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Reese's Peanut Butter Cups Recipe
Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
By Todd Wilbur

Recipe Type: Candy
Calories: 304
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Recipe Rating: 4.7 (41 reviews)
 
The first Top Secret Recipes book features a version of this clone recipe for America's most beloved candy creation. That recipe now sits in just about every collection of  "copycat" recipes passed around the Web. But since 1993, I've learned a few things about the delicate science of Reese's Peanut Butter Cup cloning. You know, stuff like: '"Never clone peanut butter cups while crossing a busy intersection" and "don't clone peanut butter cups while under a tall tree in the rain."  These are the sort of handy tips that you don't find anywhere else on the Internet. These are the things that come with experience, perseverance and a long, complicated thought process.

Many years have now passed, and I figured perhaps it was time to share some of the more useful of these discoveries with all you great folks here on the site. Now when you make your Reese's clones, you'll know to use reduced-fat peanut butter for a better texture. Now when you're craving that delicate combination of flavors, you'll know to get out the scissors to trim muffin cups for the chocolate. This is the improved recipe right here, authorized, and in its entirety! And don't forget the busy intersection thing.
12 paper muffin cups
one 12-ounce pkg. milk chocolate chips
1 cup reduced-fat peanut butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1. Cut the top half off of the muffin cups so that they are shallower.

2. Pour the chocolate chips into a glass bowl and melt them in the microwave: Microwave at 50% power for 2 minutes. Stir the chips gently, and let them sit for a minute or so. If the chocolate needs more melting, microwave those chippies again at half power for 30 seconds. Stir gently. Continue the process, stirring gently as you go. But be very careful not to overcook the chocolate or it'll seize up on you like day old Carolina roof tar.

3. Using a teaspoon, spoon a portion of the chocolate into the middle of a muffin cup. Draw the chocolate up the edges of the cup with the back of the spoon. Coat the entire inside of the muffin cup with chocolate and place it into a muffin tin. Repeat with the remaining muffin cups and then put the whole muffin tin in the fridge so that the chocolate hardens.

4. Combine the reduced-fat peanut butter, powdered sugar and salt in a medium bowl.

5. When the chocolate in the muffin cups has hardened, pop the sweetened peanut butter into the microwave oven on full power for 1 minute. This will soften up the peanut butter so that it easily flows into the cups.

6. Spoon a small portion of peanut butter into each of the chocolate-coated cups. Leave room at the top for an additional layer of chocolate, which we'll add later. Pop the candy back in the refrigerator to harden the peanut butter. This should take an hour or so.

7. When the peanut butter filling has hardened, re-melt the chocolate chips in the microwave on half power for 30 to 60 seconds. Use a teaspoon to spread a layer of chocolate over the top of each candy. Chill the candy once again to set up the chocolate.

8. Finally, remember to take the paper off the outside of the peanut butter cups before eating them. 

Makes 12 candies.
        
jared gregory  
Submitted on 02/15/13
Best recipe ever! Super easy to make! I am twelve and I made it no problem. Highly recommend for everyone.
Rai Chapman  
Submitted on 01/06/13
I have been making these for Christmas gift boxes for years. The only change I made is using Almond Bark, found at Walmart in the baking aisle. It is cheaper, faster and creamier to spoon into the cups. I also make the white chocolate Almond Bark varities. It is a hugh success at our church Christmas party.
Tip  
Submitted on 11/23/12
Use the individual silicone cupcake "wrappers". They are found and Dollar Trees (stores) everywhere here. 6 for $1. Dip the silicone cupcake "wrapper" in the chocolate, let drain a second or so (until it quits dripping heavily) then turn them inside out & place in the fridge. This saves tons of time and also keeps the chocolate from being too thick.
Andrew Shulman  
Submitted on 10/10/11
These were great! For me, they came out disfigured and odd looking since I made them in a hurry but the taste is what matters. They tasted great and just like Reeses. I used regular creamy Jif peanut butter for creamier filling and melted Hershey bars since I couldn't find milk chocolate chips. I would definitely make these again. They were messy but fun to make and they turned out very well in the end.
Denise Rutledge  
Submitted on 06/17/11
Use a better grade of chocolate such as Callebaut. The results are even better. If you want to reduce your sugar consumption, cut the powdered sugar in half and add 1/16 tsp. (or to taste) of high grade stevia sweetner.
Melissa  
Submitted on 12/06/09
I have a severe peanut allergy and wanted to start making my own. Substituted Sunbutter for the peanut butter....DELICIOUS!!!
Viv  
Submitted on 06/23/09
I made these with soynut butter for my daughter, who has a severe peanut allergy. Our whole family tried them and they're awewome! Soooo close to the original, even with the substitution. Thanks for giving her the pleasure of PB cups without the PB!
Rico Cup  
Submitted on 01/26/09
This recipe is a vast improvement over the old, and touches on the true secret to Reese's peanut butter, which is: no fat (in old recipes, that's what the graham crackers did, absorbed the oil!) Using any peanut butter with hydrogenated fats in it will destroy the texture. If you want to make peanut butter identical to Reeses, get some smooth natural peanut butter - no salt, no hydrogenated fats, no sugar. Then let it sit and when the oil has all risen to the top, drain it off. Repeat until the peanut butter is more like a paste. Then add your own sugar (confectioners) and salt. Bam, you've got it. Dry and crumbly, sweet and salty.
Susan the peanut butter cup Queen!!  
Submitted on 12/24/08
I make mini peanut butter cups. use 2 sticks of butter, 1tsp. of vanilla 3 cups of confectioners sugar(or less for not too sweet) 2 cups graham crumbs.(crushed extemely well) 1 12oz. peanut butter(jiff is good) 12oz. of melting chocolate. these are the best peanut butter cups. and easy. when hardening the chocolate, put it in the freezer while doing another batch. each batch makes at least 140!! Enjoy. my email is - susantcb19@yahoo.com
JenDaPen  
Submitted on 10/28/08
Try crushing up some graham crackers into the pb mixture....tastes great!
Ashley the Reeses Queen  
Submitted on 08/09/08
I have made this and put them in tins to give as christmas presents. I would use Reeses brand Peanut Butter which Walmart and most others stores carry and then for a close taste melt hersheys chocalate bars and for a richer taste giradelli's chocalate chips work good.
Carolinadawg  
Submitted on 12/26/07
Theses are great! Here are my tips, fwiw: 1. I found some 1" paper cups at Party City that work perfectly. They don't have to be cut down like the muffin cups. 2. Rather than fuss with spreading the melted chocolate up the side of the cup, I just covered the bottom of the cup with chocolate, rolled the peanut butter mixture into a ball and placed it inside the cup, centering it so that it wasn't touching the sides of the cup. Then, simply fill the cup with chocolate. Works like a charm, and is much easier and quicker. 3. Cover your hands with powdered sugar to keep the peanut butter mixture from sticking to your fingers.
Netti  
Submitted on 12/13/07
This has got to be one of the most fun, and easiest recipes to make. One little hint that it took me a little bit to figure out is that, in this case too much chocolate is NOT a good thing. The first time I made it, I had way too much chocolate in the cups. You literally only want to color the cups with chocolate, not goop it on. Otherwise you have too much chocolate and not enough peanut butter mix. I loved this one, and have even read here about someone trying the same recipe, but making balls out of them. I am definately going to try that one.
Shelli  
Submitted on 08/24/07
This recipe is very hard but worth it!!! To make it easier you should try using tin muffin cups instead of paper ones. Also, there is enough chocolate left over to make more but there isn't enough peanut butter so you should double the peanut butter recipe but not the chocolate recipe. Good luck and have fun!
Malcolm Wilhelm  
Submitted on 03/11/07
BEST RECIPE EVER!!I've tried some copycat recipes but none of them are this good. Sometimes i replace the powdered sugar for brown sugar, gives it extra texture HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
Josh  
Submitted on 12/17/06
My brother Gabe loves Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, so I've been trying to perfect these in time for Christmas. My first batch I followed the directions exactly. They were okay, but way too creamy, and the taste wasn't quite right either. Perhaps it was the brand of reduced fat peanut butter I was using (Peter Pan). My 2nd batch I used Smuckers Natural Peanut Butter and Ghirardelli Milk Chocolate Chips. This batch was much better than the first, texture and taste were close to a Reese's, but just not quite there yet, so my quest continued. My 3rd batch I wanted to improve the peanut butter a bit, while also improving the chocolate, to make it as close as possible to tasting like a Reese's. I also made "balls" instead of "cups". For the peanut butter filling I used 1 cup of Smuckers Natural Peanut Butter, and 3/4 Cup, plus 1 tablespoon of powdered sugar. Once I had the filling made I rolled the peanut butter balls in a bowl of powered sugar for a very light coating, and then placed them on wax paper. For the chocolate I used 1.5 of those big 8oz Hershey Milk Chocolate Bars and melted it in a saucepan over low heat. I used this Hershey Chocolate Bar because Reeses are made by Hershey. Again, I'm trying to get as close as possible to the taste and texture of an original Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. The 3rd batch was AWESOME! Almost exactly like a Reese's! Not quite there yet, it's not a 100% match, but I honestly don't know what I could do to improve it anymore. I think I have come just about as close as is possible without raiding the Reese's Factory! Enjoy!
Reda  
Submitted on 12/14/06
OMG!!! This is the best ever!! Now my fav candy is free!! Yippy! I'm just so happy I found this! My dorky friend Barbara just cant get enough of of these cups!! Ta-da!
HoweHowse  
Submitted on 12/11/06
A HIGH 5! This is the BEST recipe - I've been using it, well, a long time. Definitely Pay Attention to the use of reduced-fat peanut butter and taking the paper off first before eating.
Firaz  
Submitted on 08/06/06
This is one of the best recipes on the website, it also is alot healthier than the original.
Diane  
Submitted on 03/05/06
These are great! I actually made mini ones using mini muffin cups/tins and I made a white chocolate version, too. Very good. The best part? You can make the recipe as small as you want it and just make a couple so you don't pig out on all of them. Will try foil cups next time as I had the sticking thing going on.
starchaser  
Submitted on 03/01/06
These are fantastic! Even better than the originals!!
Vera  
Submitted on 02/24/06
I first had pb cups when I was in the USA. And I cant purchase it in my country. But now my whole family loves it! Thanks!
Anne  
Submitted on 02/08/06
I'm no expert as I had peanut btter cups for the first time on holiday in the U.S in November 2005 but these were every bit as good as those.I can't think of a way to better them.
Faith  
Submitted on 02/02/06
Overall, I gound this recipe very good. I did make a few observations while making several batches. I found that natural peanut butter (the kind that has the oil floating on top) works even better and gives that "special" texture to the end product. Ordinary reduced fat peanit butter is ground too fine and is too gluey. Stir the oil into the peanut butter before measuring it. Also don't substitute semi-sweet chips for the milk chocolate ones. The result is very bitter.
Lisa  
Submitted on 01/20/06
Excellent! I used foil liners and they didn't stick at all.
Katie  
Submitted on 01/07/06
I loved the recipe, but I had one problem, the chocolate sticking to the muffin cups. I found that if you lighly coat the cup with powdered sugar, then it doesn't stick. Thanks Top Secret Recipes.
Courtney  
Submitted on 12/13/05
I am a die hard peanut Butter cup lover and I make them every Christmas for my Family and I lost my recipe. My Grandmother has made peanut butter cups since I was a Child and now I am searching for her recipe. This recipe is missing my grandma's most important ingredient: ground up Rice Krispies and butter. So the inside is like a crunchy bread. Thank you, for this is the first recipe I have been able to find!
charpeysen  
Submitted on 11/27/05
Wonderful, better than buying them!! The key is real peanut butter.
kiana  
Submitted on 11/23/05
i made some and i used creamy peanut butter than i used extra crunchy peanut butter and wow it was like falling in love.
Ann  
Submitted on 11/15/05
These pb cups are wonderful. But the peanut butter is missing something. If you add a little bit of corn starch it makes the pb a little crumblier. I haven't quite figured out how much exactly, but I think about 1/4 tsp works well.
Michele  
Submitted on 11/13/05
I have made these for years based upon my own creation. It was great to see that salt was the only difference in our ingredients list! I also DONT soften the PB and roll it into a small ball and flatten it. That way I can drop it onto the hardened chocolate then immediately cover it with more chocolate and I save the 1 hr. time of waiting for the PB to harden. Be sure to use muffin wrappers; it leaves the signature ripple on the sides of the peanut butter cups!
Zack  
Submitted on 11/01/05
Mmm Mmm Good! Loved Em
Dovie  
Submitted on 10/14/05
Amazing! We made these and everyone agreed that they were even better than the originals! Peanut butter cups are my personal favorite candy and so this was a massive find! Great work! We even made a batch with bittersweet chocolate to see if they could be made nondairy and they were still great!
Vanessa  
Submitted on 09/12/05
This recipe turned out great. I super-sized them and gave them to a guy who loves Reese's and he flipped out. Thanks Top Secret!
Carole Ingram  
Submitted on 09/12/05
I rate this a "4" only because, it seems like there's something missing in the Peanut Butter, not quite like the "real" thing....HOWEVER this is still REALLY good!!! If you got kids, they will love these! AND if you want, you could make them "bigger" then your regular Reese's Cup (Giant Size!). Another great recipe, will definitely do this one again and again! P.s. Again, I only rate this a "4" because I think the peanut butter is missing something, perhaps some crumbled graham crackers (for texture??) Not sure...
Emily and Susan  
Submitted on 08/28/05
This tasted just like the real thing! Yay we actually cooked something that tasted good!
Allison Wundurland  
Submitted on 08/22/05
These turned out excellently. They were handsome looking, and beautiful tasting! I loved them with all my heart!
Hood family  
Submitted on 08/20/05
My 13 year old made these she is a peanut butter cup lover and she is happy! She said Mom I love them!
Jennifer Werness  
Submitted on 08/06/05
I made them for my family and they thought i bought them because they were so good!
Nessa  
Submitted on 07/28/05
I tried them and I made them into monster cup, ALL my frineds who are lovers of the original were floored by the likeness.
Emily  
Submitted on 07/18/05
These turned out WONDERFULL!!! They tasted exactly like the real thing!!! You should try them!