If you're looking for an emergency last-minute PB fudge recipe!

[crazywoman-n-wy]

[COLOR=Red]I just made a discovery. It seems all Designer Whey Protein scoops are not created equal.
The scoop that I used to measure earlier today was from a "jar" of Vanilla Praline pwd. For some reason, tonight I went to check that out again. I picked up my jar of Chocolate (also Designer Whey). I measured the amount that scoop held (don't ask me why I went back & remeasured, something just struck me to do it). Well, it measured exactly 1/3 cup. So I measured the Vanilla Praline again. Sure enough a scant 1/3 cup. Not quite full. I had used that one to measure before. I don't actually have Designer Vanilla (reg vanilla). I had (used it all today) Body Fortress Vanilla. It had the same size scoop as the DW Vanilla Praline.
Both the Chocolate & Vanilla Praline labels say they are 24g. Perhaps they weigh different, so have different size scoops? The Body Fortress Vanilla says 30g. [/COLOR][COLOR=Red] Sooooo,,,,,, that means that the reg Vanilla DW might be a different size scoop too.
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[lisabinil]

I have the Chocolate Designer Whey Protein and the scoop is 1/4 cup.

[LindaSue]

The scoop that comes with Body Fortress brand is 1/3 cup and that's what I used to measure the whey when I made my fudge. The consistency was just right so I recommend using 2/3 cup of whey powder if you have a different size scoop. I wouldn't use any less than that for sure or the fudge might come out too soft.

[Mallory]

Linda, do you know what weight the 1/3 cup works out to? I would much rather know a weight measurement than risk ruining the desert..

[Missy's Journey]

I have a question for you....

are you using 0 carb protein powder? my GNC powder says 100% Whey...but each scoop has 4 carbs????

[~mina~]

i made this last night with sunflower butter and half the sugar substitute.

DH is not LC and he said 'did you make this with real sugar?'

I think I could cut back the substitute even more and still like it.. its the protein powder that gives it that fudge texture.. and even out of the freezer they arent hard to eat, like peanutbutter cups can be.

thanks for this.. time to experiment with my peanut butter cups

[Kissmygrits]

Sheila, thank you so much for bringing this to our attention! I made it today; it was quick and easy and my whole family loved it! For the sweetener, I used 1/2 tsp. from a Splenda quickpack and 6 drops of Liquid Stevia glycerite.

[LindaSue]

Originally Posted by Missy's Journey

I have a question for you....

are you using 0 carb protein powder? my GNC powder says 100% Whey...but each scoop has 4 carbs????

Body Fortress brand vanilla has 1 carb per scoop and their chocolate has 2 carbs per scoop. The label on the chocolate says <1 gram of fiber but I don't bother to deduct the half carb.

[LindaSue]

Originally Posted by Mallory

Linda, do you know what weight the 1/3 cup works out to? I would much rather know a weight measurement than risk ruining the desert..

The labels on the Body Fortress brand say that a scoop weighs 30 grams. That's not what I got when I weighed it myself. For the vanilla, I got 19-20 grams and the chocolate weighed 24 grams. I didn't pack the powder into the scoop. I just lightly scooped up the powder, making sure there were no air pockets, and leveled it off.

[Mallory]

Originally Posted by LindaSue

The labels on the Body Fortress brand say that a scoop weighs 30 grams. That's not what I got when I weighed it myself. For the vanilla, I got 19-20 grams and the chocolate weighed 24 grams. I didn't pack the powder into the scoop. I just lightly scooped up the powder, making sure there were no air pockets, and leveled it off.

Thanks Linda..you know thats interesting..because that really is a difference in the weights to measurements and most probably the reason why some of my stuff isnt as great as Id like it to be (great as in finished product)

Im going to use weights from now on..and then tweak from there..

[Barbo]

I made it with chunky peanut butter and doubled the recipe and added
chocolate protein powder.

Yummmmmmmmmmmmy

[crazywoman-n-wy]

Originally Posted by Mallory

Linda, do you know what weight the 1/3 cup works out to? I would much rather know a weight measurement than risk ruining the desert..

[COLOR=Red]I know that Linda answered this for you, but I went a step further.

I have about 3 brands of Whey Protein Pwd, in different flavors, so I used my Body Fortress scoop, which as Linda Sue said measured 1/3.
I used all my Body Fortress pwd last night, so could weigh it, (but Linda weighed it at 19-20 grams). I used that same scoop for each of these brands & flavors)
Chocolate Designer Whey = 30g
Vanilla Praline DW = 26g
Chocolate EAS = 28g
Vanilla EAS = 30g

I don't normally have to of the same flavor open, but I bought one of them while I was visiting in OK, used some of it there, and brought it home. I already had one open here. Thus 2 chocolates open.

I did make the PB fudge last night. Boy this is a hard one for portion control for me. I usually have pretty good will power, and don't often have trouble with portion control, but there are some things............................... This is one of them.

Thanks (I think) to whoever came up with this. I don't think credit is even given where it is posted on the recipe board. If I remember correctly the poster said someone else "invented" it.

I'm thinking that due to the different weights for the different flavors & brand with the same scoop, measuring might possibly be best. ????? But there isn't that much difference, except for the difference in the Body Fortress if it is 19-20g for that 1/3 cup scoop.
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[Tooter]

Just made this tonight for the Family, who are FINALLY back on lowcarb with it.

It was very good. Thank you for posting the recipe. Hubby is a big peanut butter fan and this "hit the spot" with him.

[Charski]

I made this yesterday with some "tweakage" - LOL!

I used half the butter called for and 4 tablespoons organic expeller-pressed coconut oil. I did this because I didn't have unsalted butter and figured using half CO would cut the saltiness.

I added 2 heaping tablespoons of Hershey's Special Dark cocoa powder.

Like Ginny, I was out of vanilla whey protein powder so used regular and added a little vanilla extract/extra sweetener.

I added a handful of macadamia nut pieces.

Overall, this is pretty good, but a bit bitter, which is NOT the fault of the recipe, I'm sure it's that Special Dark cocoa powder!

I like the texture.

I am gonna get some unsalted butter and make it again per the recipe. I think DH will be in heaven if I give him some PB fudge!

[LindaSue]

I think I will weigh mine again just to make sure that something didn't mess up on the scale. My digital scale is pretty accurate though. One thing about weighing in grams is that there really isn't really much difference between 20 grams and 30 grams. Be right back...

OK, I made a point of tapping the scoop to make sure I got them really full this time. For the vanilla I got 22 grams this time and for the chocolate I got 24-25 grams.

[Missy's Journey]

aw crud...i knew 4 carbs sounded like too much...for 20 pcs that adds 1/2 carb to each pc.

Also...does liquid splenda have less of an aftertaste than granular?

[Barbo]

The originator of this recipe used Designer Protein Powder, vanilla
flavor from Trader Joe's. I used 1/2 vanilla and 1/2 chocolate and while
it is creamy and wonderful Jay would like more chocolate taste, so I think
next time I might use some Droste Cocoa powder and all chocolate protein
powder. It is smooth and wonderful. I cut it into very small pieces so that
if I take 2-3 per day it is still a small amount.

[walkingwoman]

I wonder how this would be with SF Twist in place of the PB?

Signed, too scared of overeating this stuff to give it a try myself

[jacksmixedtape]

^^Wouldn't using Twist be built in portion control?

Thanks for the scoop measurements, LindaSue! Never even would've thought to weigh it out in g.

Originally Posted by Missy's Journey

Also...does liquid splenda have less of an aftertaste than granular?

I think it has more of an aftertaste, but I got my liquid splenda cheap from a shady company. Maybe Sweetzfree is different.

I'm going to try to lower the cals and make it less binge-worthy (read: less tasty) by making it with SmartBalance spread and ff cream cheese. Will report back.

[crazywoman-n-wy]

Originally Posted by Missy's Journey

.........
Also...does liquid splenda have less of an aftertaste than granular?

[COLOR=Red]For me, there is less of an aftertaste with the liquid Splenda. I've used both TrishZ's Zero Carb (no longer available) & Sweetzfree. I've never been crazy about the Maltodextrine taste. [/COLOR]

[KOO]

Originally Posted by Missy's Journey

Also...does liquid splenda have less of an aftertaste than granular?

I don't find my granular has an aftertaste, I like to just dip my fingers in it and eat it....I really haven't tried the liquid sweetzfree by itself but will report back after I do.

Now my mother tried the Altern and she said she didn't like it.

[KOO]

Originally Posted by KOO

I don't find my granular has an aftertaste, I like to just dip my fingers in it and eat it....I really haven't tried the liquid sweetzfree by itself but will report back after I do.

Now my mother tried the Altern and she said she didn't like it.

I just went out and tried the liquid sweetzfree on my finger and yuck it is bitter by itself.

[crazywoman-n-wy]

Originally Posted by KOO

I just went out and tried the liquid sweetzfree on my finger and yuck it is bitter by itself.

[COLOR=Red]Yes, the Sweetzfree (and most of the super concentrated sweeteners) are bitter when tasted straight.
Also if you get too much in something it will be bitter rather than sweet.
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[jacksmixedtape]

Made this with Light Smart Balance spread and no cream cheese. Still awesome! I just made a single serving. Perfect for portion control.

Altered Recipe:
1 T Smart Balance Light
1 T Smart Balance PB with Flax
2-3 drops liquid sucralose
1/2 T Zsweet (or any kind of erythritol)
1 shake of SteviaPlus
1/8 scoop protein powder (Isopure works well, too)

4g carbs for the single serving.

Delicious! I can't believe this is kind of healthy. Thanks so much for bringing this recipe to our attention, Sheila! It's been life-changing for me.

[Tater Head]

Wow! this is a blast from the past recipe. I used to make this all the time. The only thing I didn't like was the gritty mouth feel from the Designer whey powder. The texture is right as far as fudge goes. It is fast and easy to make, I kept mine in the frig. It was very firm and could be stacked easy on a plate for guest. This is good fudge, but Table cream fudge is still my all time favorite.

Deb....

[LindaSue]

Today I made two kinds using almond butter and they will both probably end up in the trash unless my husband wants them. Almond butter has a lot more oil in it which kind of pooled on the top of the fudge. It also has a distinct flavor which isn't right for a candy recipe. To the first batch I added some maple extract with vanilla whey. The second batch I made with chocolate whey. The maple fudge is edible but I don't like the chocolate at all. The flavor isn't right somehow.

I made a third batch using the original recipe with peanut butter and unsalted butter. I never should have messed with using another kind of "butter". Peanut butter is the way to go with this recipe and using unsalted butter is just right. However, I do think that it needs to be quite a bit sweeter. Real fudge is almost sickeningly sweet and I think this fudge could stand to be somewhere a bit closer to that than it is. Next time I will try putting in 1 1/4 cups worth of liquid Splenda or maybe even 1 1/2 cups worth.

Tater Head, you might want to try another brand of whey protein. I've been using Body Fortress and I don't get any grittiness at all from it in the fudge. I don't care much for Designer Whey's French vanilla anyway because it's sweetened with stevia instead of Splenda.

[Itsanewme]

Originally Posted by LindaSue

Today I made two kinds using almond butter and they will both probably end up in the trash unless my husband wants them. Almond butter has a lot more oil in it which kind of pooled on the top of the fudge. It also has a distinct flavor which isn't right for a candy recipe. To the first batch I added some maple extract with vanilla whey. The second batch I made with chocolate whey. The maple fudge is edible but I don't like the chocolate at all. The flavor isn't right somehow.

I made a third batch using the original recipe with peanut butter and unsalted butter. I never should have messed with using another kind of "butter". Peanut butter is the way to go with this recipe and using unsalted butter is just right. However, I do think that it needs to be quite a bit sweeter. Real fudge is almost sickeningly sweet and I think this fudge could stand to be somewhere a bit closer to that than it is. Next time I will try putting in 1 1/4 cups worth of liquid Splenda or maybe even 1 1/2 cups worth.

Tater Head, you might want to try another brand of whey protein. I've been using Body Fortress and I don't get any grittiness at all from it in the fudge. I don't care much for Designer Whey's French vanilla anyway because it's sweetened with stevia instead of Splenda.

Linda, what kind of peanut butter did you use? I made this recipe a couple days ago and used Trader Joe's natural chunky peanut butter and got the oil pooling on top. Everything else was the same as the original recipe using Designer Whey vanilla. It tastes good but I had to use a paper towel to blot off the grease. I was wondering if it was because of my peanut butter.

[LindaSue]

Originally Posted by Itsanewme

Linda, what kind of peanut butter did you use? I made this recipe a couple days ago and used Trader Joe's natural chunky peanut butter and got the oil pooling on top. Everything else was the same as the original recipe using Designer Whey vanilla. It tastes good but I had to use a paper towel to blot off the grease. I was wondering if it was because of my peanut butter.

I used Kroger brand plain, not chunky, and I made a point of stirring it VERY well before I measured it. I took a really big butter knife and dug all the way to the bottom of the jar to get the thicker stuff up to the top. I've made the fudge twice now with that brand and didn't have any oil pooling at all. It was really bad with the almond butter though. You can't really see it on the vanilla/maple fudge but it looks like hardened grease on the top of the chocolate fudge.

Maybe Trader Joe's uses peanuts that are more oily. You may want to pour some of the oil off before you stir it next time.

[Kissmygrits]

Just wanted to say I used 1/4 c. coconut oil and 1/4 c. butter and it still tastes really good--the texture is slightly thinner this way but not enough to make much of a difference.

[jokath]

I made a batch of this over the weekend and it was delicious!!! I used Designer Whey Chocolate flavor and Trader Joes Unsalted Peanut Butter. I also used 1 pkg of Splenda Quick Packs, 6 drops of Sweetzfree and 2 drops of Stevia. The sweetness was perfect for me, not too sweet but sweet enough to be like fudge. It kind of reminds me of Reeces Peanut Butter cups. I got 20 pieces out of one batch and because of the protein powder these are very filling plus they satisfy the sweet tooth. I keep them in the refrig and take one out to soften a bit and the texture is very much like that regular fudge.

Thanks for posting Sheila, this is a great recipe to use over the holidays. Portion control is the only problem I see