Nothing beats the combination of rich chocolate and sweet and salty peanut butter! The contrast between crunchy and smooth makes eating peanut butter cups such a wonderful experience. You can just imagine my excitement when I came across this recipe! Before this, I had no idea peanut butter cups were such a cinch to make. It’s much cheaper than buying the actual thing, too! With this easy peanut butter cups recipe, you can treat yourself to these spectacular sweets any time, any day.
Homemade Peanut Butter Cups
Out of all the candy out there, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups is, hands down, my ultimate favorite. There’s really nothing like chocolate and peanut butter together. This copycat recipe makes the most drool-worthy and decadent peanut butter cups! I was surprised by how similar they tasted to the original. Thanks to this recipe, I have been making my own peanut butter cups for decades. The best part is that they are extremely easy to make! You’ll only need 4 basic ingredients and 20-30 minutes.
Ingredients
Milk chocolate chips. Or dark or white. Any kind of chocolate will do, but of course, you’ll want to stick to one of high quality. Peanut butter. Any brand will do but stick to the creamy or chunky kind. Natural peanut butter is too runny for this recipe. Salt. To enhance the flavor of peanut butter, and to balance out the sweetness from the powdered sugar. Powdered sugar. Apart from the sweetness, it will also help thicken your peanut butter.
Tips for Making the Best Peanut Butter Cups
Add some melted coconut oil or butter to the chocolate to make it silkier. Vegetable and shortening work as well. This recipe calls for ½ cup of powdered sugar, but if your peanut butter is already sweet, you may want to cut the amount in half. Aside from sugar, you can also use honey crushed graham crackers to help thicken the peanut butter. Sift the powdered sugar to avoid lumps. Add a teaspoon of vanilla extract to the peanut butter to enhance its flavor. Shape the peanut butter mixture into a log, wrap it in parchment paper, and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Slice thin rounds to make the filling. This method is much easier than spooning over the peanut butter into the cups. No muffin liners on hand? Use a muffin tin, instead. As long as you spray it with oil spray, the cups will pop right out. The thinner the chocolate wall, the better. You don’t want to put too much, otherwise, it will be too tough to eat. To make the cups nice and flat, level the top chocolate with a flat spatula. Use the freezer to make the chocolate set much faster. Chocolate will harden as fast as 5 minutes in the freezer.
Fun Flavor Variations
Once you have learned the basics of making peanut butter cups, you can try different variations to suit every occasion! Here are some fun ways to switch things up: Fill the cups with your favorite jam or jelly to make PB&J chocolate cups. Instead of peanut butter, place a slice of banana in the center, and voila! You’ll have some chocolate banana cups. Instead of chocolate, use the peanut butter as the base to make inside-out-peanut butter cups. To make the peanut butter base, combine ½ cup of powdered peanut butter, ¼ cup coconut oil, and 4 teaspoons of maple syrup. Instead of peanut butter, use your nut butter of choice. Almond, cashew, macadamia, and sunflower butter all work! For a sweeter, hazelnutty flavor, use Nutella as the filling instead of peanut butter. Fill the cups with raspberry jam to make trifle-like cups. Add some crunch by using crunchy peanut butter! You can also add crushed nuts or pretzels to the melted chocolate. Give your cups a fruity flair by adding chopped dried cherries or cranberries. Use whatever kind of chocolate you want! Dark, milk, or semi-sweet – take your pick! You can even use white chocolate combined with food coloring to make different-colored cups.
How to Store Homemade Peanut Butter Cups
Store peanut butter cups in a sealable container and refrigerate for up to 7 days. Let them sit at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes before serving. Otherwise, they’ll be too tough to eat. If you want to keep them around much longer, store them in the freezer. Wrap individual cups in parchment paper and place in a freezer-safe bag. Squeeze out as much excess air as you can, seal, label, and freeze. You can also freeze the peanut butter cups in a muffin tin. Place a sheet of parchment paper over the muffin tin and wrap it with plastic wrap. This will prevent them from absorbing the odors of other items in the freezer. Label accordingly and freeze. Frozen peanut butter cups will keep well for up to 3 months. Click on a star to rate it!
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