Can we take a minute to appreciate this homemade reeses cups? They’re basically the best thing in the entire world. But, I wasn’t going to make them because I didn’t want to constantly be craving peanut butter cups day and night (i have the self control of a small child). That’s when I decided to try and make them myself.
Homemade Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
These 4-ingredient Homemade Reese’s Peanut Butter cups are fun to make, super creamy, and melt-in-your-mouth delicious!
If you ever wondered what my idea of heaven on Earth is, you’re staring smack-dab into a stack of it. These are… insane. Addictive and easy to make and positively insane. You could say, in the membrane.
Making a batch of these foolproof, four-ingredient peanut butter cups is pretty much like winning the candy lottery. That is, imagine yourself in that scruffy homemade Halloween costume (so cute!), toting around your little pail, and it’s your lucky night, kid. Because everyone is passing out Reese’s cups. All for you. You don’t have to share them with anyone. They’re all youuuuuurs!
Okay, maybe my desire to make these ran a little deeper than I realized.
Reese’s cups are a rare treat around here (can you tell?)… mostly reserved for Halloweens spent sneaking one or two between passing out candy to costumed kids. Just one of many reasons I’m looking forward to having our very own trick-or-treater next year! More peanut butter cups for Mom and Dad. Hehe.
These homemade chocolate peanut butter cups are terrific fun to make, indulgent and delicious with a glass of milk. Just start with a layer of melted chocolate in a muffin tin, freeze, then plop layers of peanut butter and more chocolate on top. Freeze again, peel the paper off, and enjoy. No bake, no fuss, and no time at all ‘til they’re in your belly.
The best kind of treat!
Homemade Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
Ingredients
- 2 (12 oz.) bags semisweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
Instructions
- Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
- Melt one (12 oz.) bag of chocolate either in a double boiler or by microwaving in short increments, stirring after 30 seconds, for about 2 minutes.
- With a small spoon or cookie scoop, evenly distribute melted chocolate into each muffin cup. Drop pan repeatedly on the counter to help chocolate flatten and smooth out. Freeze whole pan for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a medium bowl combine peanut butter, powdered sugar and butter. Whip with an electric hand mixer until smooth*. Remove pan from freezer and place small spoonfuls of peanut butter mixture on top of each chocolate layer. Drop pan repeatedly on the counter again, to help flatten peanut butter layer. Freeze whole pan for 15 minutes.
- Melt remaining 12 oz. bag of chocolate. Working quickly, portion small spoonfuls of chocolate into each cups, three cups at a time, immediately dropping the pan repeatedly on the counter to flatten cups*. Freeze whole pan for 15 minutes to set the top layer of chocolate.
- For a peanut butter cup with a firmer texture, serve chilled. For a softer, creamier texture, serve at room temperature. Store refrigerated in an airtight container up to 5 days.
- Enjoy!
Peanut Butter Cups
Skip the packaged candy and make Peanut Butter Cups at home! Easy Homemade Reese’s have all the irresistible taste of the original, without any of the preservatives. Only 4 ingredients!
Who can resist the combination of chocolate and peanut butter? Our readers love this combo in Buckeyes as well as the perfect Chocolate Peanut butter cheesecake!
Copycat Reese’s Peanut butter Cups
I know I have more than a few readers who can’t get enough chocolate and peanut butter recipes. From easy Buckeye Bars to Chocolate Peanut Butter Lasagna, there’s so many options on my site!
For most of us, a Reese’s Peanut Butter cup was our first introduction to this beloved pairing when we were kids.
At Halloween, Reese’s was always in high demand during trick-or-treating. Last time my kids went trick-or-treating, that was definitely still the case.
Making copycat recipes of my favorite candy is something of a compulsion for me.
From Orange Peel Candy to Cadbury Egg inspired treats, I get such a kick out of recreating store bought goods in my own kitchen.
Sure, Reese’s aren’t exactly a gourmet luxury. You can find them inexpensively just about everywhere.
So you might be wondering: Why make your own Reese’s?
First things first: because it’s fun! You can pat yourself on the back and feel accomplished WHILE eating tasty peanut butter cups, too, so it’s a win-win.
Most importantly, though: Homemade Peanut Butter Cups taste SO much better than the packaged kind. The chocolate is richer, the peanut butter. . . well, peanuttier. These homemade Reese’s are just plain more delicious.
And even though no one is under the delusion that Peanut Butter Cups are a health food, it’s nice to know that your homemade ones aren’t laden with all kinds of preservatives and unidentifiable ingredients.
Ingredient Notes
This peanut butter cups recipe has just 4 ingredients:
- chocolate melting wafers
- peanut butter
- powdered sugar
- vanilla extract
You don’t need any special equipment either (just a cupcake pan and liners) and they come together easily.
Step by Step Instructions
STEP 1. Peanut butter filling
Combine the peanut butter, powdered sugar and vanilla in a bowl. Stir together well until the mixture is creamy and smooth. Transfer to a pastry bag or a ziploc bag with the corner snipped off.
STEP 2. Chocolate
Melt the chocolate candy wafers in the microwave. I recommend doing this in 30 second intervals, stirring between each one, until the candies are melted.
STEP 3. Assemble
Add two teaspoons of melted chocolate to the bottom of each cupcake liner. Next, pipe the peanut butter mixture from the frosting bag on top of the chocolate. Top this layer with one more tablespoon of melted chocolate.
STEP 4. Chill
Let the peanut butter cups set for one hour in the fridge before enjoying!
Recipe FAQs
I use the Ghirardelli melting wafers for my peanut butter cups. They stay a little softer after firming up so, just like traditional Reese’s, they are easy to bite into and melt in your mouth.
You could also substitute chocolate chips for the Ghirardelli chocolate wafers. The chocolate will just be a little harder after setting.
Use creamy peanut butter for this peanut butter cup recipe. I recommend the shelf-stable kind for best texture, as opposed to the natural kind where the oil separates.
Storage Tips
There are two ways you can store your batch of perfect homemade Reese’s cups: in the fridge or in the freezer.
To store in the fridge, transfer to an airtight container.
If you want to freeze them, place them in a freezer bag and squeeze out any excess air to maintain freshness. They’ll keep well in the freezer for as long as 6 months. That is, if you can somehow resist eating them all before then.
Tips and Tricks
- This recipe can also be made using a mini-muffin pan for bite sized treats. If you use a mini pan, I recommend putting just one teaspoon of melted chocolate on the bottom of the cups instead of two, and two teaspoons on top.
- Making these for a party, holiday or special occasion? Add sprinkles on top for a festive touch!
- Want something a little different? Try substituting almond butter or your other favorite nut butter for the peanut butter.
I’m so thrilled with how these turned out! Now that you know how easy (and scrumptious) homemade peanut butter cups are, you might never buy Reese’s from the store again.
(Except on Halloween. Gotta keep those trick-or-treaters happy.)
Just one more tip: Kids love these homemade Reese’s cups so make sure you hide a few in the back of the fridge just for yourself. Everyone needs to indulge in chocolate-peanut butter bliss from time to time. Enjoy!
HOMEMADE REESE’S
For All The Chocolate And Peanut Butter Lovers Out There, You Can Make Your Own Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups From Home! These Homemade Reese’s Are Just As Good As The Real Thing, And You Can Make Them Any Shape Or Size You Like!!
YOUR FAV CANDY… HOMEMADE!
I don’t think I’ve met a person who doesn’t love Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups! These peanut butter filled chocolate covered candies are a classic and are one of our favorite treats to use in other desserts
It wasn’t too long ago that we decided to try this yummy candy at home, and we couldn’t believe how easy they were (and how DELICIOUS they were!) We made milk chocolate and white chocolate versions.
What’s great is you can make these in any shape you like and can do the traditional round cups or hearts using a heart muffin tin and liners! Either way you do it, you’ll have easy Homemade Reese’s to enjoy. 😉
MAKING REESE’S CUPS
We love just how simple these candies are to make!
MELT. To begin, melt butter and peanut butter in microwave for 1 minute. Stir until blended.
FREEZE + ROLL. Add powdered sugar and vanilla. Mix well, then freeze for 15 minutes. Grab a small ball of PB mixture, roll into a ball and then flatten. Set aside.
MAKE. Melt chocolate in a pot on low heat until smooth (stirring the entire time). Pour 1 – 2 tbsp of melted chocolate into a cupcake liner in a muffin tin. Add the rounded, flattened peanut butter and top with 1 – 2 more tbsp melted chocolate. Help flatten chocolate by lightly banging on counter.
CHILL. Refrigerate 10 minutes or until your chocolate has set.
What is the best way to melt the chocolate? A microwave can be used in a pinch, but the best way to melt chocolate is to use a double broiler. If you don’t have one, then you can easily assemble your own.
First, find a saucepan and fill it with 3 inches of water. Next, find a metal or heat safe glass bowl that can rest on top of the saucepan without touching the water. The, bring the water to a boil then reduce heat. Finally, add chocolate to the bowl and stir occasionally as it melts.
VARIATIONS + STORING
Recipe Variations? There are so many fun ways to change up these reeses cups. Here are some suggestions:
- Use chunky peanut butter
- Use honey flavored peanut butter
- Use almond, nut or cashew butter instead of peanut butter
- Add mini chocolate chips or chopped reese’s pieces to the peanut butter mix
- Change it up using white chocolate, dark chocolate, milk or semi sweet chocolate
- After dipping in chocolate add sprinkles or a dusting of crushed peanuts to the top
How to store peanut butter cups? Store bought Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups can last at room temperature for 6-9 months. Our homemade cups won’t last nearly as long. To be honest they get eaten before I have to worry about long term storage!
You can store homemade peanut butter cups in an airtight container in the fridge for 1 month or in the freezer for 3 months.
SWEET TREATS
We usually make these sweet treats to celebrate an event, but that’s not always the case. Yes, we make them when guests are coming over for dinner or when it’s someone’s birthday, but more often than that it’s just because we are looking for some delicious, homemade candy.
Tips for Best Results
Use good chocolate – Chocolate varies HUGELY in quality. In fact it might be the one food that has the biggest range of quality out of anything you’ll find at the grocery store. I highly recommend Guittard brand here, which you can find at Target, Whole Foods, and Amazon. To me it is the best combination of quality and affordability. If you can’t find that, Ghirardelli is also decent. Callebaut, Vahlrona, and Scharffen Berger are also great, but tend to be expensive and hard to find.
Use your favorite peanut butter – Unlike my epic Peanut Butter Cookies where I recommend not using natural peanut butter, it’s actually okay to use any kind you like here. If your grocery store has a grinder, that can be a wonderful treat because it tastes so fresh.
Don’t rush the chilling process – The peanut butter cups will need to be assembled in layers and chilled in the fridge or freezer every step of the way. Don’t rush this, or you won’t give the layers time to set.
And most of all, if you’ve got kids, invite them to make these with you! My kids have the grandest time banging the pan against the counter like a bunch of maniacs, and this tapping is quite essential for flattening all the layers out. It’s fun to tell them that they’ve got the most important job of all.
Step by Step Overview
Start by whipping peanut butter with a little bit of softened butter and confectioner’s sugar:
You may either use natural or smooth ground peanut butter with oil added, like what’s typical of Jif or Skippy. Above I used natural, which makes it a bit more textured.
Place a little dollop of the whipped peanut butter atop a small layer of melted chocolate that’s been frozen for 15 minutes. I like to put everything into paper cupcake liners by the way, so that the cups are easy to remove.
Now, you see how it’s not a flat surface? Just drop the pan on the counter a few times and it will flatten and smooth itself out, like this:
Freeze the tray for 15 minutes, then pour on the top layer of melted chocolate.
Freeze for 15 more minutes until it hardens, then you’re good to go!
Which Darkness of Chocolate to Use
As a rule of thumb, the lower the cacao content in the chocolate, the softer and easier it will be to bite into. You’ve probably noticed that milk chocolate is much softer than dark chocolate, for instance. Keep this in mind when deciding on the chocolate you use for this recipe.
Personally, I use a straight melted semisweet chocolate here, as milk chocolate is a little too sweet for me. I find that it’s still easy enough to bite into when served at room temperature. However, if you’d like to use a darker type and make it softer to bite into, what you can do is make a chocolate ganache, which is basically just chocolate mixed with heavy cream. I have instructions in the recipe box. Or you can stir in 2 tbsp of oil into each 8-ounce batch of chocolate, and that will make it slightly softer
Recipe Tips and FAQ
Keep at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2 days, or in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. If storing in the fridge, you will need to allow them to come back to room temperature again for a softer texture.
Yes, store in an airtight container for up to 3 months. To thaw, leave at room temperature for 1 hour.