Every December my mom’s cookie tins had one thing I always dug for first: tiger butter. It’s an old-fashioned Southern candy, a creamy layer of white chocolate and peanut butter with milk chocolate swirled through it in wild stripes. It tastes like a peanut butter cup turned inside out, it takes about 15 minutes of hands-on time, and you don’t need a candy thermometer or the stove. Just a microwave, an 8×8 pan and a little patience while it chills.
I’ve tested this a bunch of times and tightened up the parts that used to trip me up. The white chocolate now melts at half power so it doesn’t scorch or seize. The peanut butter is no-stir creamy, because natural peanut butter separates and makes the fudge greasy. I added a pinch of salt, and the chocolate gets swirled down into the peanut butter layer while it’s still soft, so you get real tiger stripes instead of a drizzle sitting on top. And because it’s a thick slab, it gets a full 2 hours in the fridge. It makes 36 small squares, and it’s rich, so small is right.
Why You’ll Love It
- Just five ingredients. White chocolate chips, peanut butter, milk chocolate chips, a little coconut oil and a pinch of salt.
- No stove, no thermometer. Everything melts in the microwave.
- Gorgeous for gifting. Every pan swirls a little differently, and the stripes look great in cookie tins.
- Make-ahead friendly. It keeps 2 weeks in the fridge and freezes for 3 months.
- Peanut butter cup flavor. Sweet, salty, creamy and chocolatey in one bite.
Ingredients and Substitutions
Full amounts are in the recipe card below. Here’s what each ingredient does and the swaps that work.
For the peanut butter base
- White chocolate chips (4 cups, about 24 oz): Good-quality chips like Ghirardelli or Guittard melt smoothest. White almond bark or white candy melting wafers also work and set a little firmer. Check the bag weight, since bag sizes vary from 10 to 12 oz.
- Creamy peanut butter (¾ cup): Use a no-stir brand like Jif or Skippy. Natural peanut butter separates and can make the fudge oily. Crunchy works if you like texture.
- Salt (⅛ tsp): Just a pinch to balance all that sweetness. Skip it if your peanut butter is very salty.
For the chocolate swirl
- Milk chocolate chips (¾ cup, about 4.5 oz): Semisweet chips give stronger contrast and a less sweet bite.
- Coconut oil or shortening (1 tsp): Thins the chocolate so it swirls easily. Refined coconut oil has no coconut flavor. Vegetable oil works in a pinch, but the stripes stay a little softer.
How to Make Tiger Butter Fudge
- Line the pan. Line an 8×8-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving a few inches of overhang on two sides so you can lift the fudge out later.
- Melt the white chocolate. Put the white chocolate chips in a large microwave-safe bowl. Microwave at 50% power for 1 minute, stir, then continue in 30-second bursts at 50% power, stirring each time, until almost melted. Stir until the last bits melt from the bowl’s heat. This usually takes 2½ to 3½ minutes total.
- Add the peanut butter. Warm the peanut butter in the microwave for 20 to 30 seconds to loosen it, then stir it and the salt into the white chocolate until smooth and evenly colored.
- Fill the pan. Spread the mixture evenly in the prepared pan.
- Melt the milk chocolate. In a small microwave-safe bowl, melt the milk chocolate chips with the coconut oil at 50% power in 30-second bursts, stirring each time, until smooth, about 1 to 1½ minutes.
- Make the stripes. Right away, while the peanut butter layer is still soft, drop spoonfuls of chocolate (or drizzle it in lines) over the top. Drag a knife or skewer through both layers in a zigzag, going about halfway down, to make tiger stripes. Don’t overdo it, or it turns muddy. Five or six passes in each direction is plenty, and a few uneven spots only make it look more homemade.
- Chill. Refrigerate, uncovered, for 2 hours, until completely firm.
- Cut. Lift the slab out with the parchment, let it sit 5 minutes, and cut into 36 squares (6 rows by 6) with a large knife. Wipe the knife clean between cuts for neat edges.
Tips for Success
Melt low and slow
White chocolate scorches and seizes faster than any other chocolate. Use 50% power, stir often and stop while a few chips are still visible. If it turns thick and grainy, it’s overheated; start a fresh batch rather than trying to save it.
Swirl fast
The swirl only works while the peanut butter layer is soft. Have the milk chocolate melted and ready right after you spread the base, and finish swirling within a few minutes.
Cut clean squares
A slab straight from the fridge can crack. Let it sit for 5 minutes, then press a large knife straight down instead of sawing. Running the knife under hot water and drying it helps too. For gift tins, I trim a thin strip off each edge first so every square has clean sides and a full stripe pattern, and the trimmings are the cook’s treat.
Storage and Make-Ahead
- Fridge: Store in an airtight container with parchment between layers for up to 2 weeks.
- Room temperature: It’s fine on a dessert table for a few hours, but it softens in a warm room. For longer storage, keep it cold.
- Freezer: Wrap well and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight.
- Gifting: Pack the squares in mini paper cups inside a tin and tell your friends to keep it in the fridge.
Variations
- Dark chocolate stripes: Use semisweet or bittersweet chips instead of milk chocolate.
- Crunchy tiger butter: Use crunchy peanut butter, or sprinkle ⅓ cup of chopped roasted peanuts over the top before chilling.
- Flaky salt: Sprinkle a little flaky sea salt over the top right after swirling.
- Holiday sprinkles: Add red and green sprinkles over the swirl for Christmas trays.
- Thinner bark: Spread it in a parchment-lined 9×13 pan for thinner, snappier pieces. It chills in about 1 hour.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is it called tiger butter?
Because of the stripes. Swirling dark milk chocolate through the pale peanut butter layer makes a pattern that looks like a tiger’s coat. It’s an old Southern holiday candy that’s been around since at least the 1980s.
Is tiger butter really fudge?
Not in the traditional cooked-sugar sense. It’s a melted-chocolate candy, closer to bark, that sets firm and creamy like fudge. That’s why it’s so easy and doesn’t need a candy thermometer.
Why did my white chocolate get thick and grainy?
It overheated or got a drop of water in it. Melt it at 50% power in short bursts, stir often and keep everything bone dry.
Can I use natural peanut butter?
I don’t recommend it. Natural peanut butter separates, and the oil can make the fudge greasy and soft. A no-stir creamy brand gives the smoothest, firmest set.
How long does it take to set?
About 2 hours in the fridge in an 8×8 pan. A thinner layer in a 9×13 pan sets in about 1 hour.
Tiger Butter Fudge
Ingredients
Method
- Line an 8×8-inch pan with parchment, leaving an overhang on two sides.
- Microwave the white chocolate chips at 50% power for 1 minute, stir, then in 30-second bursts at 50% power, stirring each time, until almost melted. Stir until smooth.
- Microwave the peanut butter 20–30 seconds, then stir it and the salt into the white chocolate until smooth.
- Spread evenly in the pan.
- Melt the milk chocolate chips with the coconut oil at 50% power in 30-second bursts, stirring, until smooth.
- While the base is still soft, drop spoonfuls of chocolate over the top and drag a knife through both layers in a zigzag to make stripes.
- Refrigerate uncovered 2 hours, until firm.
- Lift out, rest 5 minutes and cut into 36 squares.
Notes
Save this recipe: Pin this tiger butter fudge to your Christmas candy board so it’s ready for cookie tin season.
