Here’s a copycat recipe to knock your socks off: Homemade Peanut Butter Cups! Perfect for Halloween! These classic chocolate peanut butter treats are surprisingly easy to make. They take about 10 minutes to prepare, plus another long 30 minutes waiting for them to be ready. Then, pop them in your mouth and enjoy! It’s just so much fun to show your kids how to make them (or show off your mad skills to your friends—whatever floats your boat!). Besides the cool factor of creating a processed food from scratch, this version doesn’t contain any chemicals, which means they a lot more healthy.
Most importantly making Homemade Peanut Butter Cups enables you to use Fair Trade chocolate. That’s important because the majority of chocolate sold in the US is harvested by child slaves in West Africa. Unless your chocolate is labeled Fair Trade there is a 70% chance that a child slave picked it. That’s a scary truth that ruins my appetite.
Good news!
You can make the same delicious treats you love using fair trade chocolate, so everyone wins.
Note: please do not make this recipe without using fair trade chocolate. I wrote this recipe specifically in protest to the abusive practices of conventional chocolate harvesting. Thanks!
Homemade Peanut Butter Cups
The Bottom Line
These are absolutely delicious and easy to make. You have the added benefit of using only the best ingredients. (You can omit the sweetened milk if you want.) Chocolate and peanut butter fans will love these! They taste just like the ones we are used to, with a touch of freshness that can’t be beat.
Of course, this does cost a bit more. But chocolate should be more expensive. The cheap drug store prices we are used to come at a high human price by using slave labor. Paying for the cocoa beans to be harvested naturally adds to the cost. You will pay about $2.00 more for fair trade chocolate chips than for conventional chips. Shop sales to make if more affordable, but we really can’t break the backs of children just for a bargain.
Fair trade chocolate is so much sweeter than the orange crap you find in the 99¢ bin.
Use Homemade Peanut Butter to make your Peanut Butter Cups even better. It’s easy!
- 2 c fair trade chocolate chips
- 3 T coconut oil
- ½ c peanut butter (use homemade or a natural brand)
- ¼ c sweetened condensed milk
- 1 T brown sugar
- Melt chocolate chips over a double broiler or in the microwave If you use the microwave, heat for 30 second intervals, stopping to stir in between. As soon as it's almost melted, add the coconut oil. Stir until smooth and glossy.
- Line a mini muffin tin with liners. Spoon in a small amount of the chocolate mixture, about a ½ teaspoon. You can be messy if you want; it won't make a difference. Set aside in the refrigerator.
- Mix the peanut butter, sweetened milk and brown sugar together. You can actually add the sweeteners a little at a time to suit your pallet. You can also just leave the peanut butter plain if you like. Shape into small balls and flatten into discs that will fit inside of the cups with space around the sides.
- Place discs into cups. Spoon chocolate over and around. Chill for 30 minutes to set. Enjoy!
You can also control the ratio of chocolate to peanut butter. I like mine with more chocolate, but my husband wants just a touch.
You can make large Peanut Butter Cups with a regular muffin tin.
I think that would be a great substitute, because chocolate and almonds are so good together. Pecan butter would be amazing!
Thanks, Aish. They are delicious!! You’re lucky you don’t have to fight the kids for them.
That’s great, Melanie!
Yes, Rachel. It is shocking and heartbreaking. The sad thing is America is behind in combating this. Most European countries have demanded fair trade chocolate for years!
Enjoy, Julie!
I think you’ll like these more than the store bought ones, Lauren!
Aw, that’s so sweet. I love my little helpers too.
You’re right! They are very dangerous.
They are, Lecy. Enjoy them!
oh my goodnes!! Get in my belly right now!
I have a HUGE weakness for peanut butter cups, and these look SO GOOD. Yum.
This recipe had me at peanut butter! I love how it has few ingredients and seems fairly easy to make. Definitely pinning this for later.
I’ve always wanted to try this. They look so yummy!
OOOOH yeah! Decadent and delicious.
YUMMY! These look delicious!
I would love to make these!! Peanut butter cups are my favorite.
– Cait
These look so much tastier than store-bought peanut butter cups. Can’t wait to try them!
Two things I love about this…EASY AND DELICIOUS! Will definitely be trying this recipe at my house!
These look delicious.
These look like small bites of heaven. No kidding. Though my kids don’t eat peanuts, I will gobble them up all.
These look delicious — and dangerous — now that I can make them at home, who’s to stop me from making them all the time! 😉 Love the recipe.
Ooooohhh! My entire family would love these! Plus, my 4 year old could help roll the peanut butter filling into balls. He’s my kitchen helper!
AH! These are my weakness. I’ll have to try the recipe. Thanks!
Holy moly, these look amazing! And dangerous! Can’t wait to try them. Thank you!
This is a great recipe and an even better reason behind it! Thanks for making me, and others, ore aware of where our “deals” are really coming from!
This recipe looks great and I absolutely love the reason behind it! Thanks for making me (and others) more aware of where our cheap chocolate really comes from!
Peanut butter cups are my absolute fav! Can’t wait to give this a try.
Oh my gosh, i want these NOW! They look so yummy!!
These look delicious! And so easy to make, my son is going to love them!
Those look amazing! Have never tried making peanut butter cups, but may have to start!!
Yum! They look so delicious and easy to make.
Wow. Love peanut butter cups. Awesome recipe. Thanks for sharing. I’ll try out – my little girl will love it 🙂
Oh yum! These sound SO good. I love peanut butter cups – I’d love to try to make them on my own some day, too!
I love that you use fair trade! And these look so good!
Yes please! These would go fast in my house. Yum!
These look so scrumptious! Wonder how almond butter would taste…?
These look delicious! I can’t wait to try them!
Oooohhh yummy!!!!
OMG …. yum