Christmas Peanut Butter Cups

These easy homemade Christmas Peanut Butter Cups have a delicious combination of creamy peanut butter, rich chocolate, and festive sprinkles. After the very first melt-in-your-mouth bite, you’ll never want the store-bought kind again.

 

Festive Homemade Peanut Butter Cups

Peanut butter cups are an irresistible treat that everyone loves. But they’re even more delicious when you make them yourself. For a fun twist, these Christmas peanut butter cups are coated with both white and dark chocolate and decorated with festive sprinkles. They’re the perfect sweet treat for giving out as homemade gifts, adding to the holiday dessert table, or just for keeping on hand to satisfy a sweet tooth. 

The best part about this recipe is that it uses just a few simple ingredients and there is no baking necessary. This is one of those homemade candy recipes that can also double as a festive activity for the kids to get involved in. They’re the perfect way to create fun memories during the holiday season.  If you love peanut butter and chocolate, you should also try these No Bake Peanut Butter Bars and these Peanut Butter Balls. 

Why We Love This Recipe

• Easy recipe – With just a handful of ingredients you can whip up a batch in just 20 minutes. 
• Fun and festive –  Adorned with colorful holiday sprinkles, these peanut butter cups are perfect for a Christmas party or any holiday gathering. 
• Better than store-bought – Homemade Reese’s cups taste so much better than the ones you buy at the store that have been sitting on the shelves forever. 

Ingredients

• Peanut butter – We use creamy peanut butter for a smooth texture. You can use crunchy peanut butter if you prefer.  
• Butter, softened – Adds richness to the soft peanut butter center. 
• Vanilla extract – Adds warm flavor to the filling. But you can use almond extract if you prefer.  
• Powdered sugar – Combined with the peanut butter to make the sweet and creamy filling. 
• Almond bark – We used half white almond bark and half chocolate almond bark. You can make them all the same if you’d like.  
• Holiday sprinkles – Try to find the ones with snowflakes or Santa faces, but any Christmas sprinkles will work.  

Instructions

Step One: Make the Creamy Peanut Butter Filling

• Place paper liners in your cupcake tin. 
• In a large bowl using an electric mixer combine the peanut butter and butter until well mixed.
• Add the vanilla extract and powdered sugar and mix until well combined. The mixture will be crumbly. 

Step Two: Create the First Chocolate Layer

• In 2 microwave-safe bowls melt the different almond barks in the microwave in 30-second intervals until the melted chocolate is smooth.  
• Spoon a little bit of the chocolate in the bottom of each cupcake liner.
• I do half in white chocolate and half of the cups in chocolate.
• Use your spoon to spread the almond bark around the bottom of the cupcake liners and slightly up the sides.

Note: If you prefer not to use a microwave, you can also melt the chocolate stove top in a double boiler.

Step Three: Add the Filling

• Roll about 1 – 1-½  tablespoons of the peanut butter mixture into a ball and then flatten it out into a disc.
• Place a peanut butter disc into each chocolate-lined cupcake liner. 

Step Four: Add the Top Chocolate Layer and Decorate

• Spoon enough chocolate over the top to cover each peanut butter layer. 
• Immediately sprinkle with the festive sprinkles.
• Let the peanut butter treats set for an hour at room temperature or 15 minutes in the refrigerator. 

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups Variations and Add-ins

• Chocolate – Instead of almond bark you can use dark chocolate chips, semisweet chocolate chips, or milk chocolate chips with a few drops of coconut oil to thin it out. 
• Peanut butter – Instead of peanut butter you can use almond butter or cashew butter. 
• Cookie center – Instead of a creamy peanut butter filling you can place peanut butter cookies between the two layers of chocolate. 
• Other toppings – You can skip the sprinkles and use a little flaky sea salt as a topping. You can also use melted colored candy melts to drizzle over the cups. 

Storage Instructions 

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week. You can also freeze them for up to a couple of months in a freezer safe Ziplock bag. 

Can I Make These into Mini Peanut Butter Cups?

Sure! Just reduce the amount of ingredients for each one and assemble them in a mini muffin tin with mini cupcake liners.

Can I Make these Cups into other Shapes?

Absolutely. Use silicone molds or muffin tins that are the shape of stars, Christmas trees, or gingerbread men. You can also place the mixture in an 8 x 8 baking dish and cut them into peanut butter bars. 

More Christmas Sweet Treats Recipes

• Grinch Pretzel Bites
• Red Velvet Krispie Treats
• Red Velvet Fudge
• Eggnog Bread
• Hidden Kiss Cookies
• Christmas Tree Meringues
• Christmas Crack