How to make milk chocolate peanut butter cups by lemonie
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This was a bit of an experiment to see if I could manage something like Reese's king size cups. I don't really like these things but my sister does and they're hard to find in the UK (and expensive).
A fairly simple task I thought - chocolate, peanut butter, sugar. Reese's list the ingredients as milk chocolate, peanuts, sugar, salt (& preservative).

The only other Instructable I could find like this is this one. The method of construction is different, but probably a bit easier if you don't want the classic cup-shape.

Thank you for the peanut butter cups, i have just eaten one, it was lush. X (verdict by SMS)

 
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Step 1: Ingredients & other materials

I used:
~100g Icing-sugar, otherwise known as confectioner's sugar. This packet is white powdered refined cane-sugar.
~100g Peanut butter (smooth). This jar claims the ingredients to include 92% roasted peanuts and some salt. Yes the label does advise that it "Contains peanuts."
~200g Chocolate. Use what you like, I went for "Chocolate flavour cake covering", as this is the sort of thing my sister likes.

For making the cups, I used some "white baking cases", an improvised bain-marie and a few other common kitchen tools.


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lukev2 says: Feb 16, 2013. 7:48 AM
I just made HUGE Reese's after this inspired me! They are cupcake sized!
adriana1616 says: Nov 11, 2012. 10:42 AM
I have to do that! :P
MicioGatta says: Mar 31, 2012. 2:47 AM
This seems very good. Given in Italy I can't find peanut butter, what can I use instead of it?
Kathryn2244 says: Aug 11, 2012. 11:50 AM
Oh my gosh, I can't imagine not having peanut butter! My dad used to tell us (when we were little) that peanut butter is the perfect food and you can live on it and water alone. I noticed a lot of Nutella while visiting Europe (including 3 cities in Italy--I soooo loved Italy--next time I want to see the countryside.) Which is close. I wouldn't use it in this recipe though, as if I recall, Nutella already has chocolate or cocoa in it.

Luckily, peanut butter is very easy to make-if you have a food processor.


Ingredients

500 grams shelled and skinned and roasted peanuts (recipe follows)
5 ml kosher salt (kosher preferred, but sel de mer would work, or even common table salt would work in a pinch (haha))
7.5 ml honey
22 ml tablespoons peanut oil

Directions Place the peanuts, salt and honey into the bowl of a food processor. Process for 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Place the lid back on and continue to process while slowly drizzling in the oil and process until the mixture is smooth, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes.

Place the peanut butter in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 months.

Recipe for Roasted Peanuts:
1 kilogram in-shell raw peanuts*
30 ml peanut oil
15 to 30 ml. kosher salt

*Cooks note: If eating peanuts roasted right out of the shell, use Virginia or Valencia peanuts. If utilizing roasted peanuts to make peanut butter, use Spanish peanuts as they have a higher oil content.

Preheat the oven to 177 degrees Celsius.  Rinse the peanuts under cool water to remove excess dirt. Pat dry and place in a large bowl and toss with the peanut oil and salt until well coated. Place on 2 half sheet pans, making sure to spread them out into a single layer. Roast in the oven for 30 to 35 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through cooking. Once you remove the peanuts from the oven, let them cool slightly before eating. They will continue to "cook" and become crunchy as they cool. If using peanuts to make peanut butter, remove shells and discard. Remove the skin by rubbing the peanuts together in your hands held over a salad spinner, allowing the peanuts and skins to fall into the bowl. Once the skin has been loosened from all of the peanuts close the salad spinner and spin until all of the skin has been separated from the peanuts. Yield: Approximately 1 kilogram.

[Note from Kathryn: I used Mamta's Kitchen's website  http://www.mamtaskitchen.com/tip_display.php?tip_id=3  to convert American measurements to the rest of the worlds ;)  and FoodNetwork for the recipe http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/homemade-peanut-butter-recipe/index.html .

Buona fortuna!

Kathryn
MicioGatta says: Aug 11, 2012. 1:54 PM
Thank you very much, Kathryn!

Mhm..... what is a food processor? If it's something like this:
http://www.bestfoodprocessors.org/wp-content/uploads/cuisinart-food-processor.jpg
okay, I've got it :)

Well, at least I'll get the chance to taste the mythical peanut butter (being a fan of X-Files, Star Trek and a lot of USA TV series, I've always wonder how it tastes!).

Teah, Nutello is totally different. It's chocolate based, with a bit of hazelnut.

Where did you go in Italy?
canucksgirl says: Feb 7, 2012. 1:29 PM
Can hardly comment... currently drooling. ;)
smujens says: Jan 22, 2012. 9:35 AM
I did it, pie tin, a pound worth of chocolate, and a white chocolate batman emblem.
lemonie (author) says: Jan 22, 2012. 11:06 AM
Whoa!
Picture please.

L
smujens says: Jan 29, 2012. 11:26 AM
:)
2011-12-19_18-35-56_134.jpg
lemonie (author) says: Jan 29, 2012. 12:03 PM
That's beautiful, thanks.

L
jid4611 says: Sep 22, 2011. 7:32 PM
I made them and they were great!
my little brothers loved them especially.
Now my mother wants me to make them for parties and such
Do you think you could make big ones with a coffee filter?
superMacaroni says: Jan 5, 2012. 2:34 PM
http://www.wilton.com/store/site/product.cfm?sku=2105-5038 no this
grooooovy says: Nov 17, 2011. 11:47 AM
Oh yeah! Coffee filter idea is awesome! lol

Though it would probably be too thin and flimsy to work... oh well. :)
Bert99 says: Sep 29, 2011. 7:11 PM
LOL COFFEE FILTER!! idk if i could eat that whole thing lol
lemonie (author) says: Sep 22, 2011. 11:06 PM

A coffee filter will soak up chocolate, you'd be better making a case from baking-sheet / greaseproof paper.

L
jid4611 says: Oct 1, 2011. 9:48 AM
thanks
grooooovy says: Nov 17, 2011. 11:45 AM
Mmmmmm... they look so good! They also look a lot bigger than regular Reeses... :P
Gman106 says: Sep 18, 2011. 10:06 AM
WE SHOULD HAVE THESE IN THE UK! They look epic and really om nom nom noms. Might have to give this a try ^_^
lemonie (author) says: Sep 18, 2011. 1:59 PM
We have them in the UK, that's where I am.

L
drakowski says: Jun 11, 2011. 4:57 PM
OMG!!!-How can anyone not love Reese's peanut butter cups? Just wondering. I hate peanut butter and don't like chocolate, but I love Reese's!
hjennings23 says: Sep 17, 2011. 5:15 PM
There's just something so good about that combination of chocolate and peanut butter!
sde vylder says: Aug 13, 2011. 3:53 AM
I don't like peanut butter either, but the combination is heavenly...
Marcos says: Jul 22, 2011. 9:47 AM
Because they are unnecessarily salty, probably use adulterated (with hydrogenated oil) peanut butter, and the chocolate is barely worthy of the name.

If they were made with quality dark chocolate, and legitimate peanut butter, and less sugar, they'd be good. If you live in the U.S., Trader Joe's has their own version which like many of their copycat products (crackers, etc.), is better than the original!
spark master says: Feb 17, 2012. 7:13 AM
Trader Joe's are ok, I prefer the original Peanut Butter Cups. TJ's is an expensive yuppie palace. The good part of the place is that they do have unique stuff and so if you want it you pay the premium.

If you worry about hydrogenated oil and such get out the food processor and grind it yourself. And since you shop at TJ's get some Cashew Butter and do these, but add some salt cuz the Cashew Butter is not salted enough. Or make your own PIGNOLI Butter (I have) add that , or Pecan Butter

mmm

so many fat grams so little time

TTFN
Marcos says: Feb 18, 2012. 12:08 PM
Hm, you must be going to a different Trader Joe's than I do. I buy better than 50% of my groceries there, because it's cheaper! Nuts, juice, dairy, chips; you name it. I see brands there for at least 2 bucks a bottle (hair care products) less than health food stores or discount vitamin and health products stores have them for. Same goes for a lot of food products, and the quality is, often as not, better than regular grocery store chains.

Also, when I must go to the local Lucky store (California grocery chain), I go there first, endure the fishy stench that always greets me at the door. (The fish dept. is at the back wall), and overweight, unhappy, and mistake-prone staff (The bakery lady is great, sightings of staff other than cashiers are quite rare.) Then I go to Trader Joe's. If I get there before the mob of hungry grade school kids and parents, it's always a pleasure. Great products, happy staff busily doing a repetitive work as if it mattered to them. It does! They get paid less than the union slobs a few doors away, yet they are happier, more efficient, and take pride in their work. Any slow or lazy staff never last. The good ones are often there for years. If I were looking for people to hire, that's one of the first places I'd go.

Sure, they have premium products, and some of them seem expensive, at least until I price the same or similar elsewhere.
spark master says: Feb 19, 2012. 9:00 AM
Then all your stores are overpriced. Again they carry some unusual items and sometimes ever better then most, but nuts fruits etc I get from a green grocer not Albertson's/piggly Wiggley A&P/Lucky etc. My Meats come from same places. There are things that come from stores like that , but only about half. And all th eUnion Shops I go to are staffed by very very helpful people, unlike whatever you have that you refer to them as Union Slobs. I guess you make a good buck and look down your nose at unions, I have a number of aquaintance's like that. Of course slowly big biz is squeezing out middle class and only using"empowered self motivated self reliant (read, has 4 jobs and never sees his/her family) partnership driven "associates". They do not want workers , they want associates.

My local S&S or Pathmark or ShopRIte all have ok sales and great employees, and they actually pay them a real wage.

Quality , well my green grocer does vary , but except for cetain things at certain times big box stores (T J is one considering the size of the system), will have better deal on say green beans, but usually I get a better deal at my mom&pop Green Grocer.

Fish, heck I have walked out of stores that have real fish mongers since I hate fish in general, and while it can be all good, if they have a slight problem with the plumbing it reeks. A bad dairy case can be as bad or worse. I do not ever remember seeing a real butcher shop or fish monger at TJ's.

As far as vitamins are concerned look up they are the worlds largest vitamin maker, they are so cheap its unreal. They do not own every patent so they do not make everything, but I would bet a buck, some, if not quite a bit of TJ's vitamins come from them; since they private label for many many many many stores.

But the upside to TJ's Cat Cookies, Cashew Butter, a few very tasty cakes mixes, (but I get same stuff from King Arthurs Flour Store

They kick butt and prices are about the same. I do admit I buy 10 pound sacks of KA flour from BJ wholesale as they have the best price around, I also buy yeast in 2 pound granular freeze dried active (i think I got that right),in Brick Pack, which I break up share and freeze keeps for several years that way.

Pain de Mie, Pizza, Focaccio di Umbria, Ciabatta, intense rye breads, (and pumpernickel), Plain Jane Eyetalian bread(s) all get fresh made through the year plus what I get from the store.

If TJ's is the best place to shop by you, for basics, then I feel sorry for you. But when everypiece of dirt around you is too expensive then you must pay the slaves more. Food stores were never meant to have really well paid employees, you need a few, and they needed a few perks, but now with automization and generally crappy economy these jobs are "good jobs" and have benefits.

BUT ANYWAY

try this recipe with cashew butter, pecan butter,or pignoli butter (it is wicked, to me). For real deal PBC's you do need to add some peanut butter to the chocolate.

great instructable our disagreement on TJ's not withstanding.
deidei2299 says: Aug 18, 2012. 12:33 AM
If your watching your fat grams like me there is something called better than peanut butter and for the chocolate you can use Hershey chocolate syrup
spark master says: Aug 18, 2012. 7:48 AM
read the ingrediants in it better'n'peanut butter is not so healthy and it tastes yechh. To make a good peanut butter cup you need to mix a small amount of peanut butter into the chocolate. Saw a lady 20 years ago on TV who showed how to make exact duplicates of many things. Her recipe was perfect,( I can't remember the book title, sorry)

but I understand the beed to diet so I congradulate you on trying to do the best thing.
nalk55 says: Jul 22, 2011. 6:45 PM
I think the dark chocolate idea is good, I wonder how good 87% dark chocolate would taste?
lemonie (author) says: Jul 23, 2011. 2:32 AM

Bitter I would think, but I prefer dark myself.

L
nalk55 says: Jul 23, 2011. 1:08 PM
Yeah my 87% taste like nothing but nut but it's good.
msloots says: Aug 17, 2011. 4:07 AM
i love these! made small ones in my silicone mini muffin can... great result, great bite for the kids!!!
lemonie (author) says: Aug 17, 2011. 2:39 PM

Oh super.

L
flyangler says: Jul 22, 2011. 6:16 PM
Stateside you may be able to find a substance called "coating chocolate" or "chocolate candy coating". It comes in milk and dark chocolate in little lozenges that melt easily in the microwave. Your finished product will be solid at room temp and shiny without the need for tempering. Below is an example. I have no connection to the site or seller.

http://www.countrykitchensa.com/catalog/subcategory.aspx?CatId=588&ShopId=46

Thanks for the post lemonie, it started my little brain on a bunch of ideas.
lemonie (author) says: Jul 23, 2011. 2:35 AM

That's sort of what I used (step 1), thanks for the information.

L
Shany120 says: Jul 14, 2011. 8:24 AM
Nomnom, they look yummy, onto my todo list, but i dont like milk chocolate, so i'll use dark, yum!
Freshy-42 says: Feb 8, 2011. 8:02 PM
Wow, being American, I didn't realize other countries don't have Reese's Cups widely available. That's really an abstract thought for me.. Anyway, love the idea and even though it'll cost more for me to make them than it would be to drive to any nearby store and buy some, I am totally going to make these :)
steveo625c6 says: Mar 22, 2011. 1:29 PM
Haha yeah, I actually live near Hershey, Pa. I drive past the Reese's plant every time I head home. So talk about readily available :D
fauge7 says: Jun 13, 2011. 2:30 PM
one day go to the factory and say i ate over 9000
watch them say thats impossible
Cr4zy_Dud3_0n_F1r3 says: Feb 9, 2011. 12:51 PM
I was just about to say the same thing.:)
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