Peanut Butta Cups
TIME/SERVINGS
Total: 1 hr 45 mins
Active: 1 hr
Makes: 24 Peanut Butta Cups
By Amy Wisniewski
It’s hard to imagine improving the beloved combination of chocolate and peanut butter, but these handcrafted Halloween candies do. Our take on the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup™ gets crunch from ground graham crackers (that was a Eureka moment for the CHOW food team), while the sweetness is tamed by using high-quality milk chocolate and natural peanut butter.
Download the Peanut Butta Cup wrapper
Special equipment: We’re assuming you already have basic tools lying around (like a rubber spatula, bowls, and measuring cups), so here’s the special equipment you’ll need:- Kitchen scale
- Chocolate thermometer, such as CDN’s
- Pastry brush (or small paintbrush)
- 24-well mini muffin pan, such as Norpro’s
- ... read more
INGREDIENTS
For the filling:
- 1/3 cup graham cracker crumbs
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 3/4 cup natural crunchy peanut butter (no added sugar)
For the chocolate coating:
- 1 pound milk chocolate couverture, such as El Rey 41 percent milk chocolate Discos
INSTRUCTIONS
For the filling:
For the chocolate coating:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine graham cracker crumbs, powdered sugar, and peanut butter. Mix on medium speed until filling is well combined, breaks into large chunks, and resembles cookie dough, about 3 minutes.
- Divide filling into 24 (2-teaspoon) balls, then form into round, compact shapes that will fit in the mini muffin pan wells. (Keep in mind that when the filling is in the wells, there should be enough room to cover it with chocolate.) Set aside.
For the chocolate coating:
- To temper chocolate, fill a large bowl with 2 inches of cold water, add 3 to 4 ice cubes, and set aside.
- Bring a saucepan filled with 1 to 2 inches of water to a simmer over high heat; once simmering, turn off heat. Place 12 ounces of the chocolate in a dry heatproof bowl. Set the bowl over the saucepan and stir until chocolate is completely melted and reaches 118°F. (Make sure chocolate does not come in contact with water or exceed 120°F. If either happens, start over, as the chocolate is no longer usable.)
- Remove the bowl from the saucepan. Add remaining 4 ounces chocolate and stir until all chocolate is melted and cools to 80°F. To speed the cooling process, after all chocolate has melted place the bowl over the reserved cold-water bath.
- Return the bowl to the saucepan and stir until chocolate reaches 86°F; immediately remove from heat. Do not remove the thermometer from the bowl; check the temperature periodically to make sure it stays between 85°F and 87°F. (Chocolate must remain in this temperature range or it will not set up properly.) Keep the saucepan over low heat and use it to reheat chocolate as necessary.
- To test if chocolate is properly tempered, spread a thin layer on parchment paper and place it in the refrigerator for 3 minutes to set. If chocolate hardens smooth and without streaks, it is properly tempered. (If it is not properly tempered, you need to repeat the process.)
- Using a small pastry brush (or a small, clean paintbrush), liberally spread tempered chocolate inside each cup of the muffin pan. Try to make your coating as even as possible, aiming for about 1/16 inch thick.
- Divide filling among chocolate wells. (Don’t push too hard or you’ll crack the coating.) Spoon chocolate over each filling until completely covered. Scrape across the top of the muffin pan with a palette knife or a flat spatula to remove excess chocolate and even out candy tops.
- Place the pan in the freezer for 20 minutes to set up. To remove candies, place a towel or a silicone baking mat on a counter and hit one edge of the muffin pan against the counter. If the candies don’t come out easily, freeze them for another 5 minutes and try again. Peanut Butta Cups will last up to three weeks in the refrigerator or up to two months in the freezer. Let come to room temperature before serving.
COMMENTS | ADD YOUR OWN
Okay, I haven't made your recipe yet but I have made homemade peanut butter cups before. I didn't come up with the graham cracker crumbs in the filling (clever) but I suspect that I will want a little salt in the filling for that flavor approaching Reese's. Part of the joy of Reese's is that salty/sweet balance, IMO. I usually make these with dark chocolate, because that's my preference. I also don't bother to temper the chocolate, because they always get eaten so quickly in this house, it's not an issue. I've never had it comes out streaky or not set up, maybe I'm lucky?
Okay, I haven't made your recipe yet but I have made homemade peanut butter cups before. Graham cracker crumbs in the filling (clever,) but I suspect that I will want a little salt in the filling for that flavor approaching Reese's. Part of the joy of Reese's is that salty/sweet balance, IMO. I usually make these with dark chocolate, because that's my preference. They're also weirdly good with matcha flavored white chocolate, but I lessen the sugar in the filling a bit. (Try almond butter with the matcha white chocolate--yum!) I also don't bother to temper the chocolate, because they always get eaten so quickly in this house, it's not an issue. I've never had it comes out streaky or not set up, maybe I'm lucky?
omg omg omg omg...
Hey amyzan, not sure what type/brand of chocolate you are using but the milk chocolate El Rey we used does contain some sodium. The graham crackers and the peanut butter have some as well, enough to satisfy our salty requirements- and we do love our salt! As far as your tempering, there are many variables that contribute to an outcome, and it can be a daunting task, so stick to whatever chocolate/filling works best for you- almond butter,mmmm. If you ever want to give milk chocolate tempering a go, the steps above are what our team specifically tested with.
Doesn't a stand mixer count as special equipment? What do you do if you don't have one?
tatamagouche: you can still make this recipe easily without a stand mixer by mixing it by hand. we specify the fact that we are using a stand mixer because the timing varies when one uses a stand mixer versus handheld electric mixer versus doing it all by hand. let us know how it goes!
Thank you!
Couverture chocolate is pretty expensive. Can I just use regular milk chocolate? I don't expect them to last very long either. Will it just be less glossy? Or will it make a big difference? Thanks!
ScarletB: If you are going to try with regular milk chocolate, you should use the highest-quality you can find as poor chocolate makes for a poor-quality coating. You want the chocolate to be made with cocoa butter not vegetable oil and it should be a minimum of 32% cocoa butter. Using non-couverture chocolate will not yield as nice a texture or as thin a covering, but it should still work.
Thanks so much for the explanation!
How long do you think these can stand at room temperature?
I want to make some and send them along as a gift but they would be out of the fridge for at least a day.
i made these, and for some reason, they melt almost as soon as you touch them. is there some way to combat this?
scottydu81, did you go through the whole tempering curve? It is possible that the chocolate was out of temper This link explains tempering clearly, http://www.chow.com/stories/10748. Also our video "How to Temper Chocolate" http://www.chow.com/videos is a good source to see where the process may have gone wrong. Aside from a tempering problem, as referenced above by Aida, your chocolate should be at least 32% cocoa butter and not vegetable oil based. If you have any more details about your process, let us know, and we can try to figure it out.
actually, i used some ghirardeli (i wont even pretend thats spelled right) chocolate that had, like, 50 or 60% cocoa... though i couldnt find any that displayed its cocoa butter content. any brands that might be readily available in a small town?
scottydu, I see your dilemma, Ghirardelli only displays cacao content from 60% and up on their packaging. Sounds like you had bittersweet. As far as small town availability, if you have a Whole Foods nearby, you can get the El Rey that we loved so much. If not, I know you don't want to hear this, but you can order it online, or find a retailer near you on the site, http://www.chocolates-elrey.com/retai... Or scout out a specialty shop with high quality chocolate, and ask the owners/counter help. Knowing specifically what your cocoa content is, is important as well as tempering correctly. We did try Guittard 38%, but with poor results, which is why I'm pushing the El Rey as it was easy to work with and yielded A+ results. Definitely worth the dough and time you'll spend making the cups. Let me know...
Help! i posted this question in the marshmallow recipe page, but im worried no one will see it due to its apperent low activity (last message there was done in '06).
my girlfriend is a vegatarian, and doesnt eat gelatin. for her birthday, i decided to make vegatarian marshmallows! i found a gelatin substitue- agar agar! how do i use agar agar? my first attempt came out so horribly horribly wrong! is it treated like regular gelatin? does it need to be bloomed? do i use the same amounts? help! i have till friday!