Recently I made the mistake of mentioning to Kel that I needed to pick up some confectioner’s sugar; his eyes narrowed and he asked me what I needed it for… busted. I told him that I had to make fudge for one of my PB & J MoFo recipes and explained that fudge couldn’t be fudge unless it had copious amounts of confectioner’s sugar in it. But isn’t that refined sugar, he asked? He knew the answer; he was just maneuvering me into a trap. Think about how disappointed your readers will be, he added. Think about your integrity, your honor. So I scratched confectioner’s sugar off of my shopping list, grumbled a little, and set about creating a fudge without sugar – and without oil, too.
Have I created a spot-on healthy doppelgänger for fudge? Not quite. But it is creamy and gooey and it gets your fingers sticky just like the real thing. The secret ingredient is oatmeal. The original fudge recipe came in at Number 26 on Buzzfeed’s 29 Ways to Honor the Glory of Peanut Butter & Jelly thanks to Chocolate Covered Katie.
TOMORROW: Come back here to enter to win a copy of Natalie Slater’s killer cookbook, Bake & Destroy: Good Food for Bad Vegans. I also get to share with you her recipe for Falafel Waffles – plus lots of yummy photos of other creations I made from her book.
Pssst! I shared this recipe on Healthy Vegan Friday!


- 1/2 cup uncooked rolled oats
- 2/3 cup very hot water
- 2 dates, chopped
- 1/3 cup slivered almonds, soaked overnight & drained
- 1-2 tbsp. non-dairy milk
- 1 Tbsp. cacao powder
- 1/2 cup vegan semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 tsp. coffee flavor or vanilla extract
- pinch salt, optional
- 1 cup uncooked rolled oats
- 1 cup very hot water
- 4-5 dates, chopped
- 1-2 Tbsp. non-dairy milk
- 1 tsp. peanut butter flavor
- 1/2 cup smooth natural peanut butter
- pinch salt, optional
- 1 cup frozen blueberries, thawed
- 1 cup vegan semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- Line a 9" x 9" pan with parchment paper. In a small bowl, pour the hot water over the oats and the date and let sit for about 30 minutes.
- In a food processor, combine the soaked oats/dates (no need to drain), the almonds, and the milk and process until nearly smooth. This will take a few minutes. Scrape down the sides every once in a while.
- Meanwhile, carefully melt the chocolate chips in the microwave.
- Add the melted chocolate along with the remaining ingredients and continue to process until the ingredients are completely combined and the mixture is very smooth. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and spread it to reach the sides and corners. Place the pan in the refrigerator while you prepare the next layer.
- In a small bowl, pour the hot water over the oats and dates and let sit for about 30 minutes.
- In a food processor, combine the soaked oats/dates (no need to drain), and the milk and process until nearly smooth. This will take a few minutes. Scrape down the sides every once in a while.
- Add the vanilla extract and the peanut butter and continue to process until the ingredients are completely combined and the mixture is very smooth. Pour the mixture over the chocolate layer and put the pan in the refrigerator while you prepare the final layer.
- Combine all ingredients in a food processor and process until very smooth.
- Pour the mixture over the peanut butter layer, tap the pan on the counter a few times, and put the pan in the refrigerator to firm for several hours.
- To serve, pop the pan in the freezer for about 30 minutes. Use a knife dipped in water to cut fudge into small piece.
Any post that begins with the word chocolate gets my attention and um, no you definitely don’t need confectioners sugar or oil!! I created a fudge recipe with no confectioners sugar and only 3 ingredients!!! It most definitely doesn’t need confectioners sugar and it took 10 minutes to make and wowed all my non-vegan friends! I’m loving the blueberry addition here..yummy!! They look really beautiful too
Wow! It looks amazing.
Thanks, Ally!
Wow. Just wow. These look unbelievably good. Great job
Appreciate that, Liane.
Your dedication is astonishing. You say this fudge will feed multitudes, but I expect that depends on who they are. I can think of one or two people who would probably overindulge if left with a tray of your fudge.
True, Lorna. And the nice thing is, it’s pretty much guilt-free so taking a big spoon to the whole pan would be perfectly acceptable.
This might just be my favourite recipe of yours yet this MoFo!! It looks phenomenal and I’m so pleased that you didn’t go down the refined sugar route
I think I’ll have to make a small batch as this could be dangerous to have around!
This one took blood, sweat, and tears! But I’m really happy with the final result.
Waw! I am speechless by just looking at them! Your husband was right: no refined sugars, no oil in here, Anne! xxx
These triple healthy fudge bars look fantastic, fabulous even! xxx
You rock my taste buds, Anne! xxx
He was right, Sophie, and I’m glad I listened to him.
Who would have thought oats can make fudge? Genius as always Annie and I’m so pleased you stayed unrefined! I can’t believe the work you’ve put in to this MoFo, you truly inspire me.

Oats are incredible, aren’t they :-)? Thanks so much, Poppy. I had so much fun making all of these PB&J recipes. But I’ll be glad when it’s over (and I suspect everyone else will be, too!).
They are, so versatile, but wow, I never realised just how versatile that they could make fudge!!
I’m sure you will be glad when it’s over but we won’t! We will just have to make more of the recipes…:D
Healthy as can be and look absolutely gorgeous
Cheers
CCU
Something about shiny, dark chocolate, right CCU?
Just brilliant! I’m not a big fudge lover cause its just too sweet for me after a little bite but this one has great potential for me ;0
What would you think of Organic Palm Sugar that was home ground into Confectioner’s Sugar? Of course there’s still the carbs but any healthier?
No rub on your peanut butter for sure, but the blueberry would be my first choice here ♥
Here, here! I was never into fudge. Too sugary, which is amazing considering the sweet tooth I once had. Also agree with you on the blueberry layer. It could stand alone, for sure!
Would be interesting to try grinding the OPS. It’s an unrefined sugar, right :-)??
Kudos. I agree traditional fudge is too sweet, and I too used to walk around munching atomic fire balls and jawbreakers and other balls of sugar. I much prefer a less sweet fudge and this looks really amazing.
I’ve always hated fudge but this looks amazing!
These look so yummy. I have so many fudge recipes saved on pinterest, but I don’t think any have oatmeal. So I think these have got to be the first to try.
Thanks, Sandra! You sound like a devoted fudge fan :-)!
Blueberry fudge…goodgolly why have I never thought of that before? Now my head is spinning with fudg-abilities…pomegranate fudge comes to mind right away. Thanks for the recipe and the inspiration!
I know, right?! Think of all the fruits…
Reblogged this on Exposing the Big Game and commented:
My wife promised to make this at Christmas time…
Thanks!
Wow, this really does sound healthy for fudge Annie. Looks delicious too! I’m too lazy to make a three-layer fudge, but I might attempt the chocolate one by itself. Celeste
A bit over the top, for sure, but it comes together faster than it reads. If you just do one layer, maybe mix in some chopped nuts…mmmmm!
Boy, Kel (like my husband) really knows how to push those buttons, eh? But look at the result! Awesome!
Wow those look great.
Do you think you could substitute cherries for blueberries?
Definitely! I think just about any fruit would work.
Nice!! I love cherries and chocolate together and might have to experiment a bit! Thank you so much for sharing the recipe and for the great inspiration to bake treats that are good for the body (and taste good, too!).
Cherries + chocolate = match made in heaven! Thanks for stopping by and commenting :-)!
Sure thing! Love your blog and interacting with a nice person making awesome food!
Anniee you are an endless source of healthy delicious inspiration!!! A true creative soul – thank you!!! I ADORE these chocolate-peanut-butter-blueberry-divine- fudge – could bite into one right now!
oh gosh.. first that gorgeous ice cream now this fudeg. it is so beautiful and all those fudgy layers.. yumm! so such healthy ingredients.
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OMG I want those right NOW!
This is a lovely post! I just adore blueberry anything, along with chocolate. What a brilliant idea to combine the two!:)
I know, right? We don’t often pair the two, but you get that little bit of blueberry tartness with the sweet chocolate…nice.
Wow – thanks for the great recipe! One question. What is peanut butter flavor? Is that like PB2? Or is it some kind of extract? Any clues on where to find it in the store?
Hi Lynn! PB flavor is like an extract and you can get it via King Arthur Flour, and probably on Amazon. Hope you like the recipe!
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