Name: Homemade Peanut Butter Cups
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1/3 cup peanut butter; 1 tablespoon powdered sugar; Pinch of salt; 3/4 cup cocoa powder; 1/3 cup coconut oil, melted; 1/4 cup powdered sugar; 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla; Pinch of salt

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It feels a little dangerous to know that it’s only 5 ingredients plus salt to make everyone’s favorite candy. However, this is a small-batch recipe, so we can make Homemade Peanut Butter Cups with less guilt!

Stack of homemade peanut butter cups with bite missing from top.

As someone who eats a lot of candy, I try to make it at home as much as possible. I feel better about eating my cocoa powder + powdered sugar + coconut oil version of chocolate than what I buy at the store. And to be honest, it tastes nearly identical. Plus, I get to choose the type of nut butter to use!

For these homemade peanut butter cups, I mixed my favorite creamy peanut butter with a small amount of powdered sugar and salt. Then, I use my homemade chocolate shell as the coating on the top and bottom.

It’s only 5 ingredients plus salt, and only takes minutes to make!

Ingredients

Small bowls with cocoa powder, nut butter, powdered sugar and salt.

Peanut Butter. To make the filling for homemade peanut butter cups, you can use any type of nut butter you like! I have made these with sunflower butter, crunchy peanut butter, raw almond butter, and even pepita seed butter! The choice is yours, as long as you have 1/3 cup of it.
Powdered Sugar. We need a small amount of powdered sugar for the filling (1 tablespoon), and an additional 1/4 cup for the chocolate shell.
Salt. Make sure to put a pinch of salt in both the filling and the chocolate mixture.
Cocoa Powder. Three-quarters of a cup of unsweetened cocoa powder. It doesn’t matter if you use regular or Dutch-process.
Coconut Oil. One-third cup of melted unrefined coconut oil. Do not substitute this with any other oil, because coconut oil is firm when cold. Not all oils firm up when cold, and your homemade peanut butter cups won’t set if you substitute anything else.
Vanilla. It’s optional, but a splash of vanilla in the chocolate mixture heightens the sweetness without extra sugar.

How to Make Homemade Peanut Butter Cups

Bowl of peanut butter and powdered sugar together.

Mixing bowl with cocoa powder, powdered sugar and coconut oil.

Place 6 muffin liners in 6 cups of a muffin pan. In a small bowl, combine the peanut butter, powdered sugar, and pinch of salt. Combine very well, and warm in a microwave, if needed.

2. Next, make the chocolate: in a separate clean bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder, melted coconut oil, powdered sugar, vanilla and pinch of salt.

Light brown candy patties placed in a muffin tin.

3. Place 1 or 2 teaspoons worth of chocolate mixture in the bottom of each muffin liner. Tilt the pan to evenly coat the bottom.

4. Next, divide the peanut butter mixture into 6 equal balls, and place them on top of the chocolate mixture. Use a fork to flatten it out as best as you can, but don’t worry too much.

Peanut butter cups topped with flaky sea salt.

5. Divide the remaining chocolate over each cup, coating the peanut butter mixture.

6. Refrigerate until set, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle extra salt on top, if desired.

Macro image of peanut butter cups cut in half with peanut filling showing.

Yield: 6