Homemade Peanut Butter Cups
A homemade version of Reese’s peanut butter cups. This easy recipe comes together quickly and is great for gifting or stashing in your freezer!
There is absolutely no question about where my heart lies when it comes to candy. Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and Reese’s Pieces are it for me. Reese’s cups were my favorite Halloween candy as a kid, so it’s only natural that I immediately cozy up to recipes that merge together two of my favorite ingredients – chocolate and peanut butter.
Over seven years ago, a reader of mine, Lissa, shared this peanut butter filling recipe with me, citing that she used it as a base for peanut butter bars. At the time, I already had a go-to recipe for peanut butter bars, but what she sent me sounded like a perfect filling for homemade peanut butter cups. After doing some testing, I discovered that it really WAS a perfect recreation of Reese’s peanut butter cup filling.
Behold! The most amazing homemade peanut butter cups – super easy and a great project to do with kids!
How Do You Make Homemade Peanut Butter Cups?
They’re super easy and just require a few steps!
First up, you mix melt together peanut butter, butter and brown sugar in a saucepan until bubbling, then take it off the heat and add the powdered sugar a little at a time until it’s completely absorbed, then set it aside to room temperature.
Meanwhile, melt milk chocolate together with vegetable shortening and line the muffin cups with some of the chocolate. Scoop balls of the peanut butter filling and press into a patty, then place on top of the chocolate in the muffin cups. Top with more of the melted chocolate and chill until set.
That’s it!
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I’ve seen some people use a pastry brush to brush the sides of the cups with the melted chocolate so you don’t have any little naked spots on the sides, but I’ve never had an issue with glaring open spots, so I’ve never done this.
But consider it an option!
Substitutions for Homemade Peanut Butter Cups
This is my all-time favorite version of peanut butter cups (peanut butter + milk chocolate), but there are tons of variations you can try. Some ideas:
- Substitute semisweet or dark chocolate for the milk chocolate.
- Substitute almond, cashew or another nut butter for the peanut butter.
- You can use chocolate chips instead of the the chopped chocolate.
- You can substitute refined coconut oil for the vegetable shortening.
If you are a fellow chocolate and peanut butter lover, then homemade peanut butter cups are a must in your kitchen!
They make a fantastic gift for Halloween or Christmas, a great addition to cookie trays, and are also perfect for stashing in your freezer for peanut butter cup emergencies (because I’m fairly certain that’s an actual thing, right?).
If You Like Peanut Butter Cups, Try These:
- Homemade Peanut Butter Eggs
- Peanut Butter Buckeyes
- Salted Peanut Butter Cup Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Peanut Butter Cup Overload Cake
- Buckeye Brownies
- Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
- The Best Soft Peanut Butter Cookies
Four years ago: Bacon Jam
Five years ago: Ricotta Cake with Fresh Berries
Six years ago: Tamale Pie
Homemade Peanut Butter Cups
Ingredients
- 1 cup (258 g) creamy peanut butter
- ¼ cup (56.75 g) unsalted butter
- ¼ cup (55 g) light brown sugar
- 1¼ cups (150 g) powdered sugar
- 24 ounces (680.39 g) milk chocolate, finely chopped (or substitute milk chocolate chips)
- ¼ cup (51.25 g) vegetable shortening
Instructions
- Line a mini-muffin tin with paper liners; set aside. Line a baking with parchment paper; set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, combine the peanut butter, butter and brown sugar over medium heat. Heat until completely melted and starting to bubble a little, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat. Add the powdered sugar a ¼ cup at a time, stirring until completely combined with the peanut butter mixture after each addition. Set aside and let cool.
- Meanwhile, melt the chocolate chips and shortening together in the microwave on 50% power in 30-second increments, until completely melted, stirring after each burst.
- Using a small cookie scoop or a couple of teaspoons, spoon melted chocolate into the bottom of each lined muffin cup.
- Use a heaping teaspoon to scoop out the peanut butter mixture. Roll it into a ball, and then flatten it slightly into a disk. Place on the prepared baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Once finished with all of the peanut butter mixture, refrigerate both the muffin tins and the peanut butter patties for about 30 minutes.
- Place a peanut butter patty on top of each chocolate-lined muffin tin. Then use a scoop or spoon to add more melted chocolate on top and around each peanut butter patty. (If the melted chocolate firmed up, just pop it back into the microwave at 50% power for 30 seconds or so to re-melt.)
- Refrigerate again for 30 minutes, then they're ready to serve! Store in the refrigerator for up to 1 month or in the freezer for up to 3 months. You can keep at room temperature in an airtight container if you're going to serve them the same day, but they'll start to get soft if not at cool room temperature.
Notes
- You can substitute milk chocolate chips for the chopped milk chocolate.
- You can substitute refined coconut oil for the vegetable shortening.
- You use different nut butters, I recommend using "processed" versions; the "natural" version of nut butters will be too oily for the filling.
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
This recipe was originally published on August 2, 2011.
[photos by Whitney Wright]
These look terrific…my youngest son’s favorite new snack! Have you tried them with a substitution for the veg shortening? Will butter work? thanks much!
Hi Karen, Butter will not work as a substitute. The shortening helps to thin the chocolate to easily coat the peanut butter filling. If you don’t want to use shortening, you could substitute coconut oil, but beware that it will impart some coconut flavor.
They look great but, I am concerned about the veg shortening. Soy is a Genetically Modified organism that causes many horrible health problems and powder sugar has corn starch in it which is also GM….substitutions?
Erin, The shortening is to keep the chocolate thin enough to easily coat. You can substitute coconut oil if you’d like, but realize that it will definitely impart a coconut flavor.
Made these for my boyfriend and he loved them! Im sure hes going to be bugging me again soon to make some more ;)
I plan to make these with dark chocolate and homemade almond butter. My friend is a vegan. Any thoughts for an alternative to the butter? Can I use more vegetable shortening or margarine for this part?
Hi Zach, You could use either; if you use shortening I would go with the butter-flavored variety.
Ok…..so disappointed…cuz I LUVE REESES. But something went wrong. Made them for the 1st time tonight and my son and i had to spit them out. The choco was horrible. I am 95% sure it had to do with the shortening..1\4 of a cups seems too much b we cld clearly taste the shortening thru the choco. Or perhaps it was the off bbrand choco. Chips. …. thinking its the shortening issue. I wld really like to try this again…any subs. for shortening? HELP!
Hi Andrea, I don’t think that it’s an issue with shortening, as long as you followed the correct measurements, you shouldn’t be able to taste it at all. It helps to thin the chocolate when dipping and coating things. You could substitute coconut oil for the shortening, but that has its own distinct flavor as well. I would be more apt to think that it was an issue with the chocolate, especially since you said it was an off brand.
I am totally gonna try this again with different chips. Ill let u know how it goes….
I’ve made these a few times, and they’re always a hit (would make them more often but it’s very time consuming!) I don’t know if it’s me or what, but I always end up with AT LEAST 4 dozen peanut butter “patties”, and that’s with them being at least a teaspoon and a half, usually 2, big. & always at least 1/2 C of melted chocolate left! Bit frustrating, but what can you do?
Anyways, these are fantastic, especially with dark chocolate chips, as the inside can be very very sweet! :-)
OMG sooooo good!! Made them for friends @ xmas – went down a treat. Thanx so much for the recipe.
Tried these today as a Christmas treat and they’re fantastic. The only thing I subbed was a little bit of canola oil for the shortening, and instead of letting the chocolate cups harden all the way first I pushed the peanut butter balls into them so they were more level with the top of the cups. everyone has been going nuts over them – they really taste just like a Reese’s!
Made these with Sunbutter because our daughter has a life threatening peanut allergy and they are delish!
These look delicious! Can’t wait to try and make them. But I’m wondering how long will these last without spoiling?
Hi Eli, I think you could store them in the refrigerator for a couple of weeks.
These are delicious
For the shortening is that the crisco solid shortening or is that vegetable liquid?
Hi Gerri, It’s the Crisco solid vegetable shortening. Enjoy the peanut butter cups!
I can’t wait to try making these, the recipe seems pretty easy, so there’s no way I could mess it up!
We deal with all sorts of allergies in our house, so I’m always on the lookout for recipes I can adapt! My husband used to LOVE peanut butter cups, but learned a couple years ago that he doesn’t tolerate dairy – so milk chocolate is out. And our daughter has a peanut allergy so peanut butter doesn’t enter our house. So I made these with Sunbutter (sunflower seed butter) and dairy-free chocolate chips and they were really yummy! Thanks!
Can you freeze these? Or how far in advance can you make them?
Hi Jen, Yes, I have frozen them. I’d say you can freeze them for up to a month or so.
Instead of using chocolate and shortening can I use coating chocolate candy melts?
Hi Janira, I have never used candy melts for coating these, so I can’t guarantee how they’d turn out, but if you try it I’d love to hear how it worked for you. Note that you’ll probably lose that distinct chocolate flavor by foregoing the real chocolate.
You have no idea how happy and excited, pleased, etc. I am to have found this website you have wonderfully allowed us to see. I’m going to college next year for Baking & Pastry and you creations are incredible! I love them all so awfully much, and I’ve spent the past 30-45 minutes just adding a bunch of recipes to my “Recipe Box” thank you SO much for this! Amazing.
Hi Danielle, I’m so happy to hear you’ve been enjoying the site! Good luck at school and happy baking! :)
I’m all for the homemade peanut butter cups but has anyone tried substituting coconut oil for the vegetable shortening. It does stay pretty firm in cooler weather and is so much better for you. I may just give it a try.
Hi Michelle my peanutbutter came out super sticky which made it very difficult to roll into balls. Should I pop the peanutbutter in the fridge so it can harden up a bit or did I do something wrong ? ):
Came across this recipe last night after I had already found another recipe for peanut butt cups. Was already to make that recipe today for my Christmas goodies. I changed my mind. Made this one instead. I’m in deep trouble. Like you, Reeses are my favorite but stopped buying them when I found out that Hershey buys chocolate from farms that use child labor in West Africa. You saying these are just like the real deal swayed me! They’re in the fridge on the last 30 minutes. Will dig in soon!
:-O Hershy does WHAT????
Now i really have to make these, like really really.
Could a person just melt Reeses peanut butter chips, put in the mini cups, refrigerate or freeze and then add melted chocolate chips on the top?
Hi Carrie, Just melting peanut butter chips won’t give you the flavor or the texture of the inside of a peanut butter cup. I don’t think you would be able to make an actual patty for the middle out of it.
oh man! I just made these using almond butter instead of peanut butter. Sooooo darn tasty. Thanks for the recipe!!
Michelle, hi! I just made these for my holiday party tomorrow. This was really easy to follow and make. I still had about 2 cups of pb mix, ill just have to melt more chocolate tomorrow. Lol thanks again for this wonderful receipe.
Hey I tried this and it seems to be working good, except i was having trouble with melting the chocolate…. It melted mostly at first, then the more I tried to melt it it just started getting thick kinda granulated… Ideas?
Hi Chantel, Did you get any water into the melted chocolate? Any water at all, even the smallest drop, will cause melting chocolate to seize and separate. Another thing could have been heat – did you microwave at 50% power? If you melt chocolate at too high a heat it can singe, dry out and get chalky/grainy.
Hiii, this looks absolutely dangerous and my mouth is watering. Just a quick question, (I live in Australia) What is powdered sugar??? I know here we have Sugar – big granules, Castor sugar – a lot finer and icing sugar – which is powder form. I’m dribbling now (: Thaaannnxxx…
Hi Candice, I think icing sugar would be your powdered sugar equivalent. Enjoy!
Awesome/Dangerous (: &Thank youuu, will be trying those out for Family Home Evening with the kids (:
Thanks for the amazing recipe! I made some today, and they taste just like the real thing!
What if I don’t gave vegetable shortening, can I use regular vegetable or canola oil?
Hi Jamie, The oil won’t work for thinning out the chocolate, the shortening really does the trick here.
Butter and oil work fine too…I always use oil to thin out my chocolate
I’m having trouble rolling the peanut butter mixture….it’s too gooey any suggestions?
Hi Marsha, They really shouldn’t be gooey. Did you use natural peanut butter by any chance?
I plan on making 400 of these for chritsmas…am I crazy!???! I can’t wait to get started, they look so delish!!!! Thanks for sharing, will be back for sure in the next few days…and weeks!! hehe!!
I’ve heard so much about Reese’s PB Cups that I’ve been wanting to make my own (since they’re not available here in Malaysia). Do they store well, Michelle?
Yes, they do! You can keep them in the fridge for a week or two, or freeze them for up to a month.
In response to this question:”do you think i could just put mini paper liners on a tray?”
I saw this picture which looks like they turned out great:http://www.peterandrewryan.com/baking/2009/02/dark-chocolate-peanut-butter-cups/