How to Make Homemade Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
Gourmet Reese’s are a lot easier to make than you think! With a smooth, salty-sweet peanut butter filling coated in dark chocolate and a dash of flaky salt, these peanut butter cups only take a handful of ingredients to make and taste so much better than store-bought!
I think I speak for the vast majority of us when I say that Reese’s were the best Halloween candy growing up, and it’s easy to see why! They’re sweet, salty, and utterly delightful—even when the soft chocolate gets stuck on the wrapper—and remains one of the only childhood sweets I still enjoy!
With that said, I think Reese’s cups have some room for improvement. Aside from the unnecessary additives and preservatives in the original product, the chocolate quality could use a major boost, and I wanted to implement some gourmet tweaks in my version. After some testing, I kept my additions pretty simple, but they make a big difference: homemade peanut butter (don’t run away just yet—you can use store-bought), vanilla bean paste, flaky salt, and a good quality chocolate; I used dark chocolate (I don’t think I can ever go back after Trader Joe’s converted me)!
Ingredients and Substitutions
With only 7 simple ingredients, these Reese’s cups couldn’t be easier to make! If you have a well-stocked pantry, chances are you already have everything you need, but here’s what you should add to your next grocery run just in case:
- Unsalted peanuts or natural peanut butter. If you want to go gourmet, I’ve included an option to make your own peanut butter. It can be tedious and time-consuming, but it truly adds another element of flavor. If you don’t feel like pulling out all the stops, then use store-bought! Just make sure it’s a natural peanut butter, meaning the only ingredients you should see on the label are peanuts and salt.
- Vanilla bean paste. Vanilla bean paste has a much deeper and more complex aroma than vanilla extract, so I prefer to use it in this recipe for maximum flavor.
- Kosher salt. To strike the perfect balance of salty and sweet in the peanut butter filling.
- Powdered sugar. This will both sweeten and thicken the filling so it can be portioned into individual cups.
- Water. Depending on how much powdered sugar you add, you may need to add water to help bind the filling together. Normally, you never add liquid to nut butter—water and fats don’t mix, after all—but since we want the filling to thicken and clump up, it’s ok!
- Chocolate. To coat the peanut butter cups. I prefer dark chocolate, but you can use whatever you like. Whatever you do, please use a high-quality brand—the basic elements of this recipe are peanut butter and chocolate, so you’ll be able to taste the difference!
- Flaky salt. To add crunch and another layer of saltiness to the recipe.
How to Make Gourmet Reese’s
Even though it’s easier to go to the store and buy a pack of Reese’s, there’s not many steps to making them at home!
- Make the peanut butter (optional). If you have the time, I’ve included an option to make your own peanut butter. It only requires two ingredients (peanuts and salt), and is super easy to make—a good food processor will do all the work for you. If you want some extra tips and tricks, check out my blog post on homemade almond butter here!
- Mix together the filling. Once you have the peanut butter, just mix it together with powdered sugar, salt, and vanilla to form a thick paste. Before assembling, portion the dough into individual disks and freeze them while you prepare the chocolate—this will help the peanut butter hold its shape for easy handling.
- Melt the chocolate. Chocolate can be tricky, but as long as you melt it gently over the stove or in the microwave, you should have no trouble with it overheating. Once it’s cooled slightly, I like to put the chocolate into a piping bag to easily portion it out.
- Assemble and chill. For that trademark ruffled edge, we’ll use cupcake liners as a mold for the peanut butter cups. To assemble, all you have to do is pipe a layer of chocolate in the bottom of the muffin cup, press in a disk of peanut butter, and top with more chocolate. I always like to finish them off with flaky salt, but that’s optional!
Recipe FAQs
- Can I make these allergen-friendly? Yes! If you have a nut allergy, substitute the peanut butter for natural sunflower seed butter.
- Can I use maple syrup instead of powdered sugar? You technically can, but it won’t have the ideal texture—the starch in powdered sugar is needed to thicken everything into a firm filling. Since maple syrup is a liquid sweetener, it will behave differently and result in a stickier dough. If you’re dead set on using maple syrup, however, I recommend adding in some almond flour or peanut flour to bind the filling into a manageable texture.
- Why is my chocolate soft? The firmness of your chocolate depends greatly on the cacao percentage you use. If you use a lighter cacao chocolate like semisweet or milk chocolate, then the peanut butter cups will have a softer bite compared to dark chocolate (especially at room temperature).
- Recipe variations. Since this recipe is so simple, there are so many variations and mix-ins you could incorporate! For more texture in the filling, use crunchy peanut butter. If you don’t love peanut butter, use natural almond butter or cashew butter instead. If you feel like adding a fun topping or mix-in, try adding some sprinkles, M&Ms, or chopped Oreos!
Storage Instructions
Though you can store these peanut butter cups at room temperature for a few days, I prefer to keep them chilled! Here are my preferred storage methods:
- In the fridge. If stored in an airtight container, these peanut butter cups will keep in the fridge for around 2 weeks.
- In the freezer. This is my favorite storage method, even for traditional Reese’s cups! If stored in an airtight container or plastic bag, the peanut butter cups will keep in the freezer for around 3 months.
What to Use Peanut Butter Cups For?
If I have some on hand, I love to incorporate homemade peanut butter cups into other recipes! Here are a few of my favorite ways to use them:
- A a mix in for ice cream and milkshakes. Using homemade peanut butter cups can take a pint of vanilla ice cream from regular to extraordinary.
- Stuffed in dates. For a healthier sweet treat or snack, remove the pit of 1 to 2 dates, add a bit of nut butter, and stuff them with a chopped peanut butter cup.
- With popcorn or in trail mix. For the ultimate movie night snack, toss together some popcorn and peanut butter cups with any other snacks of choice (Milk Duds, M&Ms, and pretzels are always a go-to)!
- In brownies and cookies. One of my favorite methods—just take a classic cookie recipe and substitute some of the chocolate chips for chopped Reese’s cups.
- Enjoy them on their own!
I hope you guys enjoy this recipe, and let me know what other snacks you want to see in my Elevated Nostalgia series!
Homemade Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
Gourmet Reese's are a lot easier to make than you think! With a smooth, salty-sweet peanut butter filling coated in dark chocolate and a dash of flaky salt, these peanut butter cups only take a handful of ingredients to make and taste so much better than store-bought!
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Servings: 3 dozen
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups raw unsalted peanuts (or 1 cup natural peanut butter)*
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (optional)
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅔ cup powdered sugar, plus more to taste
- 1 tablespoon water, if needed
- 24 ounces good-quality chocolate of choice (I used dark chocolate)
- Flaky salt, for garnish
Instructions
- Make the peanut butter (optional). Preheat the oven to 350℉ and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Scatter the peanuts onto the baking sheet and toast them in the oven for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown and fragrant.
- Allow the nuts to cool slightly, about 5 minutes, then transfer them into the bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade attachment. Make sure that any steam from the nuts can release through the machine's feeding tube, otherwise the condensation can drip into the nut butter and cause it to seize.
- Allow the machine to run until a nut butter forms, scraping down the sides every few minutes. It will turn from a crumbly flour to a thick paste and then into nut butter (this could take up to 10 minutes). The longer you process it, the runnier the butter will be.
- Once a nut butter forms, allow the mixture to cool completely before using.
- Make the peanut butter filling. Place the nut butter into a large bowl with the vanilla, salt, and powdered sugar, then stir to combine. Taste and adjust the powdered sugar as needed, adding more if you prefer a sweeter and thicker filling.
- With a measuring spoon, portion the peanut butter into heaping ½ tablespoon rounds. Use your hands to flatten each round into a disk approximately ¼'' thick—they should be slightly smaller than the width of a standard muffin tin, around 1 ¾'' wide.
- If the filling is too sticky or runny, add the reserved 1 tablespoon of water, stirring in 1 teaspoon at a time as needed until the desired consistency is reached.
- Place the peanut butter disks onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, then set the tray in the freezer as you prepare the chocolate.
- Assemble. Line two to three muffin tins with cupcake liners and set aside. In the meantime, melt the chocolate over a bain-marie or in the microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring after each increment.
- After it's fully melted and smooth, spoon the chocolate into a piping bag and snip off the end. You could use a spoon instead of a piping bag to portion the chocolate, but it may be messier.
- Once the peanut butter filling is firm to the touch, remove the tray from the freezer.
- To assemble, pipe about 1 tablespoon of chocolate into a cupcake liner, then press a disk of peanut butter into the cup. Top with more chocolate to coat, around 1 tablespoon, then tap the tray to smooth the tops and eliminate air bubbles. Repeat with the remaining disks of filling.
- If desired, top the peanut butter cups with flaky salt once the chocolate begins to harden. Refrigerate the muffin tins until the chocolate has set (about 1 hour), then peel off the cupcake liners and enjoy!
- Store any leftover peanut butter cups in the fridge for 2 weeks or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Notes
- If using natural peanut butter, the only ingredients should be peanuts and salt—I prefer using Smucker’s Natural!
