April 25, 2014

No-Bake Peanut Butter Cups


Remember how I said I was going crazy with baking

Remember how I said I was forbidden to bake for a while?

Remember how I said I compensated by making no-bake peanut butter cups?

Here you have it... the recipe for delicacy; for savory-sweetness; for simplicity; for a quick batch of peanut butter cups, with no added sugar and very few ingredients. 

Homemade Reese's Peanut Butter Cups

  • 1/4 cup peanut butter (or any nut butter of your preference)
  • 1/4 cup protein powder* (I used chocolate, but vanilla would work as well)
  • 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips 
  • 1/8 cup honey*
  • mini cupcake tray
  • mini cupcake liners
  • water
  • a small spoon (I'm talking baby spoon)
* = optional ingredients

    1. Line the muffin tin with muffin liners. I put mine in the freezer to let it chill for a bit, but that is not necessary.
    2. Mix together your nut butter and protein powder. If you didn't add honey, add a bit of water. The mixture should become thick but not soupy; you should be able to mold it in your hands without it crumbling or sticking.
    3. Melt your dark chocolate however you prefer. I melt mine in the microwave because it speeds up the process. 
    4. Take your little spoon and put a good-sized dollop of chocolate into the bottom of one of the liners. Moving from the middle out, gently spread the chocolate up the sides of the liner. You can layer it as thick or as thin as you want; I recommend keeping it a little thicker so it doesn't break when you take the liner off later.
    5. Put the tin in the freezer for 15 minutes. 
    6. Once the 15 minutes are up, take the tin out of the freezer and get your nut butter mixture. Take a small fingerful of the mixture, roll it into a ball, and press it down into the chocolate casings in the muffin tin. You'll want to fill them almost all the way.
    7. Warm the chocolate back up (or melt some more if you've run out) and spread a nice coating over the top of each peanut butter cup. 
    8. Return the tin to the freezer for about 20 minutes to allow the chocolate to set. Store leftovers in the freezer.

    Aw, yeah. These. are. so. good. 
    I can't say I came up with these entirely on my own. I've watched so many YouTube how-to's on making Reese's and, while they all looked delectable, I wanted to put my own spin on it by adding the protein powder. Also, I didn't want them to be super-sweet, so I didn't add any sugar or honey or sweetener. Again, they turned out better than I had expected. I recommend adding toppings like crushed pretzel, sprinkles, or mini chocolate chips; the possibilities are (almost) endless! Plus, if you like giant Reese's, you can totally make these in a regular sized muffin tin.
    #winning  ;)