Homemade Peanut Butter Cups

Once you try Homemade Peanut Butter Cups, you’ll never go back to store-bought again! The peanut butter center is perfect and you only need 6 ingredients!

Everyone knows that peanut butter and chocolate are a match made in heaven. Seriously, who does not love this combination? Growing up, my mom and I made all kinds of holiday candy and desserts.

Peanut butter was always a favorite ingredient in my family. We would make peanut butter pie, peanut butter cookies, and of course peanut butter cups.

These homemade cups were so popular they would usually disappear before we got around to sharing them with our friends and family.  Whoever did manage to get their hands on one (before my brothers and I did) always asked for the recipe after.  To this day, I use the same recipe my mom and I used and I am so excited to share it with you all!

I consider myself an expert when it comes to PB cups.  Like most of us, my first introduction to this classic candy was the always popular, always delicious Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.

Reese’s peanut butter just always had that perfect creamy and sweet texture wrapped in melt-in-your-mouth milk chocolate. Since my first bite, I was sold.

Since then, I can say I have tried just about every brand of peanut butter cup on the market. Even after all that taste testing, this peanut butter cup recipe is still on the top of my favorites list.

This recipe is so close to the store-bought candy it is hard to believe they are homemade. My kids even call these homemade Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. Almost as if they do not realize that Reese’s is the brand and not just the name of the candy.

You can even purchase brown paper candy cups on Amazon for that authentic peanut butter cup look. Personally, I use silicone cupcake liners instead of paper since I make these fairly often.

INGREDIENTS

Chocolate: The great thing about making this recipe is you can choose whatever type of chocolate you want! Dark chocolate peanut butter cups are my favorite! My husband, however, loves white chocolate, and my kids are peanut cup purists who only accept the classic milk chocolate version.

The only real suggestion I have to offer is to use good quality chocolate.  Great chocolate can elevate this recipe from good to phenomenal!

Peanut Butter: Any brand of creamy peanut butter will work with this recipe.  It is possible to substitute the peanut butter for other nut butter if you prefer. Just remember that this substitution will alter the sweetness and texture of your final product.

HOW DO YOU MAKE PEANUT BUTTER CUPS FROM SCRATCH

Would you have ever guessed there are graham crackers in the filling? If you eat a “real” peanut butter cup you will notice that the peanut butter filling has a texture to it.  The texture actually comes from the addition of graham crackers and other ingredients to the peanut butter. This contrast of textures is another thing that makes them so yummy!

1. To make your peanut butter mixture, add the peanut butter and graham crackers crumbs to a mixing bowl. Then stir it all together with a wooden spoon.
2. Microwave and melt your butter in a small bowl. Pour the butter and vanilla into the peanut butter mixture. Give everything a stir until the butter is all mixed in.
3. Add your powdered sugar to the peanut butter. Stir it together until it is well blended and the powder sugar has been fully incorporated.
4. Scoop out a heaping tablespoon of your peanut butter mixture. Then roll and flatten it into a disk about the size of a silver dollar. Repeat with the remaining peanut butter to make about 12 disks.
5. Place foil cup, paper cup, or silicone cupcake liners into a miniature muffin tin and set aside.
6. In the microwave, melt the chocolate in 30-second intervals, stirring between each heating, until it is smooth. (You could also do this in a double boiler.)
7. Scoop 1 tablespoon of chocolate into each cup of your muffin tin and then top with a peanut butter disk. Fill the cups with the remaining chocolate to cover the peanut butter disk. If your chocolate starts to firm up, remelt it in the microwave.
8. Refrigerate your cups for 20 minutes or until firm. Then enjoy!

WHO MAKES THE BEST PEANUT BUTTER CUPS?

This debate is always a fun one.  If I had to list the main contenders for the World’s BEST Peanut Butter Cup title I would say it is a toss-up between Trader Joe’s brand, Justin’s, Reese’s, and of course this homemade recipe!

Typically, my rule of thumb is whatever store I happen to be in at the time, or whatever peanut butter cup I have on hand is my current favorite. There is always room in my heart for all types of peanut butter cups.

However, these homemade PB cups will always hold a special place in my heart among their competitors.

TRY THESE OTHER DESSERTS

• No Bake Peanut Butter Cookie Bars
• Peanut Butter Balls
• No Bake Peanut Butter Icebox Cake
• Peanut Butter Cup Ice Cream
• Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Breakfast Cookies
• More dessert recipes…

*This post originally posted on 04/17/2016.

TOOLS USED TO MAKE THIS RECIPE

Silicone Cupcake Liners: Silicone liners are cost-effective and make clean-up a breeze!

Miniature Muffin Tin:  You can achieve the perfect bite-sized peanut butter cup with this perfectly portioned mini muffin tin.