the fondant is thick and stiff, add the peanut butter and work it in until it’s completely incorporated. At this point, the fondant is finished, so you can either wrap it in cling wrap and store it at room temperature, or roll it into balls right away for dipping.

7. If you have rolled it into balls, store them in the refrigerator to firm up while you melt the candy coating and finely chop the peanuts for the topping.

8. Once the coating is melted, dip the peanut butter fondant centers into the chocolate one at a time, and place the dipped centers on a foil- or waxed paper-lined baking sheet to set. Sprinkle the tops with crushed peanuts while the chocolate is still wet.

9. Place the tray in the refrigerator to harden the chocolate for about 15 minutes. Store dipped Peanut Butter Fondant in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, and allow them to come to room temperature before serving for best taste and texture.

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