HOMEMADE PEANUT BUTTER CUPS

Having recently discovered Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, which only in the past year have been available here in Ireland, they have quickly become my new favorite treat. The only downside is the not so great quality chocolate, so I decided it was high time to try and make some at home. The end result was so much better than expected, they truly are delicious.

Peanut Butter Cups

Makes 18

325g milk chocolate (you can split it with dark chocolate for a richer flavour)

1/2 cup peanut butter (I used smooth, but will use crunchy in the future for texture)

1/8 cup (28g) butter

1/8 cup light muscovado sugar

2/3 cup icing sugar

Line a mini-muffin tin with paper liners and set aside. Line a baking tray with baking parchment and set aside

In a medium saucepan, combine the peanut butter, butter and brown sugar over medium heat. Heat until completely melted and starting to bubble a little, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat. Add the icing sugar a ¼ cup at a time, stirring until completely combined with the peanut butter mixture after each addition. Set aside and let cool

Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl in the microwave

Spoon melted chocolate into the bottom of each lined muffin cup. Place a peanut butter patty on top of each chocolate-lined muffin tin. Then use a scoop or spoon to add more melted chocolate on top and around each peanut butter patty. (If the melted chocolate firmed up, just pop it back into the microwave for 30 seconds or so to re-melt)

Use a heaping teaspoon to scoop out the peanut butter mixture. Roll it into a ball, and then flatten it slightly into a disk. Place on the prepared baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Once finished with all of the peanut butter mixture, refrigerate both the muffin tins and the peanut butter patties for about 30 minutes

Refrigerate again for 30 minutes, then they’re ready to serve! Store in the refrigerator or freezer. You can keep at room temperature in an airtight container if you’re going to serve them the same day, but they’ll start to get soft if not at cool room temperature