Homemade Peanut Butter Cups

I had been dying to make some chocolate peanut butter cups ever since my precious supply of Elvis Peanut Butter and Banana Cups started to dwindle. Barbara so thoughtfully sent me some wonderful items to aid me in my quest for the never ending peanut butter cups. She sent me some peanut butter flavoured chocolate and a Peanut Butter cup mold. I sought out advice from some of my friends that gave me such fantastic ideas for the Pocky. I decided to make a Double Peanut Butter and Butterscotch version; Cookies & Cream Oreo and a Cinnamon and Praline Peanut Butter cup.

I like being loaned children. You see I'm a fantastic aunt or friend of a parent. I can keep them entertained for a few hours usually with something food related. I don't mean babies, I find the little things quite difficult to reason with-for starters they don't answer back when you ask them what is wrong and try rationalising or bargaining with a baby, it just doesn't happen.  So when my friend Teena mentioned baby sitting her niece and her niece's love of Peanut Butter cups, I knew that she was my little chef for the day.

The measures below are approximate - it depends on the size of your pans - but if you happen to be using larger patty pans then you may have to adjust quantities. I found that they were too difficult to pop out of the Wilton mold so we resorted to making most of them in patty pans (my patty pans measured 3.5cms on the base and 2.3cms in height). As a precautionary measure I'd suggest refrigerating these, particularly the butterscotch variety. All in all it took 2 hours to make 36 of these with most of the time waiting for the chocolate to set and some time running around and watching The Disney Channel. Kids are often tough critics and they can be resoundingly blunt but Cookies & Cream Chick and her little brother as well as the adults adored these. And stay tuned for my next recipe, a Bannoffee Peanut Butter cup!

Butterscotch Double Peanut Butter Cups

An original recipe by Not Quite Nigella

• 180g/6ozs Peanut Butter flavoured chocolate melts

• 90g/3ozs dark chocolate melts

• 1/3 cup of smooth reduced fat peanut butter

• 2 tablespoons icing sugar sifted

• 1 pinch of salt

• 1/4 cup of butterscotch sauce

Step 1 - Line a mini muffin tray with mini paper cups or use a peanut butter cup mold. Melt peanut butter chocolate in microwave or in a bowl over simmering water until smooth and melted. Using a teaspoon, spoon a little peanut butter chocolate into the bottom and using the spoon ease it up the sides so that the sides have a layer of peanut butter chocolate. Place in fridge until it sets (about 5 minutes).

Step 2 - Mix peanut butter, icing sugar and salt in a bowl. Using clean hands knead it until it it smooth and amalgamated. Once the chocolate has hardened, spoon a little butterscotch sauce into the cup. Then pinch a little peanut butter from the large piece and gently push into the cup.

Step 3 - Melt dark chocolate in in microwave or in a bowl over simmering water until smooth and melted and then using a spoon or a palette knife, smooth over a layer of the dark chocolate to seal the cup. Refrigerate until set.

Cookies and Cream Peanut Butter Cups

An original recipe by Not Quite Nigella

• 210g/7ozs white chocolate melts

• 2 Oreo cookies, broken up into crumbs with a mortar and pestle plus 2 Oreo cookies each broken into quarters

• 1/3 cup of smooth reduced fat peanut butter

• 2 tablespoons icing sugar sifted

• 1 pinch of salt

Step 1 - Line a mini muffin tray with mini paper cups or use a peanut butter cup mold. Melt white chocolate in microwave or in a bowl over simmering water until smooth and melted. Stir in crumbled cookies. Using a teaspoon, spoon a little of this chocolate mixture into the bottom and using the spoon ease it up the sides so that the sides have a layer of cookie chocolate. Place in fridge until it sets (about 5 minutes).

Step 2 - Mix peanut butter, icing sugar and salt in a bowl. Using clean hands knead it until it it smooth and amalgamated. Once the chocolate has hardened, pinch a little peanut butter from the large piece and gently push into the cup.

Step 3 - Using a spoon or a palette knife, smooth over a layer of the cookie chocolate to seal the cup. Refrigerate until set.

Cinnamon and Praline Peanut Butter Cups

An original recipe by Not Quite Nigella

• 240g/8ozs dark chocolate melts

• 1/4 cup of smooth reduced fat peanut butter

• 1.5 tablespoons icing sugar sifted

• 1 pinch of salt

• 1/4 cup of cinnamon chips

• 1/4 praline or smashed up brittle

Step 1 - Line a mini muffin tray with mini paper cups or use a peanut butter cup mold. Melt chocolate in microwave or in a bowl over simmering water until smooth and melted. Using a teaspoon, spoon a little chocolate into the bottom and using the spoon ease it up the sides so that the sides have a layer of  chocolate. Place in fridge until it sets (about 5 minutes).

Step 2 - Mix peanut butter, icing sugar and salt in a bowl. Using clean hands knead it until it it smooth and amalgamated. Once the chocolate has hardened, place a few cinnamon chips and a little praline into the cup. Then pinch a little peanut butter from the large piece and gently push into the cup.

Step 3 - Using a spoon or a palette knife, smooth over a layer of the dark chocolate to seal the cup. Refrigerate until set.