Published: · Updated: by Kevin Williams | 10 Comments
Jump to Recipe
By Kevin Williams
Of all the recipes that have run in The Amish Cook over the years perhaps none have intrigued me more than Gloria's homemade guilt-free fudge, aka "bean fudge" which she ran in her column last month.
Gloria called it a "guilt-free fudge" because it was a way to "sneak" some more fiber into her family's diet and she minimized the role of sweeteners. Gloria used stevia as a sweetener but I didn't have any and, well, I realized I didn't have any unsweetened peanut butter on hand (which is also what her recipe called for), but we did have some regular peanut butter. So Aster and I set about making a more conventional version of the bean fudge using regular peanut butter and some sugar. Believe me, I was skeptical. Amish Guilt-Free Bean fudge? You have to be kidding.
We soaked the beans overnight and this morning got to work. And, well, the recipe works. Aster loved licking some of the mix that was leftover in the bowl. Here I am watching my daughter eat, well, beans by the spoonful. Amazing. I wasn't hiding that fact from her either. She and I soaked the beans and she wanted me to pulverize them using our stand mixer. You just want to liquify those beans as much as possible and to do that you need a high speed mixer to cream the heck out of them after they've been soaking all night.
(Update: When I originally wrote this post, Aster was 4, now, at 7, she is wiser and in some ways less willing to experiment, not sure I could persuade her to eat bean fudge today)
You Can Make Variations Of The Amish Guilt-Free Fudge By Using Real Sugar
So, no, the version I made was not guilt-free, it was sweetened with sugar and molasses. I used some coconut also. But while it is not guilt-free, it is also full of beans...so, there you go. Gloria's version, if you follow it, will be much more guilt-free.This would seem like a great option for someone with a sweet tooth....I also will say that I have eaten two little squares and I feel full, fuller than I think I should, so that may be another side benefit of these fiber-filled fudge squares.
No Batch Ever The Same
Gloria did say that no batch ever turns out the same, so I think you could really experiment with it. She also said that you could roll mix into balls instead of making a pan of fudge out of it and in retrospect I might have done it that way. Now, here's the big question: did I detect any "bean-y" flavor? I think if someone gave me a piece of this fudge I'd eat it and say "wow, this is good." But knowing what I know part me thinks I can detect something unusual about the flavor, maybe the slightest hint of a hint of beans....but that could all be in my head, I could be full of beans.....So give this Amish guilt-free fudge a try! (Update: One of our readers tried this using canned, unseasoned refried beans and she said it turned out well that way and it saved a lot of work with soaking and mashing beans!)
Jump to:
🍬Fudge Ingredients
- 2 cups dried pinto beans (or 2 pounds cooked)
- 3 /4 cup coconut oil
- 1 /4 cup butter, browned
- 1 /2 cup peanut butter (unsweetened)
- 1 /2 cup maple syrup or agave
- 3 /4 cup cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 teaspoon stevia powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
📋Fudge Instructions
- Soak beans overnight.
- And the next day simmer beans over low heat until soft, approximately 105 minutes or until soft. Beat until nice and smooth.
- Then add remaining ingredients.
- Pat into 9 X 9 inch pan and chill until set.
- Or form into balls and roll in coconut or chopped nuts if desired.
💓Other Amish Sugar-Free Recipes
Health trends do seep into the Amish communities eventually. Sugar-free, gluten-free, and lactose-free have started showing up in Amish bulk food stores more and more along side olive oils and canola oils that have started to gain favor among Amish cooks in recent years.
Gloria's Sugar-Free Ice Cream
Ice cream that is sugar free? Sounds good!
Gloria's Sugar-Free Sweet Treat Candy
Delicious candy!
Whole Wheat Chocolate Cake With Sugar-Free Frosting
🖨️Printer-Friendly Fudge Recipe
Amish Guilt-Free Fudge
If you want a sweet treat without some of the calories and sugar, here you go!
4 from 1 vote
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups dried pinto beans (or you can use cooked)
- ¾ cup coconut oil
- ¼ cup butter browned
- ½ cup peanut butter unsweetened
- ½ cup molasses
- ¾ cup cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 teaspoon Stevia
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
Soak beans overnight.
And the next day simmer beans over low heat until soft, approximately 105 minutes or until soft. Beat until nice and smooth.
Then add remaining ingredients.
Pat into 9 X 9 inch pan and chill until set.
Or form into balls and roll in coconut or chopped nuts if desired.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Shares
More Plain Culture
- 5 Amish Recipes With Honey
- Five Super Amish Spring Strawberry Recipes, From Cake to Crunch
- Amish Barn-Raising Hamburger Potato Casserole
- Do The Amish Ever Drive Cars (or trucks and vans)?
About Kevin Williams
Hi, my name is Kevin Williams and I am owner of Oasis Newsfeatures and editor of The Amish Cook newspaper column.
Reader Interactions
Comments
Diane
At first I thought this recipe called for eleven and a half cups of sugar - that got me thinking"how many pans does this make?". Then when I saw it was only one 9"x9" pan, I went back and took another look at the recipe. Realized that the spacing of the number digits threw me off - so it should read 1 1/ cups of sugar, not 11 1/2 cups as I "saw". nor the 11/2 cups as printed! definitely gonna try this - I'll probably have to use canned beans as any dry beans are hard to come by around where I live. Can't believe that everyone staying home due to the coronavirus is making baked beans or bean soup - or at least, I hope not!!
Reply
Kevin
Yikes, yeah, not 11 1/2 cups, glad you caught that. Good luck with the fudge, let me know how it turns out. As I said, mine turned out good...just too creamy, hopefully you'll have better luck
Reply
Janice
How much sugar did you use in your recipe?
Kevin Williams
When I was doing it with sugar instead of Stevia, I used 1 1/2 cups of sugar. Seems like a lot in retrospect, but I must have had my reasons at the time.
Linda DeMoss
I made this fudge last year when you posted this recipe but I used a can (equals 2 cups) of refried beans instead of the regular pinto beans. They are pinto beans that have been mashed already. I found ones that did not have other seasonings in it. They worked great and saved a lot of time not having to cook and mash beans. I shared the fudge with friends and we agreed it was pretty good (not quite as good as full sugar fudge). I would make it again.Reply
Kevin Williams
Linda, thank you for that SUPERB idea, that saves a lot of steps, I am going to put that in the post as an option, super idea, thanks for sharing!
Reply
VictoriaT
The instructions are not specific enough for an amateur like me. How much water do you soak the beans in and how much water to simmer them in, also do I drain the beans before blending them? I've never soakedand/or cooked dry beans.
Kevin Williams
Victoria, you know, in retrospect, I think the reader's advice to use unseasoned cans of refried beans in place of soaked beans is GREAT advice, it saves a bunch of steps. So that is what I would do. If you have a bunch of beans and want to do it that way, I soaked the beans in water (just enough to cover them) overnight and then drained and blended them....I don't think I even cooked them...
Elizabeth
Not a fan of coconut oil what can I use to replace it? Butter or crisco or??...
Reply
Kevin Williams
Yes, Elizabeth, you can replace it with those options...I'm not a huge fan of coconut oil in food either. Good luck with the recipe!
Reply
