A perfect recipe for homemade peanut butter cups... it's incredibly easy, uses only three ingredients and results in dreamy, bite sized cups of deliciousness. I had a hard time taking the photos for this post because my family kept plucking these peanut butter cups right out from under me! Check out this super fun recipe and share with your friends!
This homemade peanut butter cups recipe is: Gluten Free, Paleo Friendly, Low Carb and full of Chocolatey Goodness.
HOMEMADE PEANUT BUTTER CUPS (OR ANY NUT BUTTER CUP!)
Anyone who knows me understands that I love peanut butter and chocolate. Peanut butter and chocolate ice cream, peanut butter chocolate cups, peanut butter and ganache sandwiches, peanut butter french toast with chocolate syrup... well, a lot of those were from back before my lifestyle change to gluten free, but you get the picture. This is one of my favorite flavor combinations.
I've recently been buying some organic, dark chocolate peanut butter cups at almost $3 for two of them. This is an unsustainable practice! So, Caroline went onto Amazon and bought me a chocolate mold to make my own (the link to the exact mold is below!). The funny thing is that this candy mold sat in my cabinet for months and months without being used. Well, until a couple weeks ago. My son came into the kitchen and said that he wanted to make some homemade peanut butter cups. So, that's what we did. The best part of this peanut butter cup recipe is that he created the entire thing. Picked out the chocolate, the peanut butter and wanted pinches of sea salt added. I'm one proud Daddy to be posting up this recipe.
MAKING PALEO NUT BUTTER CUPS
So peanuts are a no-no on the paleo plan. I choose not to eat peanut butter anymore, but love almond butter and cashew butter. So, the easiest thing to do is simply replace the peanut butter with any nut butter that you would like. You can even add in sunflower butter, provided it doesn't have any added sugars.
BUYING THE RIGHT CANDY MOLD FOR THE PEANUT BUTTER CUPS
Okay, so I'm not a big fan of putting affiliate links in on my posts... mostly because I don't like to go and find the link, but I think that this one is important to share. Yes, I will get a small percentage of the sale if you buy through this link, but it doesn't affect your purchase at all! So if you're interested in buying this Reeses Cup Mold for this homemade peanut butter cups recipe, please check it out!
Here's what I love about this candy mold: it's really heavy duty. I've used candy molds in the past that are made out of this flimsy plastic. This one is poly carbonate and thick! It's also reinforced throughout the mold to prevent any warping and I don't worry about it when I whack it against the counter to release the chocolates. Additionally, it takes almost no time at all to clean. I love this candy mold.
QUICK COOKING TIP: We are going to be double boiling in this recipe. Here are some tips about Double Boiling:
- You can make a double boiler easily without buying one at the store. All you need is a METAL bowl or a TEMPERED GLASS bowl. It must be heat resistant. Make sure that the bowl has a larger diameter than the sauce pan it will be sitting on. When you have the right combination, just add about an inch of water into the pan, sit the bowl on top and heat the water until it boils. Viola! A double boiler.
- Something to keep in mind when working with chocolate... it hates water! Chocolate tends to seize up and become grainy with the addition of even a drop of water. If you want to know why, check out this article on Chocolate and Why it Seizes. My advice is to just be careful.
- While we're talking about water in chocolate, I've put instructions in the recipe to wipe the bottom of the double boiler right after you remove it from the heat. There is moisture on the bottom of the double boiler that will drip right into your candy mold or even worse- into the nut butter. It just makes a mess. Make sure you keep a kitchen towel handy.
- If you don't want to double boil, go ahead and put the chocolate into the microwave. I haven't microwaved in seven years, so I don't have a clue how long or what temperature. Just make sure it is NOT in a metal bowl.
Okay. Enough about double boiling chocolate. Let's get to the recipe for these delicious homemade peanut butter cups!
Homemade Peanut Butter Cups
Eat these homemade peanut butter cups with a glass of fresh, cold milk. The richness of the dark chocolate against the savory peanut butter and bite of sea salt need to be tempered with some refreshing milk. So good.
Ingredients
- ½ LB Dark Chocolate, I used 72%
- 1 Cup Peanut Butter, Almond Butter or Cashew Butter
- 1 teaspoon Sea Salt
Instructions
- Put the candy mold into the freezer to chill.
- Using a double boiler, heat the chocolate slowly, stirring until it melts.
- Once the chocolate is melted, remove the top portion of the double boiler from the heat and wipe off the bottom to remove any moisture. Water and chocolate don't mix!
- Remove the candy mold from the freezer and start to fill each well with about ½ teaspoon of melted chocolate. Use the backside of a small spoon to coat the sides of the mold. When all the cups are poured, place the mold into the freezer for 5 minutes.
- While the chocolate is chilling, add your nut butter of choice to a zip lock sandwich baggie. Cut a small piece of one of the corners out to create a homemade piping bag. Remove the chocolate from the freezer and fill the cups about ¾ of the way with the nut butter. When they are all filled, tap the entire candy mold against the counter a couple times to level the nut butter. Fill in any cups that need more nut butter. Sprinkle with a couple grains of sea salt in each cup. Not too much- they will be too salty! Place the candy mold into the freezer for 5 minutes to firm up a bit.
- Remove the candy mold from the freezer. When you pick up the double boiler, make sure the moisture is wiped off the bottom! Add a dollop of chocolate to the top of each cup. I used an offset spatula to even out all the tops. When they are all leveled, place in the freezer for 30 minutes to firm up.
- Remove from the freezer. Place 2 paper towels out on the countertop, still attached to one another. Turn the candy mold over and lightly tap one side against the counter, on top of the paper towels. The homemade peanut butter cups should just fall right out of the mold. Flip the mold over and tap again to get the remaining peanut butter cups to fall out.
- Take a bite, smile and enjoy.
Notes
Please look in the blog post for a link through to the candy mold that I used for these. It's a little bit expensive, but it is heavy duty. I've made at least 10 trays of these homemade peanut butter cups now and it still looks like it is brand new.
Nutrition Information
Yield
24Amount Per Serving Calories 110
FINAL THOUGHTS ON THE HOMEMADE PEANUT BUTTER CUPS RECIPE:
I've got one thought about this recipe: yum. I can't seem to make these fast enough to keep up with our family and friends. You're going to love them.
Know some people who would love this recipe for peanut butter cups? What a great gift idea to send them the Peanut Butter Cup Candy Mold, some delicious dark chocolate and a copy of this recipe! Even if you don't do that, please be sure to Yum and share on social media please!
[…] GET THE RECIPE […]
I am sooooo going to make this. They look fantastic.
I'm thinking of going paleo, but am a little scared of no bread. Have you found it hard?
Thanks for sharing this! I have been eating almond butter lately instead of peanut butter!
Elaine
Hi Elaine:
Glad that you like the recipe!
I've been strictly gluten free for over 2 years. Giving up bread was really hard, but so worth the hassle. The hardest part about changing my lifestyle toward paleo has been the grains, starches and beans. Corn chips have a huge place in the gluten free lifestyle, but don't fit into Paleo. No black beans for my seven layer dip anymore. Potatoes and rice are history. But, I feel better, sleep better and have a ton more energy... which I use trying to figure out what to make next for the blog!
Almond butter is delicious- my absolute favorite is cashew butter though.
Thanks for writing and if you have any other paleo questions, I'm always here.
Take care-
Scott
Do you cut out all potatoes or just the white ones? And continue with "sweet" potatoes.
Love your props and food photos, I'm certain all of your dishes taste great.
Thank you!
HI HSP:
I cut out white potatoes, grains, beans and all processed foods. Sometimes I'll have corn chips, but it is just because I love them so much. I eat sweet potatoes, but not in any noticeable quantities simply because I don't love them... well, at least not yet!
Thanks for the compliment- I appreciate it very much!
Take care-
Scott
[…] with the full experience… and presentation is a huge piece of the pie. Pun intended. With my Homemade Peanut Butter Cups it was easy to take the pictures. Check this recipe out. You’ll love […]
I bought the candy mold you suggested- it is SUPER heavy duty. The recipe turned out exactly like you showed in the directions. Perfect. My family loved them!
Hey Carmen:
So glad to hear you and your family enjoyed these tasty cups.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
Hope you have an excellent day!
Scott