Peanut Butter Cups

I love peanut butter cups. Love 'em. I rarely have the time to cook or bake anything these days. Okay, let's be honest, since Sweet A's been born, I've cooked one, maybe two, meals and I've baked zero, zip, nada times. I've been dying to get back into the kitchen, but life with my baby hasn't allowed for that to happen. When I came across a homemade peanut butter cup recipe a couple of weeks ago on one of my favorite blogs, A Beautiful Mess, I knew I had to try it out and I had to try it soon. I finally got the chance the Friday before Halloween. I even had some help in the form of a cooing baby slung across my midsection. Of course, as they say, good help is hard to find, and she bailed on me about halfway through, insisting that she be put down for a nap. Thankfully, I managed to finish them on my own. And they were delicious!

Homemade Peanut Butter Cups

recipe found and adapted from A Beautiful Mess

  

8 oz. Ghiradelli Semi-Sweet Chocolate Baking Bar
2 oz. Ghiradelli Bittersweet Chocolate Baking Bar
2 tbsp. Crisco
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
2 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. brown sugar
3/4 cup powdered sugar

Line a mini cupcake pan with paper liners. Break up 4 oz. of semi-sweet chocolate and 1 oz. of bittersweet chocolate into a microwave safe bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of Crisco. Microwave at 30-second intervals, stirring in between, until melted. Pour about 1 tablespoon of melted chocolate into the cupcake liners. Tap the pan gently to smooth out the chocolate. Place in the refrigerator to cool and set.

In a small saucepan, combine the peanut butter, butter and brown sugar. Heat and stir until melted. Gradually add the powdered sugar, 1/4 cup at a time, until you have a thick, moldable, batter. Shape batter into small balls and flatten into disks. Place into cooled chocolate filled cupcake liners.

Melt the remaining chocolate and Crisco in the microwave, at 30-second intervals, stirring in between. Pour melted chocolate over peanut butter disks. Gently tap and shake pan until the the peanut butter is covered and the tops are smooth. Place in the refrigerator to cool and set.*

*The original recipe said to refrigerate overnight, but mine were fine after an hour or so. Also, I'm impatient and couldn't wait any longer to try them.