DIY peanut butter cups are easy, kid-friendly

“It took my peanut butter cup experience to a higher level,” said Beatrix, our recipe tester, age 11.
Photo by Ashley Moore

By Staff, America’s Test Kitchen

Baking with milk chocolate chips is very convenient (no chopping or little bits of chocolate to clean up or, ahem, eat), but sometimes they won’t act in the same way as a milk chocolate bar. Confusing, we know.

Our favorite milk chocolate chips, while delicious, contain stabilizers. That means that when they melt, they turn gloppy and thick, rather than creamy and smooth. It’s perfectly fine when you want the chips in your cookies or cakes to keep their shape, but for this recipe we turned to a milk chocolate bar for a smooth melted chocolate and great-looking peanut butter cups. And once you make them, you might never have a taste for the store-bought version again!

DIY Peanut Butter Cups Makes 24 mini cups

12 ounces milk chocolate
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
3 tablespoons confectioners’ (powdered) sugar
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces and softened
1/8 teaspoon salt

1. Line 24-cup mini-muffin tin with 24 paper liners.
2. Place chocolate in a large zipper-lock bag and seal, removing all the air from the bag. Use a rolling pin to gently pound chocolate into small pieces.
3. In a small microwave-safe bowl, add half of the pounded chocolate. Heat in the microwave at 50% power for 1 minute. Use a rubber spatula to stir chocolate. Return to the microwave and heat at 50% power until melted, about 1 minute longer. Remove bowl from microwave (bowl will be hot). Use a rubber spatula to stir chocolate until completely melted and smooth.
4. Pour melted chocolate into one quart-size zipper-lock bag. Push chocolate to one corner of the bag and twist the top. Use scissors to snip 1/8 inch off the corner of the filled bag.
5. Pipe chocolate in spiral in each muffin-tin cup, working from outside in, to cover the bottom of the liner. Take a break every six cups and gently tap the pan on the counter to even out the layer of chocolate. Transfer muffin tin to the freezer and freeze for 15 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, add peanut butter to a second small microwave-safe bowl and heat in the microwave until warm, about 1 minute. Remove bowl from microwave (bowl will be hot).
7. Add confectioners’ sugar, butter, and salt to warmed peanut butter and use a clean rubber spatula to stir until well combined. Fill a second quart-size zipper lock bag with peanut butter mixture. Use scissors to snip 1/8 inch off the corner of the filled bag.
8. Remove muffin tin from the freezer. Pipe peanut butter mixture over the chilled chocolate layer in each muffin-tin cup in a spiral to cover the chocolate layer. Take a break every six cups and gently tap the pan on the counter to even out the layer of peanut butter.
9. Add remaining pounded chocolate to the bowl used to melt chocolate. Heat in the microwave at 50% power for 1 minute. Use a rubber spatula to stir chocolate. Return to the microwave and heat at 50% power until melted, about 1 minute longer. Remove bowl from microwave (bowl will be hot). Use a rubber spatula to stir chocolate until completely melted and smooth.
10. Fill a third quart-size zipper lock bag with melted chocolate. Use scissors to snip1/8 inch off the corner of the filled bag.
11. Pipe melted chocolate on top of the peanut butter layer in each muffin-tin cup in a spiral to cover the peanut butter layer. Take a break every six cups and gently tap the pan on the counter to even out the layer of chocolate.
12. Transfer muffin tin back to the freezer and chill for 30 minutes. Remove muffin tin from the freezer and remove peanut butter cups from the pan. Serve. (Peanut butter cups can be refrigerated in an airtight storage container for up to two weeks).

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