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These homemade peanut butter cups have fudgy peanut butter and white chocolate filling wrapped in rich dark chocolate and sprinkled with roasted nuts. With only 3 ingredients, they’re easy to make and SO much better than store-bought!
Peanut butter cups look great on a holiday platter next to more homemade treats like dark chocolate truffles and Christmas crack.
I was nearly in my twenties when I tried Reese’s peanut butter cups for the first time (yes, really!). Suffice it to say, I finally understood the hype. From then on, I picked up a package whenever I stopped at the store or gas station. I even set out to make this homemade version. Obsession: unlocked! I love this peanut butter cups recipe and it’s pretty darn close to the original, if not better.
Why I’m Obsessed With This Peanut Butter Cups Recipe
- 3 ingredients. All you need is two types of chocolate and a jar of your favorite peanut butter.
- Quick and easy. Most of the magic happens in the microwave (you could also use the double-boiler method). It takes minutes to melt the chocolate and peanut butter, and then you simply layer it into mini muffin liners!
- Rich and fudgy peanut butter center. Many homemade peanut butter cups use powdered sugar to stabilize the peanut butter filling, but I much prefer white chocolate. It adds just the right amount of sweetness and makes the center of the peanut butter cups extra fudgy.
Ingredients You’ll Need
There’s no better combination than chocolate and peanut butter, especially in homemade peanut butter cups. The ingredients are crazy simple. I’ve included some notes here, and you’ll find the printable recipe card along with a photo step-by-step showing how to make these peanut butter cups below the post.
- White Chocolate – Melting white chocolate with peanut butter adds sweetness and helps stabilize the filling. Chop up the chocolate beforehand so it melts quickly.
- Peanut Butter – I’ve made this recipe with Smucker’s Natural Peanut Butter and regular, shelf-stable creamy peanut butter (like Jif or Skippy). I think these would turn out delicious with crunchy peanut butter, too. Use your favorite!
- Semisweet Chocolate – I like dark chocolate, but feel free to use any semisweet, bittersweet, or even milk chocolate you’d prefer. High-quality chocolate bars like Ghirardelli and Lindt melt more smoothly than chocolate chips.
- Roasted Peanuts – Roughly chopped or crushed, for garnish.
Tips and Variations
- Keep peanut butter from sticking to the measuring cup. Measuring sticky ingredients can be a pain. My handy trick to prevent the peanut butter from getting stuck inside the measuring cup is to give the cup a light coating with cooking spray first. The peanut butter slides right out!
- Don’t overheat the chocolate. Melt the chocolate in increments, stirring often, and do your best not to overheat it. Otherwise, the chocolate can scorch and seize. If this happens, you’ll need to start over.
- Store them in the fridge. It’s important to keep these homemade peanut butter cups cold when storing (see below for more details). The chocolate softens at room temperature.
- Different nut butter. Instead of peanut butter, you can make these chocolate cups with almond or cashew butter. Or, try a version with homemade Nutella.
How to Store
- Refrigerate. These homemade peanut butter cups should be kept airtight in the fridge. They’ll last for 4-5 days. Bring them to room temperature before serving.
- Freeze. You can freeze peanut butter cups for up to 1 month. Store them in an airtight container or freezer bag with parchment paper between layers. Take them out 10-15 minutes ahead of serving.
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Peanut Butter Cups
Ingredients
- 4 ounces white chocolate, chopped
- ½ cup smooth peanut butter, I use Smucker’s Natural Peanut Butter
- 12 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped (I like to use dark chocolate)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted roasted peanuts, finely chopped, optional
- vegetable oil, optional, for melting the chocolate
Instructions
- Prep. Line two 12-cup mini muffin pans with paper liners; set aside.
- Melt white chocolate and peanut butter. In a microwave-safe bowl, combine white chocolate and peanut butter. Microwave, until almost melted, 1 to 1½ minutes, stirring halfway through. Set aside to cool slightly.
- Melt semisweet chocolate. Meanwhile, place semisweet chocolate in another microwave-safe bowl. Drizzle with just a bit of vegetable oil and microwave, stopping and stirring twice, until almost melted, 1½ to 3 minutes.
- Assemble the peanut butter cups. Dividing evenly, use a spoon to layer semisweet chocolate then peanut butter mixture into liners, and end with a layer of chocolate. So, beginning and ending with chocolate, then finally sprinkle with chopped peanuts.
- Chill. Place muffin pans in the freezer until peanut butter cups are firm, about 15 minutes. Bring to room temperature before serving.
Equipment
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
How to Make Homemade Peanut Butter Cups
The standard Reese’s peanut butter cups have a 50/50 ratio of chocolate to peanut butter. The beauty of homemade is that you can customize that ratio however you’d like! Follow the steps here to make these easy peanut butter cups from scratch:
- Prep. First, take out two 12-cup mini muffin pans and line both with paper liners.
- Melt the peanut butter. Next, add peanut butter and white chocolate to a microwave-safe bowl. Heat in the microwave in 30-second increments, stirring in between, for about 1 to 1 ½ minutes or until it’s completely smooth. Set that aside to cool.
- Melt the chocolate. Meanwhile, you’ll repeat the melting process, this time with the semisweet chocolate. It may take a bit longer to melt.
- Assemble the peanut butter cups. Start by spooning a layer of semisweet chocolate into each paper liner inside the prepared muffin pans. Follow that with a peanut butter layer, followed by a second and final chocolate layer. Sprinkle the top of the peanut butter cups with roasted peanuts while the chocolate is still wet.
- Chill. Pop the whole pan into the freezer to chill until the peanut butter cups are firm, for about 15 minutes. You’ll want to let them come back to room temperature for serving so that the chocolate isn’t too hard.
Your pictures are making me drool on my computer. 🙂 I will take a batch of these please….. 😉
Wow I can’t believe you didn’t try pb until you were 20!!! I’m so glad you liked your first peanut butter cups. Will definitely be trying to make my own!
Hehe! Treats like to tease us with their simple deliciousness! They look so good! Great job Kate!
i saw your recipe on FoodBeast, so I had to leave a comment here, too. We eat a lot of Smucker’s Natural peanut butter, chunky Style, so I’ll have to try them in peanut butter cups.
Great job! These are so cute and look delicious! 🙂
One taste and you were hooked, it seems! I am definitely hooked. Had PB for breakfast, had it again for lunch. Your homemade cups look delicious.
I have seen recipes for homemade PB cups a couple of time and I keep saying I’m going to make them. I LOVE PB cups. Frankly they (and butterfingers) are the only candy that I eat. When I ski I always tuck a few into my pockets for quick energy and at Halloween I always sneak a few from the kids bags . I’m off to check the recipe!! Love Foodbeast!!
I love peanut butter cups! Still have to make my own, though ;-).
I tell ya that Speedway will get you everytime! Love the layered look, and despite all the sweets I’ve had over the last couple of days I would love one of these.
I have homemade peanut butter cups in my ever-growing “stack” of things to make. You may have just inspired me to move it to the top! Yum! Yours look amazing!!