These homemade Crunchy Peanut Butter Cups are better than Reese’s! Chopped peanuts add a little texture to this classic chocolate candy, and they’re so easy to make. These bite-sized peanut butter chocolates are always a treat!
What’s in Reese’s Crunchy Peanut Butter Cups?
This crunchy version of peanut butter cups is made from simple ingredients and takes less than an hour from start to finish!
- Creamy Peanut Butter: Forms the base of the filling, giving it that rich peanutty flavor.
- Powdered Sugar: Sweetens the filling and thickens it to a doughlike consistency so it is easier to work with.
- Vanilla Extract: Enhances the sweetness of the peanut butter cups.
- Peanuts: Finely chopped peanuts are what makes these cups crunchy!
- Chocolate: A mixture of melting chocolate and chocolate chips add rich chocolate flavor and help the cups to set up perfectly!
Pro Tip: You can use chunky peanut butter in place of the creamy peanut butter and chopped peanuts if you prefer.
Variations on Crunchy Reese’s Cups
These peanut butter cups are so easy to change up to suit your tastes. Swap the dark chocolate for semisweet or milk chocolate for a lighter flavor. You can also swap out the peanut butter for almond butter, cashew butter, or even sunflower butter. Add the accompanying nuts or seeds to make them crunchy!
For even more crunch, try folding some Rice Krispies cereal into the peanut butter mixture.
The traditional Reese’s peanut butter cups contain sugar, cocoa butter, chocolate, milk, partially defatted peanuts, and several other ingredients, many of which are not necessarily good for you.
Reese’s peanut butter cups use Hershey’s milk chocolate for their coating. We’re making ours more indulgent by using dark chocolate.
These cups will keep for up to 5 days.
Yes! Not only does it keep them from melting, but these homemade cups don’t have any preservatives added, so they could spoil at room temperature.
How to Store
Store leftover crunchy peanut butter cups in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Enjoy chilled or at room temperature.
How to Freeze
You can easily freeze these peanut butter cups by placing them in a Ziplock bag in the freezer. They will stay fresh for 3 months.
Serving Suggestions
These crunchy Reese’s cups are perfect served with a java chip frappuccino or a warming cup of hot cocoa.
They also make a great garnish for peanut butter desserts, like peanut butter cake, peanut butter cup cheesecake, or Reese’s cupcakes.
Crunchy Peanut Butter Cups Recipe
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup creamy peanut butter 90 grams
- ¼ cup powdered sugar 28 grams
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 4 grams
- ¼ cup finely chopped peanuts 38 grams
- 8 ounces melting chocolate 227 grams, chopped
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips 170 grams
- Flakey sea salt optional, for garnish
Equipment
- Kitchen Scale (optional)
Instructions
- Line a small rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and a mini-muffin tin with paper liners. Set them aside.
- In a medium bowl, using a hand mixer, beat the peanut butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla together. Start on low speed and gradually increase the speed to medium-high. Beat until the mixture is smooth and well combined– about 1 minute.⅓ cup creamy peanut butter, ¼ cup powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- Add the chopped peanuts and fold them into the mixture.¼ cup finely chopped peanuts
- Scoop out 1 teaspoon-sized portions and roll them into balls. Place them on the parchment-lined baking sheet and press them down slightly to form a ¼-inch thick disc.
- Add the chocolate bark and dark chocolate chips to a medium-sized microwave-safe bowl. Heat in 30-second intervals, stirring after each interval, until the chocolate is completely melted. Transfer the chocolate to a piping bag or a Ziplock bag with the corner cut off.8 ounces melting chocolate, 1 cup dark chocolate chips
- Pipe a small dollop of chocolate (about ½ teaspoon) into the bottom of one well on the mini-muffin pan. Place a disc of peanut butter on top of the chocolate and then pipe enough additional chocolate to cover the peanut butter completely. Repeat with the remaining peanut butter cups.
- Place the peanut butter cups in the fridge to set for 30 minutes.
- To serve, sprinkle with flakey sea salt and enjoy.Flakey sea salt
Notes
- You can place the peanut butter cups in the freezer to have them harden faster.
- Make sure to stir the chocolate every 30 seconds while you are melting it in the microwave. It can burn easily so you want to keep an eye on it.
- Nutritional information does not include optional ingredients.
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