Homemade Peanut Butter Cups

Nothing beats a homemade peanut butter cup! This recipe for copycat Reese's Peanut Butter Cups is a simple, easy, no bake treat that is sure to satisfy your deepest craving for chocolate and peanut butter!  

If you love the combination of peanut butter and chocolate, these Peanut Butter Cups are for you! You may also enjoy Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookies, Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Muffins, and Peanut Butter Coffee.

I have always been obsessed with Reese's Cups.

I can never resist any combination of peanut butter and chocolate, but my all-time favorite treat is a peanut butter cup. Layers of chocolate, surrounded by soft, creamy peanut butter--perfection!!

But take a look at those ingredients in a Reese's Cup: milk chocolate (sugar, cocoa butter, chocolate, nonfat milk, milk fat, lactose, soy lecithin, pgpr, emulsifier), peanuts, sugar, dextrose, salt, tbhq (preservative), citric acid (to maintain freshness).

Um--pgpr and tbhq--NO THANK YOU!

Truth be told, I have ZERO will power if you place a Reese's Cup in front of me. Despite the questionable ingredients, I will more than likely succumb to eating it--and not have any regrets 😉

But, I MUCH prefer making my own peanut butter cups.

By making homemade peanut butter cups, not only do you skip out the unnecessary additives, but you also can customize the peanut butter cups to your liking. You can use milk chocolate, dark chocolate, dairy-free chocolate. You can even use sunflower seed butter in place of the peanut butter to make peanut free PB cups--I guess we would call them Sunflower Chocolate Cups?!

How to Make Peanut Butter Cups

Making copycat Reese's cups at home is a really simple process. In fact, it is a great project to get kids involved with. They are the perfect afternoon treat, dessert, and make a great homemade treat to gift to others.

Step One: Melt the Chocolate

The first step to making peanut butter cups is to melt chocolate. My secret to making peanut butter cups at home EASIER is to melt your chocolate in the slow cooker.

I recommend using the slow cooker for several reasons:

• The chocolate melts evenly.
• The process is completely hands-off.
• The melted chocolate can be held warm while you assemble the peanut butter cups, meaning you will not have to reheat your chocolate.

Melting chocolate in the slow cooker is a VERY easy process.

• Place chocolate in heat-safe glass jar.
• Place the jar in the slow cooker and then carefully pour water into slow cooker until the water line reaches halfway up the jars.
• Be cautious not to get any water into the jar of chocolate.
• Turn slow cooker on high, do NOT put the lid on the slow cooker, and in about 30 minutes your chocolate will be perfectly melted (no need to stir while the chocolate melts). Check on chocolate after 20 minutes, as all slow cookers vary in temperature. 

If you don't want to melt your chocolate in a slow cooker, you certainly can use the microwave to melt your chocolate. Place the chocolate into a microwave-safe dish and microwave for 30-second intervals, stirring after each interval, until the chocolate is melted. 

Step Two: Prepare the Muffin Tin

While your chocolate is melting, prepare a muffin tin. You can use mini muffin cups or standard muffin cups.

You will need to line your muffin tin with either paper or silicone liners. This way, you can easily get your peanut butter cup out of the muffin tin.

Step Three: Chocolate Base

• Using a small cookie scoop or spoon, place just enough chocolate in each liner to cover the bottom of the muffin liner.
• Place the muffin tin in the fridge or freezer for 5 minutes for chocolate to harden.
• Place melted chocolate BACK in the slow cooker to keep the chocolate melted as the base hardens. (If microwaved your chocolate to melt,  you may need to reheat before topping off your peanut butter cups.)

Step Four: Peanut Butter Layer

• Mix together the peanut butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt together until thick dough forms.

• Once the bottom layer of the peanut butter cup has hardened, remove it from the fridge/freezer.
• Shape a ½ to 1 tablespoon peanut butter mixture into a disk that is slightly smaller than the base of the chocolate base and place on top of the chocolate base.

Step Five: Chocolate Top

• Place 1-2 teaspoons of the remaining melted chocolate over the peanut butter layer.
• Use a spoon to spread evenly and drip down the sides of the peanut butter mixture.
• Place the peanut butter cups back in the fridge/freezer for 5-10 minutes to harden.

How to Store Homemade Reese's Cups

• Homemade Peanut Butter Cups need to be stored in the refrigerator or freezer to prevent the melting of chocolate.
• Peanut Butter Cups will last 4 days in the refrigerator.
• PB Cups will last 1 month in the freezer. After that, the quality of taste diminishes.

Modifications/Notes for Homemade Peanut Butter Cups

• Replace peanut butter with almond butter or sunflower seed butter for a peanut-free chocolate cup.
• You can use any chocolate you like for these peanut butter cups. Dark chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate chips, milk chocolate, even white chocolate works!
• I recommend using shelf-stable peanut butter for these peanut butter cups, but refrigerated natural peanut butter will work as well. You may just need to add in an additional 1 to 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar to the mixture to help shape the peanut butter.
• This recipe does not use butter, as many peanut butter cup recipes call for. I find the addition of butter is not necessary. By omitting, the peanut butter flavor really shines through.

More Easy Dessert Recipes

• Homemade Drumstick Ice Cream Cones
• Easy Chocolate Bark Recipe
• Homemade Fudgesicles
• Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
• Chocolate Peanut Butter Rice Krispie Treats

If you tried out this recipe for homemade peanut butter cups, I would love for you to leave a comment and review below. 

Homemade Peanut Butter Cups

These Copycat Reese Cups are super easy to make and SO delicious to enjoy!

4.89 from 18 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

Servings: 12

Calories: 272kcal

Author: Kristen Chidsey

Ingredients

• ▢ ½ cup peanut butter
• ▢ ¼
  cup powdered sugar
• ▢ ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon salt
• ▢ 16 ounces chocolate chips (this is about 2.5 cups of chocolate chips)
• ▢ 1 tablespoon coconut oil optional

Instructions

• Line a muffin tin with silicone liners or paper liners.
• In a mixing bowl, beat together the peanut butter, powdered sugar, and salt together until well combined.
• Melt the chocolate in the microwave for 30 second intervals until melted or melt chocolate using the slow cooker method (preferred method--see below). Add in melted coconut oil, if using, to melted chocolate and stir until well distributed.
• Using a small cookie scoop, place ½ tablespoon melted chocolate in each liner. Swirl the chocolate to cover the bottom of the muffin liner.
• Place muffin tin in fridge or freezer for 5 minutes for chocolate to harden.
• Once the bottom layer of the peanut butter cup has hardened, remove from fridge/freezer. Take about ½ tablespoon to 1 tablespoon peanut butter and form a disc that is just smaller than the mold so that there is room for chocolate to go around the edges. Place the peanut butter in the center of the chocolate base.
• Place 1-2 teaspoons of the remaining melted chocolate over the peanut butter layer. Use a spoon to spread evenly.
• Place the peanut butter cups back in the fridge/freezer for 5-10 minutes to harden.
• Remove from silcone liners and serve or store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days (if they last that long.)
  

Melting Chocolate in Slow Cooker

• Place chocolate in heat safe glass jar. Place jar in slow cooker and then carefully pour water into slow cooker until the water line reaches halfway up the jars. Be cautious not to get any water into the jar of chocolate.
• Turn slow cooker on high, do NOT put lid on the slow cooker, and in about 30 minutes your chocolate will be perfectly melted (no need to stir while chocolate melts). Check on chocolate after 20 minutes, as all slow cookers vary in temperature. 

Equipment Needed

• muffin tin
• muffin cup liners

Notes

• Feel free to use almond butter or sunflower see butter in place of the peanut butter. 
• Feel free to use any chocolate you like. You can use chocolate chips, chocolate bars, or even leftover chocolate Easter Bunnies, chocolate Santas, etc. You can even use dairy free chocolate chips to keep these vegan peanut butter cups. Regardless of the option you use, be sure to chop your chocolate into small chunks, if not using chocolate chips, so that your chocolate will melt quickly and evenly. 
• The coconut oil is completely optional. I add it to help the chocolate harden faster and the form a thicker layer, but it is completely unnecessary. 

Nutrition

Calories: 272kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 8mg | Sodium: 132mg | Potassium: 70mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 27g | Vitamin A: 114IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 48mg | Iron: 1mg

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