Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
Try this Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups recipe, or contribute your own.
Try this Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups recipe, or contribute your own.
- Carbohydrate 1.23029375116823 g
- Cholesterol 2.54192708333333 mg
- Fat 3.31082885615493 g
- Fiber 0.280000000236698 g
- Protein 1.18094239682313 g
- Saturated Fat 1.08767979207276 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (6g)
- Sodium 10.8402291673413 mg
- Sugar 0.95029375093153 g
- Trans Fat 0.184646687599326 g
- Calories 37 calories
Step-by-step
- Line two mini muffin pans with paper liners. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, cream together peanut butter, butter, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and salt until smooth and creamy.
- Set aside.
- In another bowl, microwave chocolate wafers/chips in 30 second intervals, stirring, so that it doesn't burn. When smooth, remove from microwave.
- Place about 1 teaspoon of melted chocolate into each muffin liner and lightly coat the sides, if possible.
- Roll 1 teaspoon of peanut butter mixture into a ball and place on top of melted chocolate. Repeat with rest of cups.
- Spoon about 2 teaspoons of chocolate into each muffin cup to cover the peanut butter.
- Place muffin pans in the refrigerator for about 10-15 minutes, or until chocolate is set.
- Remove from refrigerator and enjoy!
Snap through a rigid shell of tempered dark chocolate to reach a dense, pliable core of salted peanut butter. Making confections at home relies heavily on controlling moisture and thermal limits, particularly when melting cocoa fats. Microwave chocolate wafers in exact thirty-second increments, stirring vigorously between intervals to distribute heat evenly; exceeding forty-five continuous seconds will scorch the solids and seize the emulsion into a grainy mass. Powdered sugar acts as a structural binder within the peanut butter filling, absorbing free oils so the center remains cohesive rather than weeping grease into the surrounding chocolate shell. Softened butter contributes emulsifiers that yield a smoother mouthfeel than peanut butter alone. Standard grocery store melting wafers contain added vegetable oils designed to bypass the tempering process, solidifying reliably at room temperature without requiring precise seed-crystallization protocols. Standard chocolate chips, conversely, contain less cocoa butter and require careful thinning with a fat source if substituting directly. Mini paper liners prevent the exterior fat from sticking to metal muffin pans during the fifteen-minute refrigeration phase. Store finished confections in an airtight container at cool ambient temperatures for up to two weeks, or refrigerate them for extended preservation.
