Peanut Butter Fudge Starfish

Peanut Butter Fudge Starfish

Looking for a beach themed treat to make for your next party? Try making these yummy Peanut Butter Fudge Starfish, they're so simple and creative!

It has felt like summer here in Dayton for quite a while now and honestly I have not been in the mood to spend my free time in the kitchen or at the computer. I had several recipe ideas featuring end of the school year themes, but every time I'd walk into the kitchen to work, I could hear the great outdoors calling my name and I'd head out to ride my bike, walk the dogs, or work in my garden.

Lucky for me, I had an extra recipe left over from last year that I decided to post today, or it may have been a while before something new appeared here.

Last July, I showed you how to turn homemade marshmallows into Starfish S'mores using a simple star shaped cookie cutter. Then I showed you how to use one of those plastic sand molds that kids use at the beach to create marshmallow sea creatures. When I went shopping for sand molds, I grabbed quite a few different shapes including a star. Being I had already made a starfish recipe out of graham cracker covered marshmallows, if I wanted to use the star shaped mold, I needed to find some other ingredients that could be molded and mimic the look of a starfish. I decided to use my creamy peanut butter fudge recipe.

The mold I found really didn't look as much like a starfish as a smiling star. When I made the fudge and poured into the mold, I hoped the brown color would make it look like a starfish, but it really just looked like a peanut butter fudge star with a smiley face; it needed texture. I had left over fudge, so I spread it on top of the star, allowed it to set slightly, and used a technique that has worked well for me in the past to create fur. It would also work to create the craggly texture of a starfish. I loved it. To give it some character, I added eyes made of slices of  marshmallow and Hershey's Kisses.

The fudge star fish looked really great all on it's own, but when I decided to bring it to a pool party, I wanted the dessert to be more substantial, so I set it on a sandy beach made out of a Rice Krispies treat and added some homemade candy shells. Everyone loved it!Peanut Butter Fudge Starfish 
          on a Rice Krispies Treat Sandy Beach (serves 16-20)Ingredients:

RELATED: Find dozens of easy fudge recipes at HowToMakeEasyFudge.com.

Peanut Butter Fudge Starfish:

11 ounce bag Nestle Premier White Morsels (or white confectionery coating)*
1 cup Reese's Peanut Butter Chips
pinch of salt
11 ounces Jif Creamy Peanut Butter (about 1 ¼ cups)
1 marshmallow
2 Hershey's Kisses

I've shared this recipe before and have used Peter's White Caps instead of the Nestle Premier White Morsels. Both work well in this recipe.

Rice Krispies Sandy Beach:
10 ½ cups Rice Krispies cereal, divided
5 tablespoons butter
16 ounces marshmallows

Shimmering Candy Shells:
8 ounces white confectionery coating/candy melts or Nestle Premier White Morsels
silk white luster dust

Supplies Needed:

star shaped sand mold beach toy (clean with warm soapy water and dry thoroughly)
baking sheet (12" x 18")
non-stick aluminum foil or parchment paper
zip top bag
cutting board or cardboard cake board
sea shell candy mold
paint brush (food only) or cotton ball

Instructions:

Place white morsels or confectionery coating wafers and peanut butter chips in a microwave safe mixing bowl. Heat on high power for 30 seconds. Remove and stir the chips around or they will burn. Heat for 20 more seconds, then stir. Heat for 15 seconds. Then let it sit in the microwave for 2-3 minutes, then stir vigorously. If all of the chips are not melted, heat at ten second intervals, stirring in between each, until completely melted. If you don't have a microwave, you can melt this in a double boiler. Once melted, stir in peanut butter and salt.

Make sure to mix really well, scraping the bottom of the bowl. If you don't stir the peanut butter into the candy, you'll end up with clumps of hardened candy coating in your peanut butter fudge.

NOTE: LINE YOUR MOLD WITH PLASTIC WRAP BEFORE FILLING (NOT PICTURED.)

Fill your star shaped sand mold with peanut butter fudge, reserving the excess. Tap the mold on the counter top to allow air bubbles to rise to the surface. Freeze for about 30 minutes until set. Flip mold over and press on the plastic mold. The peanut butter fudge should pop right out. If it doesn't, put it back in the freezer for 5-10 more minutes. As you can see, the mold creates a smiley faced star.

To add the texture to the star, you will need your reserved fudge to be thick like frosting, but not hard. If it has hardened too much, heat in the microwave for 10 second increments stirring after each. Set your star shaped fudge on a glass or bowl, lifting it up so you can work more easily. Spread some fudge over top and around the sides of the star, reserving a few tablespoonfuls.

Press a spatula or knife into the fudge and pull up creating spikes. If fudge isn't thick enough to create spikes yet, allow it to harden a bit and try again. Make spikes all over the top and sides of the star, adding fudge if needed.

Add some extra fudge to each star tip and allow to set up a bit. Create spikes around each tip. You can add some character by curving the tips, if you'd like.

Cut a marshmallow into three round slices. Eat the center slice, or discard. Press the sticky side of the other two marshmallow slices onto the peanut butter fudge starfish. Press one Hershey's Kiss into each marshmallow creating eyes.

Make the Rice Krispies Treat Beach:

Line a large 12" x 18" baking sheet with non-stick foil or parchment paper.

Place 2 ½ cups Rice Krispies Treat Cereal into a large zip top bag. Use your hands or a rolling pin or pan to smash the cereal into crumbs.

Melt marshmallows and butter in a large pot set over low heat. Remove and reserve ½ cup of the melted marshmallow mixture. Pour remaining 8 cups of Rice Krispie Cereal into the pot and stir to combine. Spread onto the lined baking sheet. Press down into an even thickness. Spread the reserved marshmallow mixture in an even layer over top of the cereal treats. Sprinkle cereal crumbs over top. Press down on the crumbs making sure they adhere to the cereal treat bar. Allow it to set for at least an hour. Remove from pan and peel off foil. Set on a large cutting board or cake board.

Make Shimmering Candy Shells:

Place white confectionery coating wafers or morsels in a microwave safe mixing bowl. Heat on high power for 25 seconds. Remove and stir the chips around or they will burn. Heat for 20 more seconds, then stir. Heat for 10 seconds, then stir vigorously. If all of the candy is not melted, heat at ten second intervals, stirring in between each, until completely melted. If you don't have a microwave, you can melt this in a double boiler. For more detailed instructions, see my Chocolate Making Tips tutorial.

Spoon candy coating into the cavities of a sea shell mold. Freeze for 10 or so minutes until set. Turn the mold upside down and allow the candy to drop out of the mold. You can help by twisting the mold and tapping it on the counter. If the candies don't release from the mold, return to the freezer for a few more minutes.

Allow candy shells to come to room temperature. Use a brush or a cotton ball to add a very light coating of silk white luster dust to your candies.

Set your peanut butter fudge starfish onto the sandy beach cereal treat bar. Add shells. If you need to transport this and want the starfish and shells more attached, spread a bit of peanut butter under your pieces to use as "glue."

This dessert can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a few days. If you don't have a container that is large enough, keep it wrapped in plastic wrap for a day or so.

Products used for this project that are available on Amazon.com

Embrace the beautiful weather that we are having and make some of these gorgeous and scrumptious Summer Fun Recipes.

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Beth

Hi, I'm Beth Jackson Klosterboer, a professional chocolatier & baker, cookbook author, and event planner. I love sharing recipes for happy occasions here on Hungry Happenings. I also create easy fudge recipes to share at HowToMakeEasyFudge.com, rice krispie treat recipes at HowToMakeCerealTreats.com, and easy cookie recipes at HowToMakeEasyCookies.com

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