My boyfriend is a fiend for peanut butter cups. It has gotten to the point that, before I venture off to the store, he gives me the, “pick me up some peanut butter cups, please” look and I know what he wants. He doesn’t even have to say it. I guess the first step to conquering addiction is to admit that you have a problem. I’d rather make peanut butter balls instead.
What better way to say “I love you,” than enabling my partner’s undeniable addiction with a homemade version of his beloved PB cups. In a lot of ways, these are better than the original. They can be customized to your taste. Are you a fan of crunchy things? Use crunchy peanut butter and coat these suckers with chopped pretzels. Do you like dark chocolate? Knock yourself out! You’ll find a very basic version of this recipe here, but feel free to get frisky and make them your own. If you’re looking to make a PB cup knockoff, however, keep it simple and stick to the recipe. I would also suggest using the milk chocolate chips for a more authentic flavor. Also, to ensure the best PB ball experience, here are a few pointers when making your first batch:
Don’t Skip the Chilling
Because you need the peanut butter dough to be firm, do not skimp on the chilling time after forming your balls. This will ensure that they don’t fall apart when you dip them into their delicious molten chocolate bath.
Be Gentle When Melting the Chocolate
In the recipe, I suggested using a double boiler, but the chocolate and shortening mixture could just as well be melted in the microwave in 30 second bursts (stirring in between, of course). No matter how you do it, use some TLC. Melting chocolate is a delicate science, but for the purposes of PB balls, we’ll just keep it simple. Melt the chocolate over a low, delicate heat or it will separate into a greasy mess!
So there you have it, everything you need to make a loved one an even more dedicated chocolate and peanut butter addict. Make a bunch of these because they will disappear fast! Just be sure that when you do you heed the advice given above, and soon you’ll be on your way to chocolate-peanut butter heaven.
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I am a peanut butter cup addict too. I have had home-made PB balls before, but think they are too sweet. Guessing they are similar to this recipe. Can some of the sugar be replaced with flour to tame the sweetness?
Hi Greg, that’s a really great question. I, too, struggle with sweets being too sweet at times. For this particular recipe, I would recommend swapping out 1 tablespoon of the powdered sugar with cornstarch. Since cornstarch is already mixed into powdered sugar to keep it from caking, it is a great stand in. Also, try dipping the pb balls in a nice dark chocolate instead of semisweet or milk. Go with a chocolate with 70% or more cocoa for best results. Let me know how they turn out! Good luck.
–Danielle