Way of the Fudge pt.1

So, those happened...

...and while they may look a bit like chocolate drizzled bewbs with pert chocolaty nipples, they are actually  the second step on the path to be known as the Way of the Fudge. First, there was:

Uncle Al's Organic Peanut Butter Fudge

Admittedly, this is adapted from Alton Brown's (I love that guy) super simple recipe. Given that I was using organic peanut butter I was making some adjustments to combat textural dryness and increase the sweetness a bit. Luckily, I also have access to institutional-grade equipment which makes this whole process a bit easier. To begin:

78oz Organic Peanut Butter - about 7.5 cups by volume (which in this case included the separated oils)

3# Unsalted Butter

-These guys went into a large roasting type pan (a 400 hotel pan for those in the know) covered tightly with foil, and then into a steamer. I'd take this out and give it a good whisking every 20 minutes or so (for about an hour) to blend everything together. Then it was off to the stand mixer. Ours is a 5 gallon Hobart whose paddle attachment was perfect for the occasion. Along with the peanut butter butter sludge went:

1/4 c GOOD, REAL, PURE vanilla extract 

8.5# 10x powdered sugar

...both of which I added while the paddle spun on low. Had I been more mindful at this stage and only dumped in 1/2-3/4 of the sugar and gradually adjusted for consistency I may have not ended up with the somewhat crumbly texture of my finished product. I was a bit impatient. Lesson earned. 

I lined several pans with baker's paper and poured the mixture out spreading it to the edges and stowed it away in our walk-in cooler for the next day. Now that I'd made somewhere in the neighborhood 15-20# of crumbly (yet delicious) peanut butter fudge what was I going to do with it all, you ask?

...candied bacon. Tune in next time True Believers, for Way of the Fudge pt.2.