Homemade Peanut Butter Cups

For most of my life I have considered that we have everything we could ask for in Australia - great weather and lifestyle, fresh food and fabulous wines - I could go on. Then I discovered a little something called a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. Small and unassuming, this little American chocolate and peanut butter delight is a taste sensation and I couldn't understand why we had nothing even remotely similar Down Under. Well, fear not for I found a recipe so we can make mountains of them at home!

Photo courtesy of design sponge

My sister-in-law and I made a batch of these one quiet Saturday evening. They were fun to make and surprisingly easy. When I make them again though, I think I'll use a mini-muffin pan rather than regular size as these little guys are super sweet. To avoid a sugar high they might be better in a smaller dose!

Chocolate-Covered Peanut-Butter Cups
From Design Sponge

3 cups chocolate - milk, semi-sweet or dark
1 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted
1/4 cup graham crackers, crushed
1 teaspoon sea salt

1. Line a muffin pan with 12 paper liners. Set aside.
2. Melt 1 1/2 cups of the chocolate in a double boiler. Alternately, you could do this using a microwave, melting the chocolate in short bursts. Remove the bowl of melted chocolate from the stove and turn off the heat.
3. Using the back of a spoon or a pastry brush, paint a layer of melted chocolate onto the bottoms and sides of the paper liners. Don’t skimp on chocolate here; coat the liners generously. Set the bowl aside with any remaining melted chocolate left in it.
4. Put the muffin pan in the refrigerator for 20 minutes while you make the peanut-butter filling.
5. In a mixing bowl, combine the peanut butter, crushed graham crackers, powdered sugar and salt. Stir with a spoon until well combined.
6. Return the bowl used to melt the chocolate to the top of the double boiler. Turn the heat to medium-high. Add the remaining 1 1/2 cups of chocolate and melt.
7. Remove the muffin pan from the fridge. Put a few tablespoons of peanut butter mixture into each paper liner. Tap down each mound with your fingertips to “nest” it into the chocolate bottom.
8. By now, the chocolate added to the double boiler should all be melted. Using a spoon, dollop the top of each peanut butter mixture mound with a generous portion of chocolate. Use the back of a teaspoon to smooth out the tops.
9. Place the muffin pan back into the fridge. Within one hour, your cups should be set, depending how cold your fridge runs.
10. Remove the pan from the fridge. Consume with gusto, or exercise extreme restraint and gift to others!

Makes 12 regular cups

Thanks goes to Design Sponge for filling a void in the lives of millions of Australians.
www.designspongeonline.com/