Homemade Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups

4.92 from 106 votes
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This homemade Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups recipe will satisfy your peanut butter cravings in just minutes, and they taste just like the real thing!

Side view of Homemade Reese's Peanut Butter Cups stacked up.
Featured with this recipe
  1. Ingredients in Homemade Peanut Butter Cups
  2. How to make these treats look like Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
  3. A Quicker Method for Homemade Reese’s PB Cups
  4. Variations
  5. Frequently Asked Questions About Homemade Peanut Butter Cups
  6. More Reese’s Recipes
  7. Homemade Reeses Peanut Butter Cups Recipe

We love peanut butter cups in our family, and take them quite seriously. This homemade Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups recipe came from our grandma, who made them for us for years. The layer of peanut butter filling has the same creamy texture as the candy you buy at the store, with rich, sweet chocolate on the outside. But these taste even better, because they’re homemade! They’re perfect as a special Halloween treat, or to keep on hand in the freezer for when your sweet tooth hits.

Ingredients in Homemade Peanut Butter Cups

This delicious, no-bake treat only needs six pantry ingredients. You’ll find yourself making these all the time! Here’s what you need:

  • Graham crackers – use a food processor to crush the crackers into fine crumbs.
  • Powdered sugar – make sure to sift the powdered sugar before adding to the ingredients.
  • Butter – use unsalted butter to better control the sodium in the recipe.
  • Peanut butter – Both creamy or crunchy nut butter works great. 
  • Chocolate chips – you can use any kind of chocolate you like: semi-sweet, dark chocolate, milk chocolate, even white chocolate chips would be delicious.
Graham crackers, peanut butter, powdered sugar, butter, chocolate chips and wrappers to make Homemade Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.


How to make these treats look like Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups

They may look fancy, but making these into cute cups couldn’t be easier.

  • Place cupcake liners into a mini muffin tin, or regular muffin pan, depending on how large you want your homemade peanut butter cups.
  • Using a paint brush (I like to use a flat brush, about an inch or so wide) paint melted chocolate on the inside of each cupcake liner until about halfway up.
  • Place them in the refrigerator to cool.
  • Then, put a ball of peanut butter cup mixture into each cup (see recipe for instructions below) and top with more melted chocolate.
  • The amount of chocolate needed tends to vary each time, so keep a few extra chocolate chips on hand if you need a bit more.
Spoon pouring melted chocolate on top of the Homemade Reese's Peanut Butter Cup.

A Quicker Method for Homemade Reese’s PB Cups

If you don’t have a lot of time or patience to create the “cups” in the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, you can make things a bit easier on your self. Here’s how:

  1. You can make these “fondue” or “buckeye” style by first rolling the peanut butter mixture into balls.
  2. Next, dip them directly into the melted chocolate.
  3. Then, place them on wax paper to cool and harden. You will get the exact same taste and it’ll only take you about five minutes!
Homemade Reese's Peanut Butter Cups sliced and stacked.

Variations

  1. Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups: Use dark chocolate for the outer layer
  2. White Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups: Switch to white chocolate for a sweeter and creamier version.
  3. Cookie Dough Filling: Incorporate edible cookie dough for a delicious cookie-candy hybrid.
  4. Salted Caramel Peanut Butter Cups: Add a layer of salted caramel on top of the peanut butter filling and sprinkle the top with some coarse sea salt.
  5. Coconut Peanut Butter Cups: Mix shredded coconut into the peanut butter for a tropical twist.
  6. Nutella Filled Cups: Swap peanut butter for Nutella for a hazelnut-chocolate twist.
  7. Toffee Crunch Peanut Butter Cups: Mix crushed toffee bits into the peanut butter for added crunch.
  8. S’mores Peanut Butter Cups: Layer peanut butter with marshmallow whip and crushed graham crackers.
  9. Mini M&Ms or Reese’s Pieces Filled Cups: Add Mini M&Ms or Reese’s Pieces to the peanut butter filling for a crunchy (and delicious) surprise
Hand holding a completed single Homemade Reese's Peanut Butter Cup.

Frequently Asked Questions About Homemade Peanut Butter Cups

Can I use something other than chocolate chips for the candy coating?

While this homemade peanut butter cups recipe calls for chocolate chips, you can use chocolate melts instead. It won’t be quite as soft as the chocolate on the store-bought brand, but they’ll still taste chocolatey and delicious!

Do Homemade Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups Need to Be Refrigerated?

Once the chocolate shell has hardened, there is no need to refrigerate these peanut butter cups. You can store them at room temperature until ready to eat! But, if you’re like me and you happen to love cold chocolate, pop a few in the fridge or freezer in an airtight container. Perhaps hide them behind the veggies so nobody but you knows they’re there!

Can I use other kinds of nut butter in this recipe?

Yes! Almond butter or cashew butter are delicious options for this homemade treat.

Read Next:Halloween Candy Bark

Homemade Reese's Peanut Butter Cups boxed and cut up on a board.

More Reese’s Recipes

If you love the taste of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and candies, check out these delicious recipes!

  • Really Reese’s Cookies – With three different types of Reese’s candies, these are REALLY REESE’S Cookies! Chocolate and peanut butter in every delicious bite.
  • Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge Swirl – This fudge is so easy to make and it is incredibly delicious! It tasted like a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup in fudge form.
  • Peanut Butter Cup Rice Krispie Treats – It’s so easy to turn a traditional Rice Krispie Treats into Peanut Butter Cup Rice Krispie Treats. Creamy peanut butter and mini Reese’s cups make it an extra special treat!
  • Candy Bar Hot Chocolate – You’ve got to try this Reese’s Hot Chocolate. It is amazing how a little peanut butter can give a creamier, richer taste to hot cocoa!
  • Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup Cake – This cake is so fun! It is a round cake that looks and tastes just like a giant Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup!
Stack of Homemade Reese's Peanut Butter Cups surrounded by Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.

Homemade Reeses Peanut Butter Cups

4.92 from 106 votes
This homemade Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups recipe will satisfy your peanut butter cravings in just minutes, and they taste just like the real thing!
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 0 minutes
Refrigerate 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course candy
Cuisine American
Servings 18

Video

Ingredients

Instructions

  • In a medium-sized bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs and powdered sugar until well blended. Set aside.
    Bowl of crushed graham crackers and powdered sugar to make Homemade Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.
  • In a microwave-safe dish, combine peanut butter and 6 tablespoons butter. Cook in the microwave in 15-second increments, stirring in between, until melted and combined. Pour over the graham crackers mixture. Continue to stir until well combined. Set aside.
    Bowl of Homemade Reese's Peanut Butter Cup filling. Wooden spoon on the side.
  • In a microwave-safe dish, combine half of the chocolate chips (6 ounces) with 2 tablespoons of butter. Cook in the microwave in 15-second increments, stirring in between, until melted and combined. Set aside.
    Melted Chocolate in a bowl
  • Place cupcake liners in a cupcake tin.
    Cupcake pan with liners for Homemade Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.
  • Using a paintbrush or pastry brush, paint each cupcake liner with melted chocolate. If using full-size cupcake liners, paint about one-third of the way up each cup. If using mini cupcake liners, paint halfway up each cup. Be sure to evenly coat the bottom and sides. You don't need to paint the chocolate super thick, just enough so you don't see any of the liner underneath. Place in the refrigerator to cool for about 5 minutes, or until chocolate hardens.
    Hand holding a painted liner for the bottom layer of Homemade Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.
  • Press about 1 tablespoon graham cracker mixture in each full-size cup (about 1 teaspoon for mini cups), making sure the top is somewhat flat. It doesn't need to be perfect; just make sure you don't go above where you painted the chocolate on the cup. Set aside.
    Finger pressing down the filling into the liner for Homemade Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.
  • Add the remaining chocolate chips to the remaining melted chocolate in the microwave-safe dish. Melt with remaining 2 tablespoons butter, stirring every 15 seconds.
    Spoon a little chocolate over each peanut butter cup until the peanut butter filling is completely covered. You can lightly shake or tap the cupcake pan to even out the chocolate over the filling. You want the top of the peanut butter cups to look completely flat.
    Spoon pouring melted chocolate on top of the Homemade Reese's Peanut Butter Cup.
  • Place in the refrigerator or cool area until chocolate hardens, about 20 minutes, or until the chocolate is no longer shiny, then serve!
    Homemade Reese's Peanut Butter Cups sliced and stacked.

Notes

  • The paintbrush I like to use is a roughly half-inch-wide flat brush.
  • The amount of chocolate needed tends to vary each time, so keep a few extra chocolate chips on hand in case you need a bit more. 

Nutrition Information

Calories: 276kcalCarbohydrates: 25gProtein: 5gFat: 18gSaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 20mgSodium: 158mgPotassium: 99mgFiber: 1gSugar: 21gVitamin A: 237IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 33mgIron: 1mg

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About the author

Erica Walker

Erica lives in Boise, Idaho with her husband, Jared, an attorney, and her three beautiful girls. Beyond the world of recipes, she loves adventuring with everything from kayaking, to cruising, to snowboarding and taking the family along for the thrill ride.

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