These Copycat Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs are the closest version I've tried yet! They're gluten-free and take only 5 ingredients to make!
Okay, so this isn't the first time I've posted a recipe for Chocolate Peanut Butter Eggs on my blog. It's actually the third. And for good reason - everyone loves Reese's combination of chocolate and peanut butter. And their seasonal, holiday-shaped products (eg. eggs for Easter, pumpkins for Halloween, trees for Christmas) are the very best version of that combination. The reason for this is that there is just a little more peanut butter in the peanut butter-chocolate ratio, which stacks perfection on top of perfection.
The other two versions of this recipe that I posted in the past were different than this one. But rather than replace those ones, I wanted to add another option. While I think this is the best version (I'll explain why in a second), I still think the first version and the second have their place and remain viable options.
That being said, if you do want to make your own version of Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs, this is the recipe to use, for two main reasons.
- It's the closest, taste and texture-wise that I've come to replicating the Reese's product that we all know and love.
- It's the easiest. Where you needed a food processor to grind graham crackers in version 1 and peanuts in version 2, you don't need any special equipment to make this one. And because it uses water to thicken the peanut butter filling, the filling is more stable and less prone to melting at room temperature.
So if you're a huge chocolate peanut butter lover like me, keep reading and you can be on your way to making your own peanut butter filled candy for years to come.
How to Make Copycat Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs
Making these mouthwatering chocolate peanut butter eggs starts with making the peanut butter filling, which is the easiest part of this recipe. Before adding it to the mixing bowl, make sure your peanut butter is well stirred. Add the salt and powdered sugar to the bowl and stir everything together.
Now add a small amount of cold water and stir it into the peanut butter mixture. At first, you will probably think you ruined it, as the water will pool around the peanut butter, and you'll think it's going to get watery. It won't.
Keep stirring, and the water will absorb into the peanut butter mixture. When this happens, you'll notice the peanut butter mixture immediately start to thicken to the point where it almost becomes crumbly. If it becomes too hard to stir, you can even knead it like dough if needed. Once it's evenly mixed, it's ready to roll out.
Roll out the peanut butter filling between two sheets of parchment paper, aiming for a thickness of ½ to 1 cm (about ¼ to ½ inch) using a cookie cutter that is roughly 5-8cm (2-3 inches). Place the cut pieces on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and when all of the pieces are cut, place the baking sheet in the freezer. Note that it's much easier to dip the filling in chocolate when it's frozen solid.
When you're ready to dip the filling, melt the milk chocolate in the microwave. Lift a piece of peanut butter filling into the melted chocolate with a fork, flip it over, and lift it out quickly to prevent the filling from melting. Tap the fork on the edge of the bowl to remove excess chocolate. Lay the peanut butter egg back onto the parchment-lined baking sheet and repeat with the remaining pieces.
Once all of the pieces have been dipped in chocolate, transfer the baking sheet to the fridge to set. Store the chocolate peanut butter eggs in an airtight container or zipper bag in the fridge to prevent the chocolate from melting.
Copycat Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs Ingredients
- Natural peanut butter - I used natural peanut butter that contained peanuts only. If you use a peanut butter that contains added salt, sugar, or other ingredients, you may get different results for your peanut butter filling. Make sure your peanut butter is well-mixed before adding it to the mixing bowl.
- Powdered sugar - aka icing sugar or confectioner's sugar. Don't substitute granulated sugar here - your peanut butter filling will be grainy.
- Kosher salt (Diamond Crystal brand)- note that if you use a different type of salt (eg table salt or Morton's/Windsor kosher salt) you will need to make adjustments to how much you use. See recipe notes for details.
- Cold water - it seems weird to add water to a peanut butter-based candy filling, but it actually helps to thicken it, which helps to keep it solid at room temperature. This is because the water is absorbed by the proteins in the nut butter, which thickens the peanut butter. Don't add too much, though - after a certain point, the water will begin to thin the nut butter, making it watery.
- Milk chocolate - I prefer to use a chopped good-quality milk chocolate bar, but you could also use milk chocolate chips. Use dairy-free milk chocolate to make this candy dairy-free and/or vegan. Keep in mind though, that this recipe doesn't temper the chocolate, which means that the coating will be soft and prone to melting. I actually prefer that here because the coating Reese's uses doesn't have that tempered snap either. However, if you want to keep your eggs at room temperature, you may consider tempering your chocolate or using a more stable milk chocolate-flavored candy melt coating.
Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs Variations
This is your candy, and you can make it however you want. If you want to make a different variation of a chocolate-coated nut butter candy, here are some options you can consider.
Use a Different Type of Chocolate
While Reese's uses a milk chocolate coating, this is your version, and you can change it up. Feel free to use your favorite dark chocolate or even white chocolate if you want instead.
Use a Different Type of Nut Butter
Just like you can change the chocolate, you can change the nut butter filling. But to keep the texture similar, make sure to use a natural nut butter filling, and always make sure it's well-stirred. Some possible alternatives are almond butter, cashew butter, or pistachio butter.
Make Peanut Butter Cups
While you can use the directions in this recipe to roll out and cut the peanut butter filling into any shape, you can also feel free to make them into peanut butter cups too. You will need paper or silicone muffin liners (and a muffin pan, especially if using paper liners) to do this.
Simply add a small amount of the melted chocolate to the muffin liner and tilt the liner around so that the chocolate covers a thin layer on the bottom and up the sides of the cup. Dump out any excess chocolate if there's too much. Repeat with the remaining cups, then let the chocolate harden in the fridge or freezer.
Add a scoop of peanut butter filling to each cup, then use a small spatula or the back of a spoon to press the peanut butter flat. Top with another thin layer of melted chocolate, and let the whole thing harden before serving.
Want more chocolate peanut butter recipes?
Copycat Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs Nutrition Notes
The nutrition information in the recipe below is for one peanut butter egg if you use the recipe to make 15 eggs. Note that since I had a significant amount of chocolate left over after dipping all of my eggs, I accounted for this in the nutrition calculations and used a lower amount of chocolate for the calculations (150g vs 200g).
The number of eggs that the recipe will yield depends on how thick you roll the peanut butter filling and the size of your cookie cutter(s). If you make your eggs (or whatever shape) significantly larger (or smaller) than mine, the nutrition information will vary accordingly.
This recipe is gluten-free as written. To make this recipe dairy-free and vegan, make sure to use a dairy-free chocolate coating.
Copycat Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs
Equipment
- Spatula
- Cookie Cutter(s)
Ingredients
- 1 cup natural peanut butter (make sure it's well-mixed - see note)
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt see note
- 2 teaspoons cold water
- 1 ½ cups chopped milk chocolate use dairy-free milk chocolate to make this candy dairy-free and/or vegan
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup (270 g) natural peanut butter, ½ cup (55 g) powdered sugar, and 1 teaspoon (3 g) kosher salt with a spatula until well-mixed (it should resemble soft cookie dough at this point). Add 2 teaspoons (10 g) cold water, and mix again. The water will make the dough wet at first, then as soon as it begins to get mixed in, the dough-like texture should stiffen to where it's almost kind of dry and crumbly-looking.
- Transfer the peanut butter "dough" to a sheet of parchment paper on a clean countertop and top it with a second sheet of parchment. Roll the dough out until it's somewhere between ½ to 1cm (¼ -½ inch). Roll the dough thinner if you like a higher chocolate-peanut butter ratio, thicker if you like them more peanut buttery (note that the thicker you make the dough, the fewer pieces you will get).
- Use whatever cookie cutter shape you like to cut the dough into shapes (aim for a cookie cutter that's about 5-8cm (2-3 inches). Alternatively, if you don't have cookie cutters, you can skip the above step and simply roll the peanut butter dough into balls or even free-hand shape them into egg shapes.
- Transfer the shaped peanut butter pieces onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, and put the sheet into the freezer until the dough is relatively solid (about 30 minutes). Note that it's possible to coat them with chocolate immediately, but it will be easier and you will get better results if the shapes are at least somewhat frozen.
- If you're using a milk chocolate bar, chop it into pieces and place the chopped chocolate in a small, microwave-safe bowl. Microwave the chocolate in 30-second intervals until it's melted (my chocolate took a total of 60 seconds to melt).
- Using a fork (a larger fork is easier), lift one of the pieces of peanut butter filling into the bowl of chocolate. Quickly flip the filling over and lift it out, ensuring that the whole thing is covered with chocolate. With the candy sitting on top of the tines of the fork, gently rap the fork against the edge of the bowl to remove excess chocolate.
- Gently slide the peanut butter egg off the fork with a second utensil and place it back on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining pieces of peanut butter filling until they've all been dipped in chocolate. If the chocolate begins to solidify, microwave it again in 15-20-second intervals as needed.
- Transfer the baking sheet to the fridge for the chocolate to set. Store the eggs in an airtight container or zipper bag in the fridge to prevent the chocolate from melting, especially if it's warm.
Notes
Nutrition
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