When a holiday occurs on the same date every year, I’m usually pretty good at being prepared. But Easter? Easter gets me every time.
As seems to be the tradition, it snuck up on me once again. I just hate to miss making something for a day that can be celebrated with chocolate, so I got busy and put together some super simple, 4 ingredient peanut butter cups.
A little while back, I was sent these colorful, BPA-free silicone baking cups from The New York Baking Company. These flexible little guys turned out to be a candy cup making dream. They are oven safe up to 475 degrees F as well as freezer, microwave and dishwasher safe. I used them to form and freeze my peanut butter cups and they peeled off so easy for a perfectly ridged edge. They are such a great thing to have around for both baking and candy making.
I tried to keep these peanut butter cups as simple, clean and unrefined as possible for a better treat. While they only contain four ingredients, I do want to note that natural peanut butters can vary widely in texture. If your jar is brand new, you may have some extra oil to deal with, but if it’s been in the fridge a few days it will likely be firmer. Textures can vary by brand as well.
Right now I use the natural crunchy Kirkland brand peanut butter from Costco – just peanuts and sea salt. My peanut butter was thick after being refrigerated. If you are using a just opened jar, you might need to add a little more powdered sugar when making the filling. You want it to be like a thick cookie dough that you can form into a small disk.
These cups are large and super rich so one can easily serve two people. But I promise not to judge if you eat the whole thing.
Easy 4 Ingredient Homemade Peanut Butter Cups
Makes: 8 large peanut butter cups
Ingredients:
1 cup dark chocolate chips (I use Ghirardelli® 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Chips)
2 tsp virgin coconut oil
½ cup crunchy natural peanut butter
2 tbsp powdered sugar (I use Trader Joe’s Organic)
Prep:
Place the chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl and add the coconut oil. Microwave on high until melted, about 2 minutes, but be sure to stir it every 30 seconds.
Arrange 8 silicone baking cups on a baking sheet. Transfer 1 tablespoon of melted chocolate to each cup. Place the baking sheet in the freezer for 5 minutes.
In the bowl of mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the peanut butter and powdered sugar. Mix on high until combined, about 45 seconds. It should resemble a firm cookie dough that can be shaped by hand.
Form the peanut butter into 8 small flat disks. Place a disk in each cup over the bottom layer of chocolate.
Pour 1 tablespoon of the remaining chocolate over the peanut butter disks. Go back with any remaining chocolate and fill the cups so that the chocolate covers all of the peanut butter.
Gently tap the baking sheet on the countertop to smooth out the surface of the peanut butter cups and release any air bubbles. Freeze for 15 to 20 minutes, or until firm.
Peel away the baking cups and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Disclosure: The silicone baking cups mentioned in this post where provided by Rizzi from The New York Baking Company for review purposes. I was not required to write about them and received no compensation for doing so.
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