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!
Peanut Butter Cups, A Family Tradition
We love our 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 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!
What Kind of Chocolate Should I Use for the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups Shell?
While this homemade peanut butter cups recipe calls for chocolate chips (either milk or semi-sweet works great) 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!
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Do 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 refrigerator. Perhaps hide them behind the veggies so nobody but you knows they’re there!
How Do I Get This Recipe to 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 cupcake pan, or regular cupcake 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.
A Quicker Method for Reese’s 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:
- You can make these “fondue” or “buckeye” style by first rolling the peanut butter mixture into balls.
- Next, dip them directly into the melted chocolate.
- 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!
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!
How to Make Homemade Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
Homemade Reeses Peanut Butter Cups
- 3/4 cup graham crackers crushed
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 9 ounces peanut butter either creamy or crunchy is fine
- 4 tablespoons butter divided
- 12 ounces chocolate chips you may want to have a little extra on hand just in case
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In a medium-sized bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs and powdered sugar until well blended. Set aside.
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In a microwave-safe measuring cup, heat 6 Tbsp butter and peanut butter together in microwave for 15 second increments until melted. Stir until combined and pour over graham cracker mixture. Continue to stir until well combined. Set aside.
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Melt half of the chocolate chips with 2 tablespoons of butter in a microwave safe bowl in the microwave for 15 second increments (stirring each time) until chocolate is melted. Place cupcake liners in cupcake tin (mini or regular depending on what size peanut butter cups you want to make-- makes about 36 mini cups or 12 full-sized cups).
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Using a paint brush (I used a flat brush about 1/2" wide), "paint" each cupcake liner with melted chocolate. Be sure to evenly coat the bottom and half way up each cup (if using the "mini" cupcake liners). If you are using full-size cupcake liners paint about 1/3 of the way up each cup.
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Tip: You don't need to paint the chocolate super thick, just enough so you don't see any of the liner underneath.
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Place in the refrigerator to cool for about 5 minutes or until chocolate hardens.
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Press about 1 teaspoon of graham cracker mixture in each mini cup (about 1 Tbsp. for regular-sized 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.
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Add remaining chocolate chips to remaining melted chocolate in the microwave-safe bowl and melt together with remaining 2 tablespoons butter (stirring every 15 seconds).
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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 cup to look completely flat.
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Place in refrigerator or cool area until chocolate hardens, then serve!
Gracie | Craftily Baking says
Wow! This sounds amazing!
Becca says
Would this work with the premade chocolate cups then put mix inside and chocolate on top?
Erica says
I don’t think I am familiar with pre-made chocolate cups. Are they just the chocolate shell? If so, I don’t see why they wouldn’t work. Basically in this recipe you are just making a chocolate shell and then adding everything to it. Do you have a link to the chocolate shells you are talking about?
Gracie | Craftily Baking says
How many peanut butter cups does this recipe make?
Mimi says
It makes about 36 cups if you’re using a mini cupcake pan, and about 12 if you use regular sized cups. =)
Athena says
Is Adams natural peanut butter or something like jiff better in regards to taste?
Echo says
I’ve always used Jif or Skippy Peanut Butter in this recipe. I haven’t tried it with a natural peanut butter. Thanks for asking!
Victoria says
I’m using chocolate syrup I just warm it cause it still works add a marshmallow and it makes it thick like chocolate chips
Amos says
I tried making these and the chocolate chips (Toll House) won’t melt in the microwave- they just turn into a solid mush, looking similar to an extra-thick mousse.
Echo says
Hi Amos, I’m sorry it didn’t turn out. Did you melt them with the butter? You do need to stir them every 15 seconds as they melt with the butter.
Elaine says
I have had trouble melting Nestlé Toll House chips ever since they went “all natural”. (I use them with butter to make frosting.) Can’t figure out what they changed, but can’t get them to work. I switched to generic (Walmart or Aldi brand) & have no problem. Might be something to try!
Matt says
It’s the butter. Once you add the butter it clots. I make Oreo balls a lot and never needed to add butter to the milk chocolate or Simi sweat chocolate. Receipt instructions need work. Or just might be trolling our sweet tooth.
Dena says
When I heated the chocolate and the butter together, instead of it being nice and creammy, it hardened. I still managed to get chocolate in the paper cups and the cups came awesomely. They tasted just like a Reese cup. How do i prevent the hardening next time?
Erica says
It definitely shouldn’t be hardening. You could try using a little more oil or butter to get that creamy consistency, but don’t use too much because you want it to harden eventually when cooled. Hope this helps!
Suzanne says
Try using 1/2 nestle choc chips and 1/2 hershey bar. That’s what I do for coconut balls and pb balls to get a smooth consistency.
Kayla Crandall says
This recipe is the best! I used the peanut butter filling for my Peanut Butter Cake Pops and it turned out delicious! Also credited you guys in my blog. So thank you so much this is a big hit!
https://cakepopsbykay.wordpress.com/2017/02/17/prime-peanut-butter-pops/
Echo says
Thank you, Kayla! We’re glad you like the recipe!
Margaret Worsham says
Are you using semi sweet chocolate chips or milk chocolate chips?
Erica says
Semi-sweet.. just because they seem to harden better than milk chocolate
Cynthia says
How much butter do I need bc the recipe says 6 tablespoons but the other page says 10.
Favorite Family Recipes says
What other page are you referring to? We usually only use 6… hope this helps!
Tammy Lewis Chaney says
In the recipe, the 6 tablespoons you stated. However, the last ingredient lists an additional 4 tablespoons. Which I’m sure is the 10 the above commenter is referring to. It is somewhat confusing.
Favorite Family Recipes says
You mix 6 Tbsp with the peanut butter at the beginning and then 4 with the chocolate chips (you use 2 Tbsp with each batch of chocolate chips, making 4 total) sorry so confusing. I will try to clear it up in the recipe.
Kim Guyette says
The recipe I’m looking at says10T butter divided.
I’m assuming6 for filling and4 for chocolate.
Other folks having trouble with seizing is probably from the water in the butter which can be avoided by adding the butter after the chocolate has melted.
Favorite Family Recipes says
Thanks for catching that, I just fixed the recipe so it says exactly how much butter to use where. Hope that helps!
Tracey McRae says
In reference to your butter amounts. I understand that’s 6 Tbsp with the Peanut Butter but originally until I read your comments I was confused on the amount to add to the chocolate mixture. You say to add 1/2 of the butter to the chocolate. Well if the recipe says 10 Tbsp of Butter that would be 5 Tbsp but I only have 4 Tbsp left since I used 6 of them already with the peanut butter. I think to further clarify this for bakers like myself, it would be easier to have it read, add 1/2 of the ‘remaining’ butter to the chocolate for each batch. Thanks!!!!!
Favorite Family Recipes says
Hi Tracey- Sorry this has been so confusing. I have fixed the recipe to it makes more sense. Hope this helps!
Kim says
just to be specific…How much butter to peanut butter mix and chic chip mix. Its a little confusing.
Favorite Family Recipes says
You mix 6 Tbsp with the peanut butter at the beginning and then 4 with the chocolate chips (you use 2 Tbsp with each batch of chocolate chips, making 4 total) sorry so confusing. I will try to clear it up in the recipe.
Carol says
What is the purpose of the graham cracker crumbs?
Favorite Family Recipes says
It gives the peanut butter a little more texture, more similar to the real Reese’s cups. Plus if it is just straight up PB it kind of makes a gooey mess.
Billie says
So yummy!! Just made. Thank you!!
Favorite Family Recipes says
So glad you liked these! Thanks for the 5 stars!
Beth says
This recipe needed tweaking. Nine oz of peanut butter is too much. You only need about 1/3 of the ingredients for the PB filling. As for the chocolate: no need for the butter. It separates as you try to melt in the microwave. Just put chocolate chips in the microwave and start with 30 second intervals. Stir between until melted, only took me two 30-second intervals. I used Hershey brand milk chocolate chips. As for the PB filling: don’t prepare and set aside. Melt the chocolate, spread in cups. While they are hardening in the fridge, make the PB filling.
Lottie says
do you have to use crackers, like would it taste the same without them? dey dont sell graham crakers were i live.
Lottie says
They*
Favorite Family Recipes says
You don’t NEED to use the crackers, it just gives them the Reese’s texture. You can use crushed ginger snaps, Nilla wafers, or even animal crackers. You can also leave them out if you absolutely need to. Hope this helps!
Shauna says
Do you have a peanut butter cup video tutorial
Favorite Family Recipes says
Not yet, but we can put it on our list of videos to do! Keep following our Facebook page to see when it is available! Thanks for the suggestion!
Pauline says
I modified a little…..reduced the PB by 1/4 cup and added 1/2 cup Reeses baking chips when melting the butter. It gives a little firmer set than with all the PB. Don’t forget to reduce the sugar too or they get realllly sweet. I used dark chocolate chips instead of semi or milk. Husband approved!
Favorite Family Recipes says
Thank you for sharing your adjustments! LOVE the idea of using dark chocolate. Totally a dark chocolate lover, myself 🙂
Rachelle says
I must be missing something, but I don’t see where it says how much peanut butter you put into each cup?
Favorite Family Recipes says
You mix the peanut butter with the graham crackers and put about 1 tsp of that mixture in the mini-sized cups, a scant Tablespoon in regular-sized. Hope this helps!
Rachelle says
Yes, thank you. I missed that at first! As a side note I used Sun butter instead of peanut butter (I’m allergic). They were awesome and a big hit with family and friends. Thank you!!
Victoria says
I used chocolate syrup it is working takes hours to harden but it works. Ur directions aren’t clear u need a video stop woofing about other recipes and finish this one. Thank you happy mother’s day
Cathy Hardy says
once upon a time reeses made reverse peanut butter cups. chocolate fluffy on the inside with peanut butter chip coating instead of peanut butter fluffy with chocolate chip coatine. do you (or anybody out there) know how to make those??? since you cannot buy them any more and they were to die for i would love to learn how to make my own. please help. anyone??? they were soooo good…why they stopped making them is beond me.
by the way these are great too…they were devoured so quickly………………
Favorite Family Recipes says
I have never had a reverse Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup, but it sounds very good! Hopefully another reader will comment and we can find out if they have a recipe. We do have a cookie recipe that is like a reverse Reese’s peanut butter cup with peanut butter cookie on the outside and a delicious fudge filling on the inside. Here is the link: Peanut Butter Fudge Puddles