Homemade Peanut Butter Cups
Homemade Peanut Butter Cups are easy to make yourself from scratch, and the best part is that you get to use good quality chocolate and all natural ingredients. These are a massive improvement on the cheap, preservative-filled ones you typically find at the store.
Quite possibly the most popular candy of all time, there’s a reason this simple treat is so loved by many. It’s so simple, so unpretentious, and so heavenly.
You might say, why make your own peanut butter cups when you can buy them?
I have a few reasons. First, I get to use my good chocolate and good peanut butter. The popular one you buy at the store uses such junky chocolate, and you can really taste the difference here.
Second, I find that a quality homemade peanut butter cup is WAY more satisfying than the storebought one, and thus I tend to eat less this way. Better for my waistline!
And third, when I make these myself, I know there are only four simple ingredients. And none of those ingredients are preservatives or other stuff I don’t want in my body.
I have no idea what TBHQ is, but I know it’s something I would not like to eat.
Tips for Best Results
Use good chocolate – Chocolate varies HUGELY in quality. In fact it might be the one food that has the biggest range of quality out of anything you’ll find at the grocery store. I highly recommend Guittard brand here (my favorite kind of chocolate is made by them), which you can find at Target, Whole Foods, and Amazon. To me it is the best combination of quality and affordability. If you can’t find that, Ghirardelli is also decent. Callebaut, Vahlrona, and Scharffen Berger are also great, but tend to be expensive and hard to find.
Use your favorite peanut butter – Unlike my epic Peanut Butter Cookies where I recommend not using natural peanut butter, it’s actually okay to use any kind you like here. If your grocery store has a grinder, that can be a wonderful treat because it tastes so fresh.
Don’t rush the chilling process – The peanut butter cups will need to be assembled in layers and chilled in the fridge or freezer every step of the way. Don’t rush this, or you won’t give the layers time to set.
And most of all, if you’ve got kids, invite them to make these with you!
My kids have the grandest time banging the pan against the counter like a bunch of maniacs, and this tapping is quite essential for flattening all the layers out. It’s fun to tell them that they’ve got the most important job of all.
Step by Step Overview
Start by whipping peanut butter with a little bit of softened butter and confectioner’s sugar (aka powdered sugar) in a medium bowl:
You may either use natural or smooth ground peanut butter with oil added, like what’s typical of Jif or Skippy. Above I used natural, which makes it a bit more textured. It’s also up to you whether you use creamy or crunchy peanut butter.
Place a little dollop of the whipped peanut butter filling atop a small layer of melted chocolate that’s been frozen for 15 minutes.
How to Melt the Chocolate
The easiest way to melt the chocolate is to place the chips or chopped chocolate into a microwave-safe bowl, and microwave in 30-second intervals, about 3-4 times, stirring after each interval, until melted. However, to absolutely ensure the safest melting, the best way is to melt in a double boiler set over low heat. This takes much longer though, and so long as you watch closely in the microwave, I’ve never had an issue.
Note: Do not overheat while melting. If you overheat the coating, it may seize and be unrecoverable clumpy. When there are only little bits of unmelted chips or chunks left, I stop microwaving and stir for a few seconds, as usually there’s enough residual heat to melt the rest.
I like to put everything into paper cupcake liners by the way, setting them inside the muffin cups of a metal tin, so that the cups are easy to remove. You may also use silicone liners instead of paper liners.
Now, you see how the peanut butter layer is not a flat surface?
Just drop the pan on the counter a few times and the filling will flatten and smooth itself out, like this:
Freeze the tray for 15 minutes, then finally, pour on the top layer of the melted remaining chocolate.
If the top of the chocolate layer is not smooth, tap gently on the countertop to smooth.
If you wish to add a touch of flaky sea salt to the top, or some chopped roasted peanuts, do it here.
Freeze for 15 more minutes until it hardens, then you’re good to go!
Which Darkness of Chocolate to Use
As a rule of thumb, the lower the cacao content in the chocolate, the softer and easier it will be to bite into. You’ve probably noticed that milk chocolate is much softer than dark chocolate, for instance. White chocolate even more so. Keep this in mind when deciding on the chocolate you use for this recipe.
Personally, I use a straight melted semisweet chocolate here, as milk chocolate is a little too sweet for me. I find that it’s still easy enough to bite into when served at room temperature. However, if you’d like to use a darker type and make it softer to bite into, what you can do is make a chocolate ganache, which is basically just chocolate mixed with heavy cream. I have instructions in the recipe box. Or you can stir in 2 tbsp of oil into each 8-ounce batch of chocolate, and that will make it slightly softer.
For more homemade candy, try Pecan Praline Candy, Peanut Brittle, or Chocolate Bark.
Here’s the full video on how to make the peanut butter cups, if video is your style. I talk a little bit about the different methods of melting the chocolate, as well:
Recipe Tips and FAQ
Keep at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2 days, or in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. If storing in the fridge, you will need to allow them to come back to room temperature again for a softer texture.
Yes, store in an airtight container for up to 3 months. To thaw, leave at room temperature for 1 hour.
You may use any nut butter that you prefer, including almond butter, cashew butter, or a mix of nut butters. However, some nut butters are looser than others, so you may need to add extra confectioner’s sugar to thicken up to the right consistency. You can also thicken with crushed graham crackers for a more cookie-like filling.
No. You need the cornstarch that’s in the confectioner’s sugar to thicken up the peanut butter mixture.
Yes, simply rotate the pan while the chocolate is still melted, to come slightly up the sides of the cups. That way you can conceal the peanut butter layer visually.
Did you enjoy the recipe? Please leave a 5-star rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. Or, follow me on Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest!
Homemade Peanut Butter Cups
Ingredients
- 16 oz semisweet chocolate chopped, or in chip form
- 1/2 cup creamy natural peanut butter
- 2 tbsp butter softened
- 1.75 oz confectioner’s sugar, by weight (1/4 cup+2 tbsp, measured), sifted
Instructions
- Line a standard 12 cup muffin tin with paper cupcake liners.
- Melt half the chocolate either in a double boiler (the safer method) or in the microwave (the slightly more dangerous, but easier method). I opt for the latter. Place the chocolate into a microwave-safe bowl, and microwave in 20 second intervals, about 3-4 times, stirring after each interval, until melted. Make absolutely sure not to overcook the chocolate, or it will seize and turn grainy.
- Distribute the melted chocolate into the 12 muffin tins (I use a cookie scoop to portion it out evenly), only barely filling the bottom of each cup. If the chocolate does not lie flat, drop the pan repeatedly on the counter, and it will flatten and smooth itself out. Place the pan in the freezer for 15 minutes, until the layer is firm.
- In the meantime, whip the peanut butter, butter, and confectioner’s sugar together with a hand mixer for about 1 minute until creamy and light. Taste it and make sure the sweetness is to your liking. Place small tablespoons of the peanut butter mixture into each cup, then drop the pan repeatedly on the counter again, so the layer is flattened out. Place in the freezer for 15 minutes, until the second layer is firm.
- Melt the last 1/2lb of chocolate, and portion small spoonfuls into the cups, one cup at a time, immediately dropping the pan repeatedly on the counter to flatten each cup. In my experience of making these, the chill from the peanut butter layer (because it was just in the freezer) will harden up that top layer very quickly, so you must flatten out the tops immediately after you pour the chocolate into each cup. Place the tray in the freezer for 15 minutes to set the top layer of chocolate.
- In order to have the softest bite, I recommend enjoying the peanut butter cups at room temperature. If you store them in the fridge or freezer, the chocolate will be more firm, making the filling more likely to ooze out. See the notes below for more commentary on storage and texture.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
213 Comments on “Homemade Peanut Butter Cups”
Hi Joanne,
I found this post via Pinterest and it helped inspire me to make my own peanut butter cup “concoction”. I have to say – very delicious and easy to make! I wrote about it on my blog, and of course credited you and linked back to this post. Don’t worry – I wrote out my own instructions and used my own photos! 😉
Thanks for a great recipe!
Oh, these are just what I was looking for! My 5-year old and I need a cooking project, these will be fun and yummy! 🙂 Found your recipe on Pinterest and had to check it out “in person” I’ll be pinning this too!
These are yummy! Just finished making them, too good for words! I’m an American living in Australia and peanut butter cups don’t exist, so to make my own is a real treat!
Peanut butter & chocolate, what is not to love – my hubby just told me not to make them as he feels he has NO, ZERO, ZILTCH self control. Will be making them soon! 🙂
I haven’t been this excited about a blog/website in a long time… especially excited enough to sign up to receive the newsletter. But I just did! I can’t wait to share this with my friend, Bridgett. We both love to make food from scratch so that we know what’s in it too.
This is a wonderful recipe and I can’t wait to make it.
Yummers!
I am SO looking forward to getting your newsletter. Thanks!
What a nice comment, thank you!! I’m glad to have you as a new reader and please keep me posted on your cooking adventures =)
Hi! I made these yesterday and it was a fun project! I love how these peanut butter cups look, the way we can see the layers of chocolate and PB. They are a little messy and the chocolate layers are naturally harder than the PB layer but I find that if you set them out just a teeny while before eating and serve them in a cupcake liner to contain the mess, it’s not too bad. Plus, they taste great so what’s a little mess anyway. Next time, I think I’d go with mini size so you can pop one whole piece in your mouth and have no problems with messy fingers. : )
Thanks so much for this recipe! What a great blog!
Hi Monica, I’m so glad you liked them! If you wanted a softer chocolate next time you could try milk chocolate instead. I also think the mini size is a brilliant idea…you’re right, it wouldn’t matter if the peanut butter squishes out of the sides at all. Happy cooking!
Hey Joanne, first of all- thank you for this recipe! My husband’s favorite candies are peanut butter cups! I made these the other night and he loved them. His only complaint was the that the chocolate was too hard, and the peanut butter middle was too soft. I used tollhouse semi-sweet chocolate chips, so maybe that was the problem? I left them out on the counter and the chocolate got kind of discolored and weird looking, so I put them in the fridge. They are just too hard to bite into when cold, but when room temperature, the middle just squishes out.
I really love the flavor of these and I love making things homemade whenever possible. Do you have any suggestions for the next time I make these? Thanks again! I love your site! 🙂
Hi Paula, semisweet chocolate will definitely be harder than milk. I would suggest using milk chocolate next time if you guys like that kind of chocolate (it will definitely be sweeter). I don’t use tollhouse but I’ve looked at their labels…I think I recall some fillers in there. It sounds like with your chocolate, the cacao butter separated from the cacao solids. I would suggest trying to get Ghirardelli or Callebaut, which aren’t too expensive but are still good quality.
Thanks so much! I will definitely try that 🙂
I made these last night, and while they were delicious, the chocolate was hard and the peanut butter squished out when you bit into it. Did yours do that! I used semisweet chocolate.
Hi Crystal, did you eat them immediately after freezing, or did you let them come to room temperature? They’re definitely going to be harder than regular Reese’s since Reese’s uses milk chocolate. If you prefer a softer texture you can definitely use milk, but you may want to adjust the peanut butter filling since milk chocolate has more sugar. Also, what brand of semisweet chocolate did you use?
Did those of you who have made this try milk chocolate or milk chocolate chips instead of semi sweet chocolate? I LOVE chocolate and peanut butter together! Thanks for the recipe! Will have to try the next time my girls are home from college.
Oh. my. goodness. Do these ever look yummy! I am definitely trying these and I won’t care how they turn out or what they look like. I plan to eat them all just based on your recipe and photos. Thanks so much for posting, I just found your site so I’m off now now to look at more of your recipes!
I just made these. I used Ghiradelli 60% cocoa choc chips and some creamy PB. I did not add butter and I only added 1/8 cup powdered sugar. They came out great! My husband says they taste even better than the Newman’s Own Dark Chocolate PB cups we used to buy. Plus I love that the PB isn’t dry and powdery like a lot of those end up being when bought from the store. I think next time I will try making them in the mini cups and using a pastry bag to pipe the stuff. But what I did was, I used a combo of foil and paper liners and I just held the liner in my hand and used a spoon to put the chocolate in, and then just swirled the liner around a bit to spread it. It worked fine. Thanks for posting this!
Thanks for sharing your method with us Tara! So glad they turned out so well.
I can’t wait to try this! I was in USA in 2010 and that’s when my addiction to peanut butter cups started! They don’t sell them in South Africa and when you do find them-they are extremely expensive! I can’t wait to make my own! Thank you for sharing 🙂
I’ve never made these from scratch before. Yours look better than the store bought ones and who knew they could be this simple. I can’t wait to make these.
Joanne,
Another great recipe! Made these today for the gluten free crowd in my house. I used milk chocolate for one batch and dark chocolate for batch 2… now I will admit batch 2 came out much better in every way because I figured out a melon ball scoop worked great for scooping in the chocolate and peanut butter…thanks for the inspiration
Hi Kim, so glad to hear it! Did everyone like the milk chocolate or dark chocolate better? I like the dark =)
do you have to use foil baking cups?
Hi Stephanie, I’ve never used foil baking cups for these, I always just do the paper ones. No need to pay extra for the foil ones =)
Oh wow, didn’t realise they could be so simple to make. Definitely going to give this a try – thanks! (PS We can’t buy them in stores here, so I’m very keen to taste them again haha!)