If I had to choose 1 sweet thing to live on for the rest of my life, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups would be it. It is therefore unfortunate that I live in Australia as it’s an expensive addiction to feed. Fortunately, however, they are actually really easy to make yourself! So here it is: Homemade Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.
The thing is, I actually don’t have much of a sweet tooth. Well, let me qualify, I won’t ever turn down something sweet if it’s placed in front of me. But if I had to choose between a Mars Bar and potato chips, I’d choose chips every time. I’m a savoury gal through and through.
However, peanut butter cups are another food group altogether. Is it weird for a Japanese-Australian to have an unhealthy addiction to peanut butter cups? When I travelled in the US, I was in peanut butter cup heaven. They were everywhere, in every corner store and so cheap! Well, at least, compared to Australia. Here, Reese’s are a treat. In the US, they became a staple part of my daily diet.
So a few years ago I decided to try to make them myself at home. Partly for cost reasons, mainly for addiction feeding reasons because you can’t pick up peanut butter cups on a whim here in Sydney. And you know what? It was pretty simple! Ridiculously so! The hardest part was figuring out the best way to make the peanut butter filling sit in the centre, surrounded by chocolate, as opposed to having an exposed layer of peanut butter.
The solution was to make the peanut butter filling “dough like” so you can roll it into balls then place it onto a base of melted chocolate. Then this needs to be refrigerated before pouring chocolate over the top, otherwise I found the weight of the chocolate pushed the peanut butter filling through the base. After the base and filling have set, you then pour more chocolate over the top to cover it. I tried multiple times to avoid the 2 step refrigeration process, but it simply didn’t work.
Enough on the technicalities! Here’s the recipe. You’ll be shocked at how easy it is!
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Homemade Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
Ingredients
- 1 cup / 250g smooth peanut butter
- 60g / 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup / 55g brown sugar
- 1 cup / 120g icing sugar (powdered sugar) (see notes)
- 500 g /16 oz chocolate (for melting, not eating chocolate)
Instructions
- Line 3 x 12 hole mini muffin tins with paper patties.
- Combine peanut butter, butter and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Heat until melted, stirring constantly, until it starts to bubble gently. Remove from heat and add the powdered sugar 1/4 cup at a time, stirring vigorously to dissolve into the peanut butter mixture.
- Set the peanut butter filling aside to cool (refrigerate to speed up the process).
- Melt half the chocolate in the microwave in 30 second bursts, stirring in between.
- Pour about 1 1/2 to 2 tsp of melted chocolate into each muffin cup.
- Scoop up one slightly heaped tsp of the peanut butter filling and roll into a ball then flatten slightly. The disc should be smaller than the muffin cup diameter as you want chocolate to cover the side of the peanut butter filling. Place into the centre of the muffin cup. Repeat with remaining peanut butter filling.
- Refrigerate for 20 minutes until the chocolate is set.
- Melt the remaining chocolate in the microwave in 30 second bursts, stirring in between.
- Pour about 1 1/2 to 2 tsp of melted chocolate into each muffin cup, covering the peanut butter filling. Gently bang the muffin tin on the counter top to even out the surface of each peanut butter cup.
- Refrigerate for 20 minutes until the chocolate is set.
- Remove paper patties and serve.
Recipe Notes:
Here in Australia it is almost impossible to get my hands on Reeses pieces and I do really love eating them so making them from scratch is definitely something I need to do. Thanks for the great recipe Nagi!
That’s exactly why I made this! I’m in Australia too and have the same problem!!
Omg Nagi, I love you! I don’t have much of a sweet tooth either, but…like you, I won’t turn down a sweet treat if it’s in front of my face. Peanut butter cups on the other hand… are my addiction! I have an entire system of eating them – I bite the crimped edges off first and then I slowly work my way around and around until there’s just one small bite of the center left. I never knew these could be so easy to make! You are like my favorite person in the world!
You crack me up!! Your eating system is HILARIOUS!!
This is just too tempting….Why do you do this to me. I just finish salivating over the crack pull apart bread. See, I am slow at getting to recipes .
Ha! Love that we drool over each others food!!
I might have to try this recipe with dark chocolate. And I love that you tried this a million ways until you got it right! Can I put my hand up to help you eat any of your rejects?? 🙂
Can you move closer to me please? Then I would happily drop rejects off to you and your fam!
Where do you live at
Hi Sierra! I live in Sydney Australia 🙂