Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

I love the combination of chocolate and peanut butter (boy, do I!) but I don't particularly like store-bought peanut butter cups. The peanut butter filling always seems too dry and crumbly, and the flavor of the chocolate and peanut butter always seems too artificial. So what's a candy lover to do but make her own? Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups are easy to make and include a handy step-by-step guide with pictures, so you can see how your candies should look at every step. The resulting cups have a strong peanut and chocolate taste, with a creamy filling that melds perfectly with the chocolate.

If the photo tutorial still leaves you with questions, check out this video with step-by-step instructions for Making Peanut Butter Cups. The recipe in the video adds graham cracker crumbs for a crunchy, crispy candy cup.

Get the recipe:
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
Peanut Butter Cups Photo Tutorial
Peanut Butter Cups Video.

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Peanut Butter Cups Photo c2011 Elizabeth LaBau, licensed to About.com, Inc.

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Nutter Butter Truffles

Ever feel like Oreos get all the fun? (I'm sure the answer to that rhetorical question is "no," since normal people probably don't ponder cookies in an anthropomorphized fashion.) However! If you're like me, and you spend precious brain cells thinking about these things, you might start to feel like Oreos get all the glory in the cookie aisle. They're made into cheesecake crusts, turned into truffles, and mixed into ice cream on a regular basis. What are the other cookies to do?

In the case of Nutter Butters, I recommend fighting back and creating a truffle of your own. These Nutter Butter Truffles are similar to the popular Oreo truffles, but they use a mixture of peanut butter and cream cheese (and of course, peanut butter-flavored Nutter Butter cookies) in the candy base. If you're a peanut butter fan, you'll love this easy cookie truffle variation, and if you're an equal opportunity cookie lover, you'll appreciate the attempt at cookie diversity.

Get the recipe: Nutter Butter Truffles

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Photo c2008 Elizabeth LaBau, licensed to About.com, Inc.

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Nutella Peanut Butter Bars

I know what you're thinking. Nutella and peanut butter? That is one nut butter too many. But hear me out. The base of these Nutella Peanut Butter Bars is a mix of graham crumbs, peanut butter, and a little powdered sugar. It's crumbly, earthy, and not a little salty, thanks to our good friend peanut butter. This is the perfect foundation for a sweet, rich topping of chocolate mixed with Nutella and crunchy hazelnuts. On their own, each element might be overwhelming: too crumbly, too salty, too cloying, too sweet. But add them together, and presto! You've created a match made in heaven. Peanut butter and Nutella is the new peanut butter and jelly. You can quote me on that.

Get the recipe: Nutella Peanut Butter Bars

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Nutella Peanut Butter Bars Photo c2011 Elizabeth LaBau, licensed to About.com, Inc.

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How to Make Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup

Fill the Cups With Peanut Butter?Filling

(c) 2011 Elizabeth LaBau, licensed to About.com, Inc.

When the cups are set and the filling is made, use a teaspoon or small candy scoop to drop balls of filling into the chocolate cups. Pat them down gently so they don't mound up over the top of the cup. Fill them until they are almost full, but leave space at the top to cover it with chocolate.

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Peanut Butter Pretzel Truffles

Funny story: after my husband tasted these sweet and salty Peanut Butter Pretzel Truffles, he immediately proposed. (I gently reminded him that we were already married.) I can't blame him, though--these rich truffles might make you do crazy things too. A quick and easy chocolate ganache is packed with salty peanut butter (I use crunchy to get the most bang for my buck) and finely chopped salted pretzels--so not only do they have the sweet-and-salty thing going for them, they also have the creamy-and-crunchy thing working too. And to top it all off, I finished them with a hefty pinch of flaky sea salt on top. Can you blame a guy for getting a little hasty with the marriage proposals after tasting these? All I can say is: make sure you're in good, safe company when you enjoy them!

Get the recipe: Peanut Butter Pretzel Truffles

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Peanut Butter Fondant

(c) 2010 Elizabeth LaBau, licensed to About.com, Inc.

Peanut Butter Fondant makes a smooth, rich peanut butter cream filling, perfect for dipping in chocolate. Dip your peanut butter fondants into chocolate and top them with crushed peanuts for a sweet, salty, creamy, crunchy treat. This is an old-fashioned fondant recipe that requires the fondant to be creamed after it is boiled. Be sure to check out this photo tutorial showing how to make fondant if you have any questions about the procedure!

Yield: about 24 fondant balls

Ingredients:

• 1.25 cups granulated sugar
• 2/3 cup cream
• 1 tbsp light corn syrup
• ? tsp salt
• 1/3 cup mini marshmallows
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup peanut butter
• 12 oz chocolate candy coating
• ? cup salted peanuts, finely chopped

Preparation:

1. Place the sugar, cream, corn syrup, and salt in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir until the sugar dissolves, then brush down the sides of the saucepan with a wet pastry brush to prevent sugar crystals from forming. Insert a candy thermometer.

2. Cook the candy without stirring until the thermometer reads 238 degrees F (114 C). Once it reaches the proper temperature, remove it from the heat and take out the thermometer.

3. Add the miniature marshmallows, but don’t stir them in. Instead, pour the candy onto a greased baking sheet and allow it to sit until it feels just warm to the touch. Depending on the temperature of the room, this might take 10-20 minutes.

4. Once the pan is just warm, add the vanilla on top of the candy and begin to stir it with a wooden spoon. This is called “creaming” the fondant and it works best if you move in a figure-8 pattern, scraping the fondant together, working it into an 8 shape, then scraping it back into the center.

5. As you cream the fondant, it will go from shiny and translucent to shiny and opaque and start to get thicker. Continue to work it, and it will eventually lose its shine and become more opaque and have a fudge-like texture and dull finish. This creaming process takes awhile, perhaps 20 minutes, so prepare yourself and alternate arms if necessary.

6. Once the fondant is thick and stiff, add the peanut butter and work it in until it’s completely incorporated. At this point, the fondant is finished, so you can either wrap it in cling wrap and store it at room temperature, or roll it into balls right away for dipping.

7. If you have rolled it into balls, store them in the refrigerator to firm up while you melt the candy coating and finely chop the peanuts for the topping.

8. Once the coating is melted, dip the peanut butter fondant centers into the chocolate one at a time, and place the dipped centers on a foil- or waxed paper-lined baking sheet to set. Sprinkle the tops with crushed peanuts while the chocolate is still wet.

9. Place the tray in the refrigerator to harden the chocolate for about 15 minutes. Store dipped Peanut Butter Fondant in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, and allow them to come to room temperature before serving for best taste and texture.

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Chocolate Peanut Butter Crunch

(c) 2009 Elizabeth LaBau, licensed to About.com, Inc.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Crunch Bars are a layered candy featuring a crispy chocolate base, a stripe of peanut butter fudge, a layer of chocolate-peanut fudge, and a smooth chocolate icing on top. The contrasts in taste and texture between the crispy chocolate and the smooth peanut butter fudge ensure that these small squares deliver big flavor.

This fudge has a lot of layers and a lot of steps, but they’re all fairly basic, so don’t be intimidated--it is easier and faster than it appears.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup chocolate chips, divided use
• 1/2 tbsp plus 1 stick (4 oz) butter, divided use
• 1 cup crisped rice cereal
• 1 cup crunchy peanut butter, divided use
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1.25 cups powdered sugar

Preparation:

1. Prepare a 9x5 loaf pan by lining it with aluminum foil and spraying the foil with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Place ? cup of chocolate chips and ? tablespoon of butter in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Microwave until melted, stirring after every 30 seconds to prevent overheating. Stir in ? cup of crunchy peanut butter, and once incorporated, add the crisped rice cereal and stir until well-combined. Scrape this mixture into the prepared pan and press it in an even layer. Refrigerate to set the crust while you prepare the next layer.

3. Place 1 stick (4 oz) of butter and the salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Melt the butter, and then stir in the remaining ? cup of crunchy peanut butter. Stir until completely incorporated and smooth. Add the powdered sugar and stir until smooth. Pour half of the peanut butter fudge mixture on top of the bottom layer in the pan, and spread evenly. Reserve the other half, and place the pan back in the refrigerator to set.

4. In a small microwave-safe bowl, melt ? cup of chocolate chips. Pour the melted chocolate into the remaining peanut butter fudge in the saucepan, and stir until well-combined. Spread the chocolate peanut butter fudge over the peanut butter fudge in the pan and smooth it into an even layer.

5. Place ? cup of chocolate chips in a small microwave-safe bowl and microwave until melted. Pour the melted chocolate on top of the fudge layer and smooth it into an even layer. Refrigerate to set the bars completely, about 1 hour.

6. Once set, remove the bars from the pan using the foil as handles. Cut the bars into small squares to serve. Store Chocolate Peanut Butter Crunch Bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.

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Peanut Butter and Jelly Pops

Cake pops are sooo 2010. And I say this with love, as someone who has a bunch of cake pop recipes on her website. But after years of celebrating cake pops, molding them into new and different shapes, and eating them by the handful, I'm ready for something different. Enter...the doughnut hole.

I propose that all cake pops now be made with doughnut holes instead. Yes, those little round doughnuts you can buy in grocery stores and bakeries. If you think about it, a doughnut hole is like someone already making a cake pop for you! How easy and convenient is that? Of course, I couldn't just feature plain doughnut holes, I had to stuff them with peanut butter & jelly to make Peanut Butter and Jelly Pops. You can follow my lead, or substitute frosting, or coconut butter, or Nutella...the list of fillings is endless. Just make sure you put them on a stick and dunk them in chocolate for a true "dougnut pop" experience.

Get the recipe: Peanut Butter and Jelly Pops

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Peanut Butter Eyeballs

(c) 2007 Elizabeth LaBau, licensed to About.com, Inc.

Peanut Butter Eyeballs are a holiday variation of a popular candy called Buckeyes. These nutty treats are dunked white chocolate and then decorated to look like bloodshot eyes. Don’t be afraid to get creative with your decorating. A platter of different colored eyeballs would look splendidly scary at a Halloween party.
Be sure to check out the video showing How to Make Peanut Butter Eyeballs!

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
• 3 TB butter, chopped
• 1.25 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 6 ounces white chocolate candy coating
• 1 small bag M&Ms candy
• red decorating frosting

Preparation:

1. In the bowl of a large mixer, blend peanut butter and butter until creamy.

2. Add powdered sugar and vanilla to peanut butter mixture and continue beating until it looks smooth.

3. Cover a cookie sheet with aluminum foil or waxed paper.

4. Using a spoon, scoop out balls of peanut butter and roll between your palms to get them as round as possible. Place on the cookie sheet and freeze for at least 30 minutes.

5. Place the white chocolate coating in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave until melted. Stir thoroughly until it is smooth.

6. Dip the peanut butter balls into the white chocolate coating. You can use two forks to balance the candy on, or just grasp it in your fingers and roll it around until it is covered completely. Return it to the cookie sheet and proceed to dip the rest of the peanut butter balls.

7. While the chocolate is still wet, press an M&M candy in the center for the iris.

8. Return the eyes to the refrigerator to harden.

9. Once the eyeballs are firm, you can use the red decorator frosting to make squiggly blood vessels.

Variation: Another option is to take a few drops of red candy coloring and drop them into the melted white chocolate. Use a fork to mix the chocolate around a bit, but don't stir too much: you want blood-red swirls, not pink chocolate! You can then dip your candies straight into your bloody mixture and skip step #9.

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Why Did My Butter Separate?

Question: Why Did My Butter Separate When Making Toffee or Caramel?

It's happened to all of us--you're making a beautiful batch of caramel or toffee, and all of a sudden you notice a thin, oily layer on top of your candy. This happens when the butter separates from the sugar in the recipe. Read on to find out why butter sometimes separates from toffee or caramel, and how you can save your candy if this happens.

Answer: Toffees and caramels both contain butter (a fat) and sugar in high quantities. If the toffee or caramel is not handled properly during the cooking process, the butter sometimes separates from the sugar and forms an oily layer on top of the candy. This often happens during the cooking stage, but sometimes it separates as it is being poured out onto a baking sheet to cool.

There are a few reasons toffees and caramels separate. One of the most common triggers is when the candy has undergone an abrupt temperature shift, either becoming too cold or too hot in a very short period of time. Try not to "shock" your candy by drastically turning the heat up or down during cooking. Additionally, it is especially important to watch the candy in the beginning of the cooking process, while the butter and sugar are melting together, because separation can often result if these two elements melt unevenly. If you have very effective stovetop burners I recommend turning them to medium-low to allow the butter and sugar to melt gently in the beginning stages.

Toffee and caramel can also separate if the recipe calls for constant stirring and the candy isn’t stirred often enough. Additionally, separation is more likely to occur when using thinner (cheaper) saucepans, as they don’t conduct heat efficiently and lead to “hot spots” that can cause the butter to separate. Finally, humidity can cause the butter to separate, so if your kitchen is very warm and humid, it’s not a good time to be making candy.

So, can your separated candy be saved? If your candy separates during the cooking process, there is a chance you can save it. Sometimes separated toffee or caramel can be saved by removing the saucepan from the heat and stirring constantly and smoothly until it comes back together, then gradually returning it to the heat, stirring constantly. You can also try adding a spoonful or two of very hot water to the toffee to help it come together. Start with one tablespoon and stir the candy to help it come together. Add additional spoonfuls if necessary, but do not add more than 1/4 cup of water total. If you have already poured your candy out to cool by the time it separates, the candy is unfortunately too far gone to save. However, you can probably wipe off the excess oil and crush the toffee to use in baked goods or as an ice cream topping.

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Snickers Peanut Butter Squared

(c) 2010 Elizabeth LaBau, licensed to About.com, Inc.

Snickers bars are no stranger to change. Over the years they have had almonds in addition to peanuts, dark chocolate instead of milk, and various combinations of all nougat and nuts, or all caramel and nuts. The latest Snickers offering is, I think, a bigger change: Snickers Peanut Butter Squared. There are two big modifications to this bar: 1) a layer of peanut butter is added between the nougat and the caramel, and 2) it's not a "bar" at all, but rather two squares packaged together.

The packaging makes the squares seem the same size as a regular Snickers bar, but in fact they're a little smaller: 1.78 oz and 250 calories, versus 2.07 oz and 280 calories for the original bar. Each of the squares are about 1.25 inches across, and ? inch high. I liked the double squares format. One of the most annoying things about candy bars--especially candy bars like Snickers that contain caramel or other messy ingredients--is that it's difficult to eat only a portion and cleanly save the rest for later. Usually it creates a mess in the wrapper, or the half-bar gets crushed, or caramel leaks everywhere, so I end up just eating the whole thing when I only wanted half. The two-piece format makes portion control (or sharing, I suppose) much easier.

The squares have a thin layer of nougat on the bottom, about 1/8 inch thick. A much thicker layer of peanut butter, about ? inch thick is on top of that, and the peanuts are (I think) mixed into the peanut butter. (It's a little tricky to tell whether the peanuts were on top or within the peanut butter, because my samples had so few peanuts.) A thin caramel layer is on top of the peanut butter, and the whole thing is encased in the familiar Mars-brand milk chocolate.

(c) 2010 Elizabeth LaBau, licensed to About.com, Inc.

But how do the Snickers Peanut Butter Squared bars taste? I think this question really depends on your opinion of regular Snickers bars. The truth is, it's never been my favorite candy bar, mostly because of the nougat layer. I actually quite like the Snickers Xtreme, which has just caramel and nuts, because it dispenses with what I consider to be an overly sweetened and oddly textured candy element and just celebrates the caramel and nuts. So while I love the idea of the bars, and love the addition of more salty peanut flavor, I didn't end up loving the final product.

My biggest complaint was the texture. There is a lot of peanut butter, and when you combine it with the similarly-textured nougat, most of the bar ends up being the same slightly dry, slightly gritty texture. I wish that either the nougat layer was omitted (dare to dream!) or that there were a lot more peanuts to add some much-needed crunch. In most cases, I got only 3-4 peanuts for the whole square. And because the caramel layer is so thin, that texture and flavor was entirely lost. So this one wasn't a winner for me, but I think that if you love the original Snickers, and if you like the crumbly peanut butter filling in a Reese's cup, you will like the Snickers Peanut Butter Squared.

I got samples of this bar at the 2010 Sweets & Snacks Expo. It will be available to the general public in December 2010.

Disclosure: Review samples were provided by the manufacturer. For more information, please see our Ethics Policy.

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Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

(c) 2011 Elizabeth LaBau, licensed to About.com, Inc.

Chocolate peanut butter cups are a classic candy, and for good reason! Salty, nutty peanut butter and rich, smooth chocolate are the perfect match. Learn how to make peanut butter cups at home and enjoy this beloved treat anytime!

Be sure to check out the photo tutorial with step-by-step pictures showing how to make chocolate peanut butter cups!

Yield: 24 peanut butter cups

Ingredients:

• 12 ounces chopped chocolate, or chocolate candy coating
• 24 candy cups, preferably the foil variety
• Small, clean food-safe paintbrush
• 1 cup smooth peanut butter
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted
• 1/4 tsp salt

Preparation:

1. First, prepare the chocolate cups. You should either temper your chocolate or use chocolate-flavored candy coating. While you can simply melt regular chocolate and use that, I don't recommend it, because untempered chocolate gets soft at warm temperatures and often develops white or gray streaks as it cools. So begin by tempering your chocolate by following these directions or melting your candy coating.

2. Fill your cups with a small spoonful of melted chocolate, then use the paintbrush to paint the chocolate up the sides of the cup to the top. Try to create an even layer, and inspect the cups as you finish them to make sure there are no weak, streaky areas. Once all of the cups have been lined with chocolate, set aside the remaining chocolate for later and let the cups set at room temperature or in the refrigerator until they have hardened.

3. While the cups are setting, prepare the filling. Combine the peanut butter, powdered sugar, and salt in a bowl and stir them together until they're well-mixed.

4. When the cups are set and the filling is made, use a teaspoon or small candy scoop to drop balls of filling into the chocolate cups. Pat them down gently so they don't mound up over the top of the cup. Fill them until they are almost full, but leave space at the top to cover it with chocolate.

5. If the chocolate has hardened, re-warm it until it is fluid once more. Spoon the chocolate over the cup and spread it to the edges, letting it flow over the top and sealing the peanut butter in the cup. Gently tap the cup against the counter to smooth out the top.

6. Refrigerate the peanut butter cups to set the chocolate, for about 20 minutes.

7. After the chocolate has set, your peanut butter cups are ready to be enjoyed! Store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator or at cool room temperature for up to two weeks.

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