Dessert Recipe: Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

One treat found in just about any candy shop here in America is the peanut butter cup. While the industry is pretty much ruled by one snack that begins with the letter 'R', we recently began to wonder if we can make our own. And the answer turned out to be "Of course we can!"

So the secret to a good peanut butter cup isn't the chocolate. What really makes them shine is finding the right peanut butter center. We couldn't use just peanut butter because that would leave the wrong texture, and would probably effect the shape of the cups we've come to hold dear. The trick, we found, was to mix the peanut butter in with some confectioners' sugar and graham cracker crumbs. It provided just the right amount of sweetness with some firmness to it as well to make the peanut butter cups a perfect no-bake treat. Keep reading below for our recipe.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

(makes about 3 dozen peanut butter cups)

Ingredients

• 2 cups milk chocolate chips
• 2 tablespoons shortening
• 3/4 cup chunky peanut butter
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup butter
• 2/3 cup graham cracker crumbs

Directions

1. Line a mini-muffin tin with cupcake liners, set aside. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside.
2. In a medium saucepan, combine peanut butter, butter, and the brown sugar. Heat until completely melted, and starting to bubble a little, stirring constantly.
3. Remove from the heat, then add the powdered sugar and graham cracker, about 1/4 cup at a time, stirring until completely combined before adding more. Set aside to allow to cool.
4. Meanwhile, melt the chocolate chips and shortening together in the microwave in 30-second increments, stirring after each increment until melted.
5. Spoon a little melted chocolate into the bottom of each lined muffin cup (you want to leave chocolate leftover.)
6. Use a heaping teaspoon to scoop out the peanut butter mixture, and roll into a thick disk (you want it to fit comfortably into the muffin tins without quite touching the edges) for each cup in the mini muffin cup. Once finished with all of the peanut butter mixture, refrigerate both the muffin tins and the peanut butter for 30 minutes.
7. Place a peanut butter patty into each lined up in the tin, then use a scoop or a spoon to add more melted chocolate on top (you'll probably need to re-melt the chocolate in the microwave for a few more 30 second bursts). Make sure the chocolate goes over and around each patty.
8. Refrigerate again for 30 minutes, then serve! Store in the fridge or freezer.
9. Enjoy!

Dessert Recipe: Peanut Butter Fudge

Easy to make and even easier to give away (who doesn’t love fudge?), peanut butter fudge makes a great treat to keep around the house or a thoughtful gift for someone with a sweet tooth. The list of ingredients is pretty small – and features many items that are probably already in your pantry – so this recipe is a perfect potluck option, too.

For a simple homemade dessert, you’ve got to give this a try!

Peanut Butter Fudge

(makes about 3 1/3 pounds of fudge)

Ingredients:

• 4 cups sugar
• 2 5-ounce cans evaporated milk (or 1 1/3 cups)
• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 7-ounce jar marshmallow creme
• 1 cup finely chopped peanuts
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

1. Line an 8x8-inch baking pan (about two inches deep) with foil and fold the foil over the edges. Butter the foil, then set the baking pan aside.
2. Butter or lightly grease the sides of a heavy three-quart saucepan, and then add the sugar, evaporated milk, and butter. Using a candy thermometer clipped to the side of the pan as measurement, cook and stir the mixture over medium-high heat until it reaches 236 degrees F (about 12 minutes).
3. Remove the saucepan from the heat (and remove the thermometer) and add the peanut butter, marshmallow crème, peanuts, and vanilla to the saucepan. Mix well.
4. Then, spread the fudge mixture into the foil-lined pan. Press into the pan and smooth the top, and let cool. Then, cover tightly with foil or plastic wrap and let the fudge chill in the refrigerator for at least four hours.
5. Cut into squares.
6. Enjoy!

Dessert Recipe: Cocoa Rum Balls

Why is the rum gone!?! Well it's been used to make some delicious desserts!

Rum balls make for a fantastic holiday party treat, and don't require much more work than combining the ingredients and shaping them. They have a rich, cocoa flavor mixed with that slightly sweet burn from the rum. Coat the confection in cocoa powder, sprinkles, confectioners' sugar, or our favorite: coconut! If you're worried about whether or not all the rum will evaporate out, be warned there's a good chance it won't. So for a non-alcoholic version of this treat, replace the rum with a half cup of orange juice and the zest from one orange. Keep reading below for our favorite rum balls recipe...

Cocoa Rum Balls

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups crushed vanilla wafers (about 75)
• 1 cup ground pecans
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup baking cocoa
• 1/2 cup rum
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons water
• additional cocoa, sprinkles, confectioners' sugar, crushed vanilla wafers, or coconut for coating.

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine crushed vanilla wafers, nuts, confectioners' sugar, salt and cocoa.
2. Mix in the rum and honey, then shape the dough into 1" balls and roll in the coating of your choice.
3. Store in an airtight container for 2 to three days. Roll again in the coating before serving.
4. Enjoy!

Dessert Recipe: Chocolate Truffles

If there's one recipe that's bound to scratch that chocolate craving, it's chocolate truffles. Not only are they decadent, but they are surprisingly simple to make. The simplest truffles can be made with only bitterwsweet chocolate, heavy cream, and vanilla extract. That's it.

The secret to getting the chocolate just right is the cacao percentage. You really don't want to use anything less than 62% cacao. This is a recipe of few ingredients, to the quality of what you use will absolutely determine the final quality of the dessert. I'd also recommend using organic heavy cream as well. To really increase the flavor of these truffles, we added just a little amaretto, but feel free to test out your own flavors including mint or cinnamon. For the coating we used lightly crushed Rice Krispies, but other coatings like shredded coconut, chopped nuts, or cocoa powder are absolutely delicious. Keep reading below for this decadent recipe...

Chocolate Truffles

(makes 36 servings)

Ingredients

• 8oz bittersweet chocolate, well chopped into small pieces
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon Amaretto (optional)
• 8oz chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup crushed rice krispies

Directions

1. In a small, heavy saucepan bring the heavy whipping cream and amaretto to a simmer, scraping down the sides of the pan with a rubber spatula every few minutes.
2. Place the chocolate in a separate bowl, then pour the cream mixture over the chocolate. Add the vanilla and allow to stand for a few minutes before stirring smooth.
3. Allow to cool, then place the chocolate in the refrigerator for two hours. After two hours, remove and use a teaspoon to roll out balls of the chocolate. Roll in your hands quickly, and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Place in the refrigerator overnight.
4. When the chocolate balls are done, place the chocolate chips into a microwave-safe bowl and microwave until melted, stopping and stirring every 30 seconds. Once the chocolate is melted and smooth, remove from the microwave and stir in the crushed Rice Krispies.
5. Remove the chocolate ganache from the fridge and roll the balls in the melted chocolate one at a time before placing back on the baking sheet. Once all the ganache is covered, place in the refrigerator again and chill until the chocolate hardens.
6. Enjoy!

Rich and Decadent Dessert: Sea Salt Chocolate Fudge

Anyone with a sweet tooth will appreciate this yummy fudge and how easy it is to make. It’s a breeze to make on your own and it’s also a great activity if you’ve got little hands helping you! We decided to add a little more vanilla for some extra kick and some sea salt to cut the sweetness, but it’s your fudge, your rules—anything goes with this one!

Sea Salt Chocolate Fudge

Yields 48 pieces

 Ingredients

2 cups (12 oz bag) semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

 Directions 

1. Line a 9-inch square baking dish with aluminum foil.
2. In a medium saucepan, combine chocolate chips and condensed milk over low heat. Stir until chocolate is melted and smooth.
3. Once smooth, take off heat and stir in vanilla and salt.
4. Pour into baking dish and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. (Optional: sprinkle sea salt over the top.)
5. Pull foil out, cut fudge into pieces and enjoy!