Crispy Peanut Butter Cups {Recipe}

Crispy Peanut Butter Cups

I’m so glad that I am finally sharing this recipe!  I have been meaning to post this recipe for ages but every time I made these delicious gems, I didn’t get a chance to photograph them; until now!  These peanut butter and chocolate treats are so easy to make.  They don’t even require an oven!

Stack of Crispy Peanut Butter Cups

These peanut butter cups get their crunch from crushed up graham crackers.  I like to sprinkle some graham cracker crumbs on top of each cup to make them look a little more special.  I also like using these brown mini cupcake liners to make them look more official, but you can use any kind you like!  I ordered these cupcake liners from Bakers Stock.  They are a great source for bulk orders of greaseproof white and brown cupcake liners.

To make these easy and non dairy delights, first prepare the crispy peanut butter filling and shape into round balls.  Line your mini muffin tins with mini cupcake liners.  Melt your chocolate and spoon into each cup.  Place one peanut butter ball in each and gently press down.  Cover each peanut butter ball with more melted chocolate.  Tap the whole tray on the counter to even everything out.  Then sprinkle some graham cracker crumbs on top!  I like to freeze the whole tray to help the chocolate set up quickly.

Inside of Crispy Peanut Butter Cup

This recipe makes about 3 dozen mini peanut butter bites.  You can definitely halve the recipe if you like, but these freeze perfectly!  Since you are doing all the work anyway, just make the whole recipe and freeze them until you are ready to eat them.  They are also make great gifts!  Enjoy this dairy-free, no-bake treat!  The recipe is adapted from my sister in law, Lee-Ron, and The Brown Eyed Baker.

4.7 from 3 reviews
Crispy Peanut Butter Cups
Author: 
Prep time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 3 dozen
 
Ingredients
Peanut Butter Filling
  • 1 cup smooth peanut butter
  • ¼ cup margarine
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • 1¼ cup confectioners sugar
  • 2 graham crackers, crushed
Chocolate Shell
  • 4 cups semi sweet chocolate chips
  • ¼ cup vegetable shortening
Instructions
  1. Line 3 dozen mini muffin tins with mini muffin liners.
  2. Crush the graham crackers in mini food processor.
  3. In a small pot over low heat, warm the peanut butter, margarine, and brown sugar until smooth and melted.
  4. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the confectioners sugar a little bit at a time. The mixture will be thick.
  5. Reserve 2 Tbs. crushed graham crackers in a small bowl (will be used as a topping) and stir the remaining graham crackers into the peanut butter mixture.
  6. Using a small cookie scoop, divide peanut butter mixture into 3 dozen balls.
  7. Roll each peanut butter scoop into a ball and set aside.
  8. In a double boiler (a bowl set atop a pot that is filled with an inch of water on low heat) melt the chocolate chips with the vegetable shortening and stir until smooth.
  9. Using a small cookie scoop, spoon one scoop of melted chocolate into each muffin cup.
  10. Place one peanut butter ball into each chocolate filled muffin cup.
  11. Use the cookie scoop to spoon one more scoop of chocolate on top of each peanut butter ball.
  12. Gently tap the muffin tin on the counter to smooth everything out.
  13. Sprinkle a little bit of the reserved graham cracker crumbs onto each peanut butter cup.
  14. Freeze until firm.

Here are some more fun mini recipes that I think you would love to try!


Pink Leopard Print Cake

Pink Leopard Print Cake

This was my last cake of 2012!  It was delivered on New Years Eve to be served to a special birthday girl on New Years Day.  What a fabulous way for Alex to celebrate her 21st birthday!

Hand Painted Leopard Print

This cake was a little bit tough for me, I have to admit.  I wasn’t given a specific direction, the guidelines were, pink and black, and leopard print.  I think I did a fine job, but I was agonizing over the perfect design!  When I finally decided what I wanted the cake to look like, I had to figure out how to apply the leopard print.  I found a great tutorial on one of my favorite cookie blogs.  Callye from the Sweet Adventures of Sugarbelle has step by step instructions on how to create leopard print cookies.  I used her guidelines to paint the leopard print onto the cake.  I used black gel color and a paintbrush to paint the outlines.  Then I filled in the shapes with brown gel color.  Then I painted on some bronze airbrush color to give the spots some life.  I’m proud of my first leopard print cake!

Black Fondant Bow with Ribbon Rose Center

A girly cake would not be complete without a pretty bow.  I made this bow out of black fondant.  To dress it up a bit I made a flattened ribbon rose for the center.  The bow center matches the black ribbon roses that adorn the top of the cake.

Black Ribbon Roses

Here is a better view of the black ribbon roses.  Peeking out of the black roses is the number 21.  The whole cake was airbrushed in pearl shimmer color to give it some glitz and glam.  I love shimmer color!  Happy 21st Birthday Alex!

Baby Mickey First Birthday Cake

Baby Mickey First Birthday Cake

Mickey Mouse is an extremely popular character for birthday cakes.  I have done my fair share of Mickey and Minnie cakes in the past few years.  This one, however, was fresh and exciting!  This cake was based on the party’s decorations and tableware:

Baby Mickey Tableware

These matching plates, cups, and napkins are so super cute for a first birthday party!  I love the pastel colors that are still manly but baby soft.

Disney Style Font

One of my favorite parts of this cake is the birthday boys name written out in the Disney style font.  I have been dying to put this font on a cake for so long and I finally got the chance!  I found this font on fontspace.com.  The font I used on this cake is called Walter, but I love this website because there are tons of fun and free fonts to choose from.

Baby Mickey Cake

I also loved the cute Mickey cutouts that are popping out all over the cake.  They give the cake so much life!  The way the number one matches the bottom tier with the stripes is also a real genius moment.  I had so much fun making this cake; Happy First Birthday Xander!