Grandma's Peanut Butter Fudge

Butter a 9-inch pieplate. Set aside.

Place peanut butter and vanilla in a medium bowl.

Combine sugar and next 3 ingredients in a 2-quart heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring until butter melts. Using a pastry brush dipped in hot water, brush down any sugar crystals on sides of pan. Cook, without stirring, until a candy thermometer registers 235 (soft ball stage).

Remove from heat, and let stand 5 minutes.

Pour hot syrup over peanut butter mixture in bowl. (Do not scrape sides of pan.) Beat with a wooden spoon until smooth. Quickly pour into prepared pieplate. Cool completely.

Cut candy into pieces.

Tips: Grandma probably used the stage method to determine her candy's readiness, but a thermometer will give you more consistent results. Be sure to check that your thermometer works accurately and adjust accordingly if it doesn't. For example: if water boils at 212 on your thermometer, your thermometer works accurately. If it boils at 210, cook this recipe to 233; if the boiling point on your thermometer is 214, cook this recipe to 23

Be sure that the bulb of the candy thermometer is fully submerged in syrup but does not touch bottom of saucepan. Don't beat candy too long; it hardens quickly as it cools. Beating candy in a separate bowl helps prevent the grainy texture that results from accidentally scraping any crystals off sides of pan.