How to Make Homemade Peanut Butter Cups Like a Pro

Name: How to Make Homemade Peanut Butter Cups Like a Pro
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 1 h
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: • 250g Peanuts; • 5ml vanilla; • 2g salt; • 75g sugar; • 45ml water; • Milk chocolate

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Are you craving a delectable and easy-to-make sweet treat? Look no further than these Peanut Butter Cups, guaranteed to satisfy your sweet tooth. This homemade recipe is absolutely amazing and so simple that you'll want to make them over and over again. Dive in to learn how you can recreate this mouthwatering delight in your kitchen!

A chocolate reese in the center with half a chocolate reese on top of it. in the back ground there are other wrapped reese.

Peanut Butter Cups are a favorite all year round but often gain popularity during holidays like Halloween and Christmas. Speaking of delightful sweets, have you ever tried Salted Caramel Chocolate Bark? Much like our Peanut Butter Cups, this treat combines sweet and salty flavors in a satisfying bite. Don't miss the recipe for an equally amazing dessert experience!

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PREFER TO WATCH INSTEAD OF READ?
Ingredients
Instructions
Substitutions
Variations
🍴 Equipment
Storage
Top tip
FAQ
Related
How to Make Homemade Peanut Butter Cups Like a Pro
Food safety

PREFER TO WATCH INSTEAD OF READ?

Ingredients

Peanuts
Vanilla
Salt
Sugar
Water
Milk chocolate

See recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

Homemade peanut butter on top of a wooden table top.

Make Homemade Peanut Butter(Optional)

Heat oven to 325°F and bake peanuts for 20-25 minutes. Grind peanuts in a food processor until smooth. Move the paste to a stand mixer, add salt and vanilla, and mix. In a saucepan, heat sugar and water to 250°F. Add this to the mixer. Once cool, spread the peanut butter on parchment paper. Enjoy!

Freeze Peanut Butter

Roll it out to 1cm thickness and then freeze for 30 minutes before proceeding with the next step in the recipe

On the left, it's the cookie cutter inside the muffin liner to see the size. On the right is the cookie cutter cutting the frozen peanut butter.

Cut out Freezed Peanut Butter

Use a cookie cutter a little bit smaller than your muffin liner to form disks, and then put them back in the freezer until you need them for the next stage of the recipe.

Melt Chocolate

Melt the milk chocolate in a water bath.

On the left, it's the muffin mold with the liner getting filled with melted milk chocolate. On the right, it's peanut butter disk getting pushed inside the muffin liner.

Assemble Base

Add chocolate to the bottom of your liner and press in the peanut butter disk.

Adding more melted chocolate over the peanut butter disk to close the Peanut butter cup.

Add More Chocolate

Cover the peanut butter with more chocolate and tap for evenness.

Two comparisons between Reese original and our homemade recipe.

Refrigerate

Chill the cups until they're set.

3 chocolate Peanut Butter Cups in the center with half a chocolate Peanut Butter Cup on the side of it. In the background, there are other wrapped Peanut Butter Cups.

Enjoy!

Your Peanut Butter Cups are ready to be enjoyed.

Hint: When melting the chocolate, ensure it's smooth and silky without any lumps. The temperature should be just right, neither too hot nor too cold, to achieve the perfect consistency. This is key to the divine texture of your Peanut Butter Cups.

Substitutions

For a vegan version, substitute the milk chocolate with dark chocolate.
To reduce sugar, you can use a sugar substitute.

Variations

Add a sprinkle of sea salt or crushed nuts on top for a crunchy twist.
Use dark or white chocolate for a different flavor profile.

🍴 Equipment

Homemade Peanut Butter

Baking Sheet: To spread peanuts for baking.
Food Processor: To grind peanuts into paste.
Stand Mixer: To mix peanut paste with salt and vanilla.
Saucepan: To heat sugar and water.
Cooking Thermometer: To measure temperature of sugar-water mix.
Parchment Paper: To place and roll the peanut mixture.
Rolling Pin: To roll peanut mixture to 1 cm thickness.
Cookie Cutters: To shape peanut mixture into disks.

Chocolate

Mixing Bowls: To melt chocolate in a water bath.
Muffin Liners: To shape the chocolate treats.
Muffin Pan: To hold the muffin liners.

Most Useful Equipment: Stand Mixer/Hand Mixer. It does heavy mixing work for both peanut paste and the final product.

Storage

Store Peanut Butter Cups in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week, or in the freezer for up to a month.

Top tip

Make sure not to overheat the chocolate as it can seize and become grainy. Gentle and slow melting ensures a smooth, glossy finish.

FAQ

Can I use pre-made peanut butter?

Yes, you can, but homemade provides a fresher flavor.

Can I add nuts or other toppings?

Yes, feel free to customize with your favorite toppings.

What if I don’t have a stand mixer?

A hand mixer will work; just beat longer for smoothness.

Can I make these for a party?

Certainly! They are perfect for gatherings.

Is this recipe suitable for kids to make?

With adult supervision, kids can enjoy making this treat.

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