Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

peanut butter cupsToday is our 6 month wedding anniversary! I thought about making a fancy dinner or celebrating in some way, but I refrained myself because I want our first year anniversary to be special! I really should stop making every month our anniversary, but I can’t help being excited each time the 21st comes around. Even though I stopped myself from making anything special today, I made these homemade dark chocolate peanut butter cups the other day for my friend’s birthday. These are a great Valentine’s Day gift as well, and I will probably be making them again in a few weeks! I used to be so addicted to Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups as a kid, but when I hit my teenage years I realized how fattening they were, and when I started studying health sciences I realized how horribly bad they are for you. Although I don’t make these too often, I love being able to control how much sugar I add by making peanut butter cups from scratch and the fact that these don’t have any corn syrup. I make them with dark chocolate because I personally like dark chocolate better than milk chocolate. If you want the real health effects from dark chocolate, you are going to have to buy real dark chocolate, not the Hershey’s kind. I make mine with Trader Joe’s dark chocolate candy bars, which probably don’t have the highest cocoa content either, but they taste so good! I promise if you try this peanut butter cup recipe, you will never go back to buying them at the store again! They are so easy.

5.0 from 7 reviews
Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
 
Prep time
Total
 
Type: Dessert
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • ½ cup natural creamy peanut butter
  • 1 tsp butter, softened
  • ¼ cup confectioners' sugar
  • 200g dark chocolate candy bar pieces (about 2 cups)
  • ¼ tsp salt
Instructions
  1. Melt chocolate in a Little Dipper crockpot, or in a stainless steel bowl set over a small pot filled halfway with boiling water.
  2. In a separate bowl, mix together ¼ cup of the peanut butter, butter, confectioners' sugar and salt with a fork until well-combined and creamy.
  3. Add the other half of the peanut butter (1/4 cup) to the melted chocolate and stir in until well mixed.
  4. Set 12 mini paper muffin cups on a tray.
  5. Add 1 tsp melted chocolate to each mini paper cup, then top with 1 tsp peanut butter.
  6. Add 1 tsp (or more) of chocolate over the peanut butter layer.
  7. Set in the refrigerator for 45 minutes, or until hardened.
  8. Store in an airtight container.
Makes 12 peanut butter cups

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38 comments

  1. Claire says:

    Mmm! I love making homemade peanut butter cups – they’re so good! I’ve never thought to mix the peanut butter with the melted chocolate. I’m looking forward to trying this recipe!
    Also, happy 6 months! 🙂

  2. CCU says:

    You are so smart to make your own healthier delicious peanut butter cups my friend – thank you 😀

    Cheers
    Choc Chip Uru

  3. laurasmess says:

    Oh my gosh, I absolutely love peanut butter cups! I first discovered them when I visited the US as a child, and I’ve been dreaming about them ever since! I’ve seen a few here in Australia but being imported, they’re ridiculously expensive. Loving the idea of being able to make my own whilst decreasing the sugar and refined fat content… thanks for sharing! x
    (P.S. my husband and I celebrated our first anniversary in Nov 2012… it’s such a blessing being married! Congrats to you guys on the 6 month anniversary!)

  4. Hotly Spiced says:

    Happy Anniversary! I love the look of these and how nice of you to make them for your friend. They look like Reeses Peanut Butter Cups only so much better. I love how dark the chocolate is and that red tray is gorgeous xx

  5. Kayle (The Cooking Actress) says:

    Awwww Happy 6 months! Lol I’m sure I’ll be that way too once I’m married (I certainly was for the 1st year of dating :P) I ADORE these pb cups! I loved Reese’s as a kid too and, also, now avoid all the processed gunk and prefer dark chocolate 😉 Perfect!

  6. john@kitchenriffs says:

    Happy six months! And what a great way to celebrate. I love peanut butter cups, but like you hesitate to buy them too often – so many calories. These look terrific, though, and who can ever say no to dark chocolate, particularly when combined with peanut butter? I can’t! Thanks for this.

  7. Mariette's Back to Basics says:

    Dearest Kristianne,
    Congrats with your half year anniversary!
    Thanks for this great recipe, guess I can adapt it with almond butter from Trader Joe’s and substituting the sugar with Splenda so it works for diabetes type II as well.
    Have a great second half year and many more.
    Hugs,
    Mariette

  8. Erin @ The Speckled Palate says:

    Hooray! Happy six months, lady!

    These peanut butter cups look absolutely DELIGHTFUL, and I love how you used dark chocolate to spiff them up a bit. The older I’ve gotten, the more I realize that I cannot eat milk chocolate because it’s too sweet. (12-year-old me is currently FREAKING OUT about this fact.) I cannot wait to try these babies!

  9. Erin @ Texanerin Baking says:

    Happy 6 month anniversary! 🙂 And don’t stress yourself out for the 1 year one with something too fancy. It should be fun, remember? 😉

    Anyway, the cups look fantastic! Love me some peanut butter cups.

  10. Kathrin says:

    Thanks so much for this recipe, I made these for my husband for his birthday, and he loved them! It was super-easy and fast, too. For extra visual appeal, I sprinkled crushed pistachio on top of some of them, and put individual pistachios on others, the lovely green color made such a nice contrast. Have you tried infusing the chocolate with any flavors? Would love to hear your thoughts on flavor combinations. Maybe orange, or coffee for a mocha version?

  11. Lillian says:

    Wow – these are unbelievably decadent! Just finished making a fourth batch – used Bakers dark chocolate (an excellent dark – no Trader Joes this part of Canada) and Organic peanut butter. Took last batch to my dentist’s office (is this what’s called poetic justice) and had to provide the recipe. Step aside Reese’s PB cups!!

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