I’m so excited for Halloween coming up in a couple of weeks, but there’s always one problem that I run into every year. What do I do about candy? I don’t really want to buy candy from the store filled with animal ingredients (and not to mention all those artificial ingredients and chemicals), so what do I do? Make my own candy of course! One of the easiest (and my favorite!) candies to make at home is a peanut butter cup. The perfect blend of sweet chocolate and yummy salty peanut butter! It’s a bit of a process, but the process is definitely simple and painless! The following recipe created about 24 small sized peanut butter cups – but it will vary depending on the mold you use.
Ingredients:
- 1 10 oz (or larger) bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup all natural peanut butter
- 1 candy cup mold or a tray of muffin liners
The first step is to temper the chocolate. Basically all you need is a large pot of simmering water with a glass or metal bowl to fit on top. Pour the chocolate chips into the bowl once the water in the pot begins to simmer. Stir the chocolate chips are completely melted.
With a small spoon, fill your candy molds about 1/4 of the way full. Create a “bowl” for the peanut butter by filling in the edges of the mold with your spoon or with a candy painting brush. Refrigerate for about 15 minutes until chocolate has hardened. Once the chocolate has hardened, fill each individual cup with a small amount of peanut butter. Top with another layer of chocolate to “close” the peanut butter cup and return the refrigerator to allow the candy to set.
While the cups are setting in your refrigerator – you can take the time to cut little squares of tinfoil to wrap them in if your giving them out as gifts. I find they don’t last long enough in my house to give away, but maybe they will in your house! Once they’ve cooled, gently wrap them in the tinfoil and your ready for a fabulous Vegan Halloween! Enjoy!
Matthew Calverley is the creator and writer of the popular cooking blog Vegan Heartland. Matthew grew up eating delicious and decadent food cooked by his loving grandmothers and has made it his mission to veganize his family’s passed-down recipes while creating his own recipes along the way. The purpose of Vegan Heartland is to show vegans and non-vegans alike that delicious and healthy vegan recipes can be created just like grandma made!
