The Life of Jennifer Dawn: Candy Recipe: Old Fashioned Peanut Butter Pinwheels

Tuesday, January 19, 2016

Candy Recipe: Old Fashioned Peanut Butter Pinwheels

These peanut butter pinwheels are a sugary sweet confection that are simple to make and require only five basic ingredients. Don't you just love easy recipes?

This one is easy enough to even let the kids do much of it for themselves. In fact, it's one that my mother used to make with her mother when she was a little girl. I have fond memories of making this peanut butter candy with my mother as a small child, and now I make it with my own children. It's been tried and tested for multiple generations!

Some treats just taste sweeter because of the memories behind them. And this candy with peanut butter spirals surrounded by sugary sweetness is one of them! Each bite just tastes like childhood and brings back a flood of memories!

These peanut butter pinwheels are my great grandmother's version of the old fashioned potato candy--minus the potatoes that are found in many traditional variations of the recipe. Up until a few years ago, we didn't have the recipe in writing. It is one that my mother and my great grandmother before her just knew how to make. Watching my mother make it with my daughter one afternoon, I was able to write down everything she did to make this scrumptious treat.

Today I'm sharing that recipe with you! Keep reading to see how to make this delicious candy.

Peanut Butter Pinwheels
 
 Ingredients
  • ⅓ cup cream (evaporated milk)
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 2½ cups powdered sugar
  • peanut butter
Instructions
  1. Heat the butter and cream in a pot on medium heat until the butter has melted.
  2. Remove from heat and add in the vanilla.
  3. Pour the powdered sugar into a large mixing bowl. Add the cream mixture to the powdered sugar a little at a time. Continue to stir and add cream until you get a dough-like consistency. Tip: You may not need to use all of the cream mixture, so it is important to add it gradually.
  4. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for one hour.
  5. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and roll it out in a thin layer onto parchment paper. Sprinkle powdered sugar on your prep surface and the dough to keep it from sticking.
  6. Spread peanut butter over the top of the dough.
  7. Roll it into a log. Slice and enjoy.
  8. Keep refrigerated.

*Variations: You could also make Peanut butter and jelly pinwheels by spreading a thin layer of jelly over the peanut butter before rolling the dough into a log. If you're kids love peanut butter and jelly, they're sure to love this fun twist on the time-honored recipe.
**My youngest son has a severe milk allergy. I made a batch for him using almond milk instead of cream and vegan butter in place of regular butter. I promise that you couldn't even tell a difference in the two batches. Need a non-dairy version? Just make these simple substitutions.

For another delicious candy recipe, be sure to take a look at these soft homemade caramel candies.
Happy candy making!
Note: A variation of this post originally appeared on Clean and Scentsible.
Disclaimer: Affiliate links and ads may be included in this post to guide you to some helpful products. All opinions are my own.

50 comments:

  1. Those sound so good. My whole family would love these!

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  2. Homemade candy? you guys make me look like I am not trying at all...LOL...Love it!....#Bloggersrock

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  3. How much fun is this!! I think it would be a great treat for anytime, and terrific for travel. I'm going to pass try this for sure! Thanks so much!

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  4. Oh my god this looks phenomenal I can't wait to try some.

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  5. These sound so good. I love pinwheels and peanut butter. So these are perfect!

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  6. I love peanut butter and so do my girls. This is going to be a lovely treat! Thanks for the recipe!

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  7. Yum! I love peanut butter. I can't wait to try it.

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  8. Looks delicious. I will try this 'cause I love peanut butter.

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    1. I would think this would also be good with the chocolate hazel nut spread in place of the peanut butter. Or both.

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  9. The pinwheels are really awesome. The recipes shown are yummy as well. Wold try out.

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  10. These look so delicious. I love anything peanut butter. Thank you for sharing.

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  11. Have been seeing quite a few pinwheel recipes lately and this is one of the good ones. :)

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  12. this looks like a great candy recipe! i might have to make these for my biblestudy

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  13. I should not have looked at these ;) They look amazing. Pinning the recipe for later!

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  14. I'll have to try these. I love peanut butter. And caramels for that matter

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  15. I love peanut butter and this looks tempting. My granddaughters will love this.

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  16. Ok, these are too pretty not to make. I pinned them so I can try!

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  17. This looks good. It reminds me of that potato candy. I've never made it but hear its good.

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    1. This is similar to the old-fashioned potato candy, but my great grandmother made a version without the potatoes. I'd be curious to try it sometime with the potatoes though.

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    2. If you try it with potatoes, Use a small one, it doesn't take much. peel the potato and boil until a fork will pierce it easily. Drain the water and mash the potato until all lumps are gone. Add a tsp of vanilla and start adding the 10X sugar. It will be very runny at first but will get very stiff quickly. I roll mine between two pieces of plastic wrap. spread the peanut butter, roll into log and put in the fridge or freezer. slice into 1/2" pieces and enjoy. Our family has been making this for decades. One of our favorites.

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    3. My mom and grandmother use to make this but used divinity and peanut butter. I've had this made 3 different ways and the peanut butter roll made with divinity is the absolute best.

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  18. My husband would go GAGA if I made these for him!

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  19. I've only ever seen these made with mashed potatoes, part of my German heritage. Will have to try this recipe and see if it tastes similar.

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  20. I've always used a boiled potato mashed with the powdered sugar. This looks easier and tastier, a must try, thank you.

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    1. Isn't it funny how many different versions can exist with an old recipe like this? As things get passed along and recreated, recipes definitely change. We never even had a written version of it. My great grandmother taught my grandmother who taught my mother who taught me. I just decided one day to write down exactly what my mother did. I'd love for you to give ours a try. I'm sure your version is delicious too though! Thanks for stopping by!

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    2. This is the way my mother and grabdmother made this candy. It is my favorite. I make at Christmas. I have had the potatoe version but I think this has more of a peanut butter tast to it.

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  21. My Mom used to make this and we loved it! Thanks for sharing....I will be making them soon!

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    1. I love pinwheels but wasn't making it correctly. Thanks a million for sharing it! :-)

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  22. My grandma and I have made these every year for christmas my whole life. Only we call it potato candy because we use baked potatoes (without the skin) instead of the cream and butter. I've actually only heard of using potatoes. Sounds weird but it just holds the sugar together and you can't taste it. If it's too dry you can add a tiny splash of water. That would be another good dairy free alternative.

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    1. Yes, I've heard of that. I'm sure your way is delicious too! It's certainly a recipe that has a lot of tasty ways to make it.

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  23. My Mother, Grandmother and Aunts using potatoes in their recipe as it will help hold the confectioner sugar together.

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    1. Yes, I know a lot of versions call for potatoes. This holds together really well though. Our family's version has been made like this for multiple generations.

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  24. Our family loves this candy. I have also used cream cheese instead of cream and butter.

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  25. I'm from Appalachia, & my family has made this for generations.

    No butter. No melting pot needed.

    Just add the vanilla to the powdered sugar in a bowl, & gradually add evaporated milk to the right dough consistency and then roll it out, spread peanut butter, roll it up, & slice!
    So yummy!

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    1. Thanks for sharing your family's way of making this delicious treat. It's been neat to read people's comments on how they make it. It's a recipe that goes so far back that dozens of variations have come out through the years. This is just how my family has made it for many generations. We know that my great grandmother made it, but we aren't sure where she picked it up from. It's exciting to share a recipe deeply rooted in tradition.

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    2. My grandmother was from the foothills of VA. She never cooked her butter and milk, and also used a little bit of corn syrup in it. I've made these for years now and everyone loves them.

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    3. Brownie Baker, this is how I always made this, however, I'm trying this recipe. My kids love it. Merry Christmas from KY

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  26. I also add cream cheese to the "dough". Makes it so delicious!

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  27. Has anyone had the divinity pinwheels? Yummy

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  28. So excited to make this... my whole family will love it... thank you!!!!

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  29. My version of the peanut butter pinwheels has 3 ingredients. Cook and smoosh up a potato, stir in powdered sugar until a stiff dough forms, roll out on waxed paper or plastic wrap. Spread with peanut butter, roll, slice, eat.

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    1. Thanks for sharing your version. It sounds like you make true potato candy. My great grandmother never used potatoes. This was her own variation of the old-fashioned recipe.

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  30. OMG, This brings back so many memories. I remember making these as a child. I don't think my grandmother had a recipe either. We always made this at Christmas along with Divinity.
    Thanks for sharing at Over The Moon party,
    Hugs,
    Bev

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    1. I think the fact that so many people just whipped up a batch without a written recipe is what's caused so many variations to trickle down through the generations.

      Making it brings back memories for me too! I'm glad it was so nostalgic for you. Thanks for stopping by to comment.

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  31. Jennifer,
    Hope you stop by Over The Moon later today since you are my feature.
    Hugs,
    Bev

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  32. Delicious! Passed down in my family too...no written recipe until I watched my mom and wrote it down. Writing down several of her recipes as she makes them. Don't want them to get "lost". Too precious!

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    1. That's exactly how I feel about these kinds of recipes! They are priceless. I had to watch my mom make this in order to have amounts to put into a written recipe. I'm so happy that you cherish those kinds of recipes too.

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  33. My mom made these when I was a kid at Christmas!!! LOVE!!!! The only thing close that I've found are maybe the white chocolate peanut butter cups.

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    1. Yum! Those are good too. :) I hope you'll give this recipe a try. Maybe it's similar to the one your mom used to make. We are snowed in today, so I plan on whipping up a batch myself. Happy holidays!

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Each and every one of your comments means so much to me. I love to hear from friends both old and new. Thanks for taking the time to stop by my little corner of the world and thanks for taking the time to let me know you were here.

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