Description
Make delicious homemade chocolate peanut butter cups with a rich chocolate shell and creamy peanut butter filling. These easy-to-make treats combine smooth melted chocolate with a sweet and slightly salty peanut butter center, perfect for satisfying your sweet tooth with a homemade touch.
Ingredients
Scale
Chocolate Coating
- 16 ounces chocolate chips, divided (approximately 2½ cups)
- 3 teaspoons coconut oil, divided (optional)
Peanut Butter Filling
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter (shelf-stable preferred)
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon table salt
Instructions
- Prepare Pan: Line a 6-cup muffin tin with silicone or paper liners. Alternatively, use 12 mini cupcake liners for smaller peanut butter cups.
- Assemble Chocolate Base: Place 1 cup of chocolate chips into a small heat-safe bowl. Microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring after each, until mostly melted with a few chunks remaining. Stir continuously off heat until fully melted. Add 1 teaspoon coconut oil and stir until glossy.
- Form Chocolate Base: Spoon about ½ tablespoon of melted chocolate into each muffin cup and spread into a thin layer using the back of the spoon. Chill in the fridge or freezer for 5 minutes until hardened.
- Prepare Peanut Butter Filling: In a medium bowl, mix ½ cup creamy peanut butter, ¼ cup powdered sugar, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, and ¼ teaspoon salt with a handheld mixer on medium speed until smooth and well combined. For natural peanut butter, add 1-2 tablespoons more powdered sugar to thicken. The mixture should be firm enough to shape.
- Shape Peanut Butter Discs: Remove the muffin tin from the fridge/freezer. Using about 1 tablespoon peanut butter mixture per cup, shape small discs slightly smaller than the chocolate base. Place discs onto the hardened chocolate layer in each muffin cup.
- Melt Remaining Chocolate: Place remaining 1½ cups chocolate chips in a clean heat-safe bowl. Microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring between each, until mostly melted with chunks remaining. Stir until fully melted with residual heat. Add remaining 2 teaspoons coconut oil and stir until smooth and glossy.
- Cover Peanut Butter: Pour about 2 teaspoons of melted chocolate over each peanut butter disc, smoothing with the spoon and allowing excess to drip down sides to fully encase the peanut butter.
- Harden Peanut Butter Cups: Refrigerate for about 1 hour or freeze for 10-15 minutes until chocolate is firm.
- Store and Serve: Remove peanut butter cups from liners. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 5 days. Allow to sit at room temperature 5-10 minutes before serving for best flavor and texture.
Notes
- Use shelf-stable creamy peanut butter for the best consistency; if using natural peanut butter, add extra powdered sugar to thicken.
- Coconut oil is optional but helps create a glossy, smooth chocolate shell.
- Silicone liners make removing peanut butter cups easier but paper liners work well too.
- Adjust sweetness by varying the amount of powdered sugar in the filling.
- Allow cups to slightly soften at room temperature before eating for optimal creaminess.
- Store leftovers tightly sealed in the fridge to maintain freshness.
