Happy basket full of chocolate day! When I was a wee muffin, Easter meant that a human sized fictional bunny would sneak into my bedroom when I was sleeping, and leave me a basket full of chocolates, candies, and sometimes little toys or gifts. The whole thing had a very Santa Claus vibe to it, and so of course, I absolutely loved it! If I'm ever at my parents house for Easter I still sometimes find a treat left outside my bedroom door. Aww shucks, thanks Mom...er, I mean Mr. Easter Bunny.
Easter egg hunting was a whole other part of the holiday, and it was full on war. Every year the fam (there is somewhere around 10 cousins) would go to a family members house to celebrate Easter. Upon arrival I would secretly scout out and memorize where all the Easter eggs were hiding, while acting like I didn't care, and definitely wasn't cheating.
All the kids would be sitting on our hands desperately trying to act natural, until FINALLY some aunt would decide it was time to start the Easter egg hunt and then we would all frantically dash around collecting as many chocolates as we possible get our mitts on.
There was no equally dividing the chocolates among us, or any of that very fair sharing thing kids do nowadays. What you were able to collect was what you got. At 6 years old chocolate was VERY serious stuff, so yes, this was incredibly stressful for me.
Now I am so much more civil, I will just make large batches of chocolates at home, and not share them with anybody, so there.
Ok, ok, I will share... if I have to... I guess.
One of my most favourites chocolates was Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, which I am pretty sure is one of the worlds most favourite chocolates. I think there are some rather pricey vegan versions of these that you can buy, but seriously dude, these are so easy to make.
Like kinda too easy to make. So easy to whip up and then have 20 chocolates sitting around staring at you, Gah!
I've seen some vegan recipes where they just fill the center with peanut butter, and you have to keep them frozen or they will melt... My recipes is not like that. You can make these and once set, they are totally shelf stable, and sugary delicious, just like Reese's, except so much better.
To Make Vegan Peanut Butter Cups:
Mix up the peanut butter with powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and salt. It forms this kind of peanut butter dough. Taste it. You're welcome.
Melt your chocolate chips in a double boiler, then remove from heat. If your chocolate firms up while you are working with it, just pop it back on the double boiler to melt again.
If you don't have a double boiler, you can use my method, and just pop a heat safe bowl over a pot of boiling water. Congratulations, you just made yourself a double boiler.
The reason you want to melt the chips in a double boiler vs. a pot directly on the heat, is that chocolate burns and turns grainy very easily, and once it burns there is no going back. Your chocolate is ruined. So melting it in a double boiler ensures it doesn't burn.
You could also melt your chips in a microwave, but I don't have one of those, so you are on your own with that one.
Take some cupcake liners and pour in about 1 to 2 teaspoons of chocolate. Just enough to cover the bottom of the liner. You can use the spoon to spread the chocolate around.
Now pinch off some of your peanut butter dough, and shape into a disc that is just a bit smaller than your liner, so that there is room for the chocolate to go around the edges of the dough. This does not have to be beautiful. I like a thick peanut butter center, but you can decide how much or little peanut butter dough to use.
Now use another spoonful or two of chocolate to cover the peanut butter disc. You may need to use your spoon to help spread the chocolate. Repeat with all of the remaining chocolate and peanut butter dough.
Put the chocolates on a baking tray so they are easier to manage, and then pop them in the fridge for about 30 minutes, until the chocolate has completely firmed up and set.
Once set you can peel off the cupcake liners, or just trim down the wrappers if you want to leave them on. Store in an airtight container in the cupboard.
You can also use any chocolate mold or silicon mold to make fun shapes. I had these mini peanut butter cup molds that I followed the same process with. There are a ton of fun shapes on Amazon such as these Easter Egg Molds, Christmas Tree Molds, Truffle Molds, and if you ever wanted Moustache Shaped vegan peanut butter cups, you can definitely make those.
Or if you are feeling crafty, you can also shape the peanut butter dough into balls or egg shapes and then just dip the dough into the chocolate and lay on parchment paper to set.
Common Questions:
Is peanut butter vegan?
Most peanut butter is made up of peanuts and salt. Some may also contain oil or added sugar. Sometimes peanut butter may contain honey, but almost all peanut butter is 100% vegan.
Can I freeze vegan peanut butter cups?
Yes! If kept in an air-tight container or sealed freezer bags, peanut butter cups freeze beautifully and (if stored properly) can last up to 12 months!
Is there a nut-free version of peanut butter cups?
If you swap out the peanut butter for a peanut butter alternative (sunflower seed butter, etc.) you can make a nut-free version.
Are peanut butter cups gluten-free?
This recipe is gluten-free!
(click stars to vote)
Vegan Peanut Butter Cups
Servings: (around 10 - 12 large peanut butter cups, or around 20 small cups)
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Ingredients
- ½ cup natural peanut butter, (or any other kind of nut butter you like!)
- ¼ cup powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 ¼ cups vegan chocolate chips
Instructions
- In a medium bowl mix together the peanut butter, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and salt. It will form a sort of soft dough.
- Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave in 20-second increments, being careful to not burn the chocolate.
- To assemble the vegan peanut butter cups, use a chocolate mold or cupcake liners. Add just enough chocolate to the mold or cupcake liners to just cover the bottom.
- Take a piece of the peanut butter dough and form a disc that is just smaller than the mold so that there is room for chocolate to go around the edges. Pop the peanut butter discs into each mold.
- Now finish by pouring more chocolate overtop so that the chocolate goes around the sides of peanut butter dough and covers the top. Repeat until you run out of chocolate and peanut butter dough.
- Put in the fridge to cool and set for about 30 minutes. Once the chocolate has solidified again, you can pop them out of the molds, or just trim the paper liners if you want to leave them protected. Store in an air-tight container in your cupboard.
Nutrition
Bon Appetegan!
Sam.
Zehra says
Hello,
Is there any alternative for using sugar in your recipe? I can’t eat sugar...
Can I use honey, maple syrup?
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Zehra, you would need a powdered sugar alternative for this recipe to get the correct texture.
Jennifer says
Powdered sugar is just cornstarch and sugar so maybe if you use cornstarch along with the sweetener of your choice it may work. Perhaps stevia would work best since it's in powdered form and won't alter the texture.
Loriei says
How about maple Crystal's I seen them in souvenir stores you can grind into a powder with blender or food processor or smash it in a ziplock bag to form a powder it's probably not cheap but for a special occasion or I wonder if grinding up coconut sugar if that would work
I made these last year so yummy and they were a hit I'm making the. For my daughter' s Halloween party she is having at her place with her friends
Erin says
I made these with almond butter for a charity event last weekend and they were a huge hit. So easy and so delicious! Thanks!
Sam Turnbull says
Wonderful! Thrilled you enjoyed them, Erin 🙂
isa says
O.....M....G!!!!!!!! This is absolutely delicious!!
Better than Reese's. (And I LOVE Reese's).
I had to melt more chocolate to be able to make 12 cups and I had to add powdered sugar to the PB mixture so it holds better. Otherwise, I followed your recipe.
Thanks!!
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you loved them so much, isa 🙂
Sam says
These came out amazing. I'm bringing them in to work tomorrow - well, minus a couple extra I'm keeping home for myself 🙂 A tip for anyone whose peanut butter dough is too sticky: I rubbed some powdered sugar in my hands before picking up and shaping and everything came together just fine. Thanks for another great recipe, Sam!
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you enjoyed it so much, Sam 🙂
Michael says
Hello.,
Thank you for sharing your recipes. I am planning to make your vegan peanut butter cups first. My question is this: I have some carob chips in my cupboard. They look just like chocolate chips. They have been there awhile, and I would like to use them up. Can carob chips be mixed in with chocolate chips, and be melted together? Thank you.
Sam Turnbull says
Personally, I'm not a fan of the taste of carob so I haven't done much cooking with it. I do know that it does not melt the same way as chocolate so I would say that it wouldn't likely work well. Best of luck!
Michael says
Thank you for the response Sam. I will stick with chocolate chips for now. Maybe someone at our vegan potluck, where I will be sharing the vegan Reese's that I am going to make using your recipe, will have an idea for what to do with carob chips.
Sarah says
Just made these yesterday, and let me just say, they are EVEM BETTER than Reece’s cups! (I know! I didn’t think that was possible!) Next time, I’m going to make even more of the peanut butter dough to make them extra peanutbuttery (is that a word? It is now.) Another amazing recipe. Thank you so much Sam!!
Sam Turnbull says
Hahaha! Love it!!!! SO happy you enjoyed them, Sarah 🙂
Tara says
i love them! But, my PB blobs were not as solid as yours (overmixed maybe?) so the top chocolate wants to swirl into it. Maybe next time I will refrigerate between layers? And what a mess, how do you get yours so perfect? haha mine were rather rudimentary looking. Oh well, it's the good taste that counts! yum!
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Tara, the peanut butter blobs can vary a bit depending on how liquidy the peanut butter is. Sometimes I find natural peanut butter quite firm and other times quite oily and thin. If you have this problem again, just try adding a bit more powdered sugar to thicken. Enjoy!
Weslei Souza says
I just made it and it's fab. I wish I could upload the picture to show you.thanks again Sam.
Sam Turnbull says
Awesome! So happy you enjoyed! You can always tag me on Instagram @itdoesnttastelikechicken if you have that 🙂
Hf says
Thank you for this recipe! Trying it tonight
Sam Turnbull says
You're most welcome! I hope you love it!
Sarah says
Hi! Just wanted to let people know that not all peanut butters are vegan! I found this out the hard way when I went to make a last minute sandwich for my brother who is vegan. Some have honey, thus not being vegan. Just wanted to help prevent any mix ups so everyone who wants to be vegan doesn't have an issue!
Sam Turnbull says
Wow, that's so awful! Good info for sure. I always buy natural peanut butter that contains just peanuts and maybe salt, but that's it 🙂
Tamara says
0.1mg Cholesterol? WTF are you talking about??
Sam Turnbull says
I use a nutrition program, obviously, it made an error. I am currently working on updating to a new program.
Kat says
Hi! Could you please write how much do the chocolate chips weigh? As I am nowhere near America to buy those... I want to use regular vegan chocolate to melt, just don't know how much to use. I'd appreciate it a lot. Love the recipe and can't wait to try it! 🙂
Sam Turnbull says
Hi Kat! Cups are volume measurements, not a weight measurement so I don't know how much the chocolate chips weigh. I know a couple of my UK readers have picked up a set of measuring cups and spoons online so that they could easily make any Canadian or US recipe without the need to convert. Other than that you can just try your luck at google. This site says that 1 cup is equal to 175g. Hope that helps!
Sharon says
I CANNOT wait to try these. I’ve been Vegan since June and have so far made it though the holiday season without my beloved Reece’s PB pumpkins, trees and now hearts
My favorite are the PB eggs! I’ve been eating them since their first appearance over 30 years ago! SO NOW i will make these for Easter (and now, of course) Will post after i taste them!
Sam Turnbull says
Wonderful! I hope you love them, Sharon 🙂
Cecile says
My husband and I finally gave up the dairy! We were vegetarian, but after buying some delicious artisanal cheese, I looked at the ingredients and saw "rennet". Well then I had to look up "rennet", and was shocked to find it comes from the stomach of baby calves! So that was it, no more dairy or eggs! Unfortunately this happened right before Thanksgiving, so the usual highly dairy-laden-fare was out, along with all the lovely Christmas candies, nogs, etc... I bought a few Justin"s peanut butter cups which were delicious, but way over-priced! Then I found this recipe and I am not feeling so sorry for myself anymore! Thank-you so much for these easy, inexpensive treats!
Sam Turnbull says
Yay!!! So thrilled you love the recipe, Cecile!! I assure you that dairy-free can be truly delicious (I was a former cheese addict!) Lots of super yummy dairy-free recipes on my site. 🙂
Cecile says
I’m going to try the nacho cheese tonight! I’m sold!
Sam Turnbull says
I hope you love it!
Cindy says
Just made these tonight as I was craving chocolate. They really are delicious, and so easy to make! I often buy Justin’s dark chocolate peanut butter cups, but not anymore! These peanut butter cups taste way better! I used Trader Joe’s chocolate chips and Skippy natural creamy peanut butter. I wonder how crunchy peanut butter would be...THANK YOU for sharing this wonderful recipe!
Sam Turnbull says
You're very welcome, Cindy! I agree, Justine's are just not as good as these ones!! 😀
Michael says
Hello Sam,
Well tonight things did not go well. The chocolate chips would not melt enough be poured. I tried a second double boiler, with more of a clean metal surface for the most heat transfer, and also used the Turbo setting on my stove. But it never poured like it does in your video.
I used an organic brand of chocolate chips, and the house brand from Shop Rite supermarkets. I started with double the amount in your recipe, 2 1/2 cups, but when it would not melt well, I took half out, but it would still not melt enough to pour. Ultimately, I did manage to get all of the melted chocolate into about the same amount of cups as in your recipe, so that my peanut butter cups are larger and have more chocolate in them. It took 2 hours, and I still have not cleaned up the 2 double boliers.
I guess I could try the Trader Joe brand of chips that Cindy says she used successfully. What specific brand of chocolate chips do you use Sam? Thanks.
Sam Turnbull says
Yikes, it sounds like something was off with the chocolate chips you used! I use Presidents Choice brand which is available here in Canada, but I have always used Enjoy Life. Best of luck!
Laura Slitt says
what about adding some unrefined coconut oil to chips when melting?
Sam Turnbull says
I wouldn't recommend it as the chocolate may not harden properly.
Catherine says
I've made these twice and they are really easy and delicious! For some reason though, I can't seem to get my peanut butter mixture to a dough-like texture to make the "disks". It's really sticky and I kind of just plop it onto the chocolate (it's almost like regular pb). I even tried popping the mixture into the freezer for a few minutes and that didn't really help. Also, mine seem to get melty as soon as I take them out of the fridge and the chocolate always transfers onto my hands. I live in the south and I'm wondering if it's just the temperature? Maybe my house is just a bit warm? Either way, thanks so much for this recipe!!
Catherine says
I meant to ask - do you use an electric mixer for the peanut butter or just stir with a spoon or spatula?
Sam Turnbull says
So happy you love them, Catherine! For the chocolate, I would just say that depends on the kind of chocolate you buy. If the chocolate chips get melty at room temperature, so will your chocolate. For the peanut butter, it's possible that the natural peanut butter you are using is oilier than the one I use. Try reducing the amount of peanut butter and slowly add more until desired texture is reached. I just mixed it in a bowl with a spatula as seen in the above pictures. It is possible that the heat is making everything a little melty. Hope that helps!
Catherine says
Thanks for the reply! I will try it with a different peanut butter and see how that works...just for research purposes, of course.
Sam Turnbull says
research purposes... of course 😉
Rebecca says
Sam's Vegan Peanut Butter Cups taste just like Reese's Pieces peanut butter cups but they're even better because they're healthier But let's not kid ourselves, it's still candy and eating just one piece isn't likely. These are seriously addictive. I (begrudgingly) gifted some of them away as I couldn't trust myself to stop eating them! By non-vegan friend raved about them and when I told her they were vegan she was shocked 🙂
Sam Turnbull says
Hahahaha, yeah... They are totally addictive for sure. Just imagine when I was recipe testing these and had batch after batch in my house!
Rebecca says
Lol I can only imagine. You seem to have a lot of energy as it is, so it must be fun being around you when you're on a sugar high haha.
Sam Turnbull says
Or frightening... 😉
Jessica says
These disappeared pretty quick! Great recipe, the peanut butter filling is a lot more like "the real deal" than another recipe that I've tried 🙂
Sam Turnbull says
Woohoo! So happy you loved them Jessica 🙂
jenn says
Note to self- Sam's vegan pnut butter cups are easy to make! I told myself this last time I made them, then I forgot. Yum! I cannot keep these around when I have them; I give half away and keep the others hidden in the fridge to pull out every now and then. P.S. I have Sam's Easy DIY Sweet Potato Dog Chews in the oven for my pup.
Thanks Sam for all the treat ideas!
Sam Turnbull says
Treats for everyone! Love it!! Yes, the peanut butter cups are dangerous for me too, I always have to give lots away or I will eat them all in no time! Hahaha