camp meals

Peanut Butter Fudge Blocks

Peanut butter, honey, and chocolate melted together at home and cut into blocks for the trail.

calories
330
weight
1.8 oz
cal / oz
183
protein
9 g
serves
6, scales
prep
10 min
cook
0 min
total time
10 min
water
none
cost
$

Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.

  • Snack
  • Dessert
  • No cook
  • Backpacking
  • Day hike
  • Car camping
  • Bikepacking
  • Canoe / raft
  • Vegetarian
  • Gluten free
  • Eat in the bag
  • Pre-mix at home
  • Shelf stable
  • Basic

Ingredients

Natural peanut butter 1/2 cup smooth or chunky; the no-sugar-added kind sets firmer
Honey 6 tbsp
Milk chocolate chips 1/4 cup semi-sweet or dark works the same

Method

  1. At home, put the peanut butter, honey, and chocolate chips in a small pan over medium-low heat.
  2. Stir until the chips disappear into the peanut butter, then pull it off the burner. Overcooking makes it grainy.
  3. Scrape it into a sandwich-box container or small glass pan and level the top.
  4. Chill until firm, then cut into six blocks.
  5. On the trail, eat cold or soft. No stove, no water.

This is home prep that pays off later: a saucepan and ten minutes buys you six dense blocks that need nothing at camp. The set comes from the peanut butter and chocolate firming as they cool, not from sugar cooked to a temperature, so there is no candy thermometer and no stage to miss.

Use natural peanut butter. The commercial kind carries added sugar and hydrogenated oil, and it sets softer and sweeter than you want. Honey does two jobs here, binding the mix and keeping it from crumbling in a pocket. Heat only until the chips melt; hold it longer and the fudge turns grainy.

Packing

Cut the blocks at home and wrap each in parchment so they do not weld together. Above about 80 degrees they go soft, so keep them low in the pack and out of the sun.

Variations

  • Almond or sunflower butter swaps in one for one; sunflower makes it nut-free.
  • A pinch of flaky salt on top before it sets cuts the sweetness.
  • Stir in 2 tbsp of milk powder for a firmer block and a little more protein.

https://trailcooking.com/snacks/pb-fudge