Tag: halloween

I first published this recipe for peanut butter cups three years ago to the day. It was a weekday, well after 10pm. Filling cups with chocolate, I remember thinking about presenting them to my co-workers the following morning in our lunch room. The clock’s hands coincided with the tap, tap, tap of my spoon.

The way I feel about this graham cracker peanut butter filling is the same way I feel about hot, gooey rice crispies (before they’re cooled into bars). If left unsupervised, I could easily eat both with a spoon before they ever make it to their final destination. There’s nothing wrong with that.

Yet, if you did consume an entire bowl of sweetened peanut butter you’d regret missing the grand finale: smooth semi-sweet chocolate enveloped around a crunchy, just-sweet-enough peanut butter filling. And what’s that? A hint of sea salt on the back end.

You might spend your evening like this: swing by the library on your way home and check out Mel Brooks’s Young Frankenstein (am I a grandma for utilizing my local library in 2019? Maybe. I’m cool with it). Make a batch of these cups– you’ll be done in roughly 45 minutes. By now, the sun has surly set and your cups are just about cooled. Pop in that dvd, park yourself on the sofa and enjoy October 30th the way I always do: home in sweat pants watching Gene Wilder proclaim, “Frau Blücher!” [Horses squeal with terror in background].

I can’t stress this point too strongly. Young Frankenstein is hysterical, witty, clever, roll-on-the-floor great. If you appreciate 1970’s humor, of course. Take it from me.

Feel free to sub in any nut butter in place of peanut. The filling ratio is not an exact science– if you’d like it sweeter, add more sugar. If you prefer dark chocolate, do it! I can personally guarantee these won’t last more than a few days.

Peanut Butter Cups with Graham Cracker

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 5 minutes mins

Chill Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 55 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 45 mini cups

Equipment

• 45 mini baking liners

Ingredients

  

• 24 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1-1/2 cups creamy peanut butter all natural, no sugar added
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs (see note)
• Flaky sea salt and extra graham cracker crumbs for topping

Instructions

 

• In a small saucepan set over very low heat, add chocolate and coconut oil. I find the oil helps to smooth and thin out the chocolate, making it easier to work with. Let melt slowly on the backburner while you prepare the filling. Alternatively, you can melt chocolate in the microwave.
• In a medium saucepan over low heat, add butter. When melted, remove from the heat and add peanut butter, salt, powdered sugar and graham cracker. Stir with a wooden spoon or mix with your hands. It will be the consistency of firm, wet sand. The filling ratio is not an exact science. Add more sugar if you’d prefer it sweeter.
• Set 45 mini baking cups on a rimmed baking sheet. Stir chocolate—it should be almost fully melted. When ready, spoon a scant teaspoon of chocolate into the base of each cup, gently tapping to spread.
• Using the palms of your hands, roll peanut butter filing into large grape-sized pieces. Flatten into a disc and place in the center of each cup. Follow up with another scant teaspoon or two of chocolate. When all cups are filled, rap pan against countertop a few times to level out the chocolate. Sprinkle sea salt and extra graham crackers on top.
• Chocolate will set at room temperature, eventually. To speed up the process, chill in the refrigerator 30 minutes to set. I like to enjoy them straight out of the fridge—you might let them come to room temperature for 10 minutes before serving. Watch them disappear (they’re small, right?)

Notes

You may find pre-ground graham cracker crumbs in the baking aisle. I like to use honey-flavored graham crackers and pulse finely in a food processor. You’ll need about 8 graham crackers.

Feel free to use dark chocolate, milk chocolate, or a combination of the two.

Keyword chocolate, halloween, peanut butter, peanut butter cup