Chocolate Peanut Butter Eggs

You won't believe how easy it is to make Homemade Chocolate Peanut Butter Eggs that taste even better than Reese's peanut butter eggs. You just need 6 simple ingredients and they're so fun to make with the kids. These no-bake Easter egg candies have rich peanut butter flavor and are naturally gluten free, and can easily be made dairy free and vegan. You can decorate them with colored white chocolate and festive sprinkles to celebrate the holiday. They're so fun! If you love this idea, try my Homemade Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

• Easy to make - these Easter candies are so simple to make. The peanut butter mixture comes together together in just one bowl with basic ingredients that you likely already have. 6 ingredients. The most tedious part is dipping them in chocolate, but that's the most fun too!
• No-bake dessert - there's no baking involved to make peanut butter eggs. You simply mix some ingredients together, shape it and dip it into melted chocolate.
• Rich peanut butter flavor - if you love peanut butter, then you will certainly love these because they are so much more flavorful than store-bought Reese's peanut butter eggs.
• Tempered dark chocolate coating - I love to use dark chocolate to offset the sweetness of the peanut butter filling, however you can also use milk chocolate. Be sure to read my easy method for tempering chocolate in minutes so that you get that nice snappy chocolate shell.
• Not too sweet - you'll find these homemade peanut butter eggs perfectly sweet and not nearly as sweet and cloying as Reese's eggs.

INGREDIENTS FOR HOMEMADE PEANUT BUTTER EGGS

• Peanut butter - I use regular, no-stir, smooth, creamy peanut butter for this recipe, like Jif or Skippy. If you would like to make a version with natural peanut butter, try this recipe.
• Butter - you can use salted or unsalted butter. You just need 2 tablespoons and I really like salted butter for the richness it adds while also helping to balance the sweetness.
• Confectioners' sugar - powdered icing sugar both sweetens and thickens the filling to make these candies.
• Honey - this is optional, and just a ½ teaspoon of honey adds a lovely note of acidity and keeps the filling soft instead of crumbly.
• Dark chocolate - semi-sweet dark chocolate or bittersweet chocolate work great for this recipe. I like to use 70% chocolate to balance the sweetness of the filling and also because I really love dark chocolate. These semisweet chocolate chips melt beautifully.

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS: HOW TO MAKE PEANUT BUTTER EGGS

• STEP 1). Make the peanut butter filling. Whip the butter. Add butter to a medium bowl and whip with an electric hand mixer or wire whisk until it is smooth and very creamy.
• STEP 2). Add peanut butter and sugar. Add the peanut butter, honey, vanilla, salt and confectioners' sugar and mix on medium-low speed until completely smooth and there are no lumps. If your powdered sugar is very lumpy, you can sift it first.
• STEP 3). Shape the filling. Scoop up 1 ½ tablespoon portions of the filling and roll each one into a smooth ball using your hands. Then, use your hands to flatten the ball and shape it into an oval to resemble and egg.
• STEP 4). Chill. Place the 'eggs' on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and put the tray in the freezer for at least 30 minutes to firm up solid while you prepare the coating.
• STEP 5). Prepare the coating. For the dark chocolate coating, Melt chocolate in a double boiler or add the chocolate to a microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 15-20 second intervals until fully melted, stirring well between each interval.
• STEP 6). Dip the eggs. Coating the eggs works best when they are chilled so that the chocolate firms up quickly and doesn't pool when you set it down on the baking sheet. Place a peanut butter egg into the bowl with the chocolate coating and use a fork to flip it so it is evenly coated on all sides. Lift it out of the chocolate and let the excess chocolate drip off, scraping off excess against the edge of the bowl. Return it to the parchment paper. Let stand until chocolate is set.
• STEP 7). Decorate. Drizzle more chocolate over the coated eggs and add pastel-colored sprinkles before the drizzle sets.

EXPERT TIPS

• Use a good quality chocolate with a high cocoa butter content. This is called "couverture" chocolate because it is used for making confectionery in applications for coating, dipping and drizzling.
• Melt the chocolate gently but thoroughly. You can use a microwave to melt the chocolate if you are careful with short intervals and stirring in between, but for best results I recommend using the double boiler method to ensure that you do not over-heat the chocolate.
• Use the "incomplete tempering" method. This is the easiest and fastest way to temper chocolate. I explain all about it here in this post.
• Chose your favorite brand of peanut butter. I find Jif and Skippy have the best peanut flavor. I do not like Kraft peanut butter and find that it tastes of mostly oil.

RECIPE FAQ

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Chocolate Peanut Butter Eggs (Reese's copycat)

Christina Marsigliese, Food Scientist MSc.

It's so easy to make Homemade Chocolate Peanut Butter Eggs that taste even better than Reese's peanut butter eggs. You just need 5 simple ingredients and they're so fun to make with the kids. These no-bake Easter egg candies have rich peanut butter flavor and are naturally gluten free, and can easily be made dairy free and vegan.

5 from 4 votes

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Chill Time 1 hour hr

Servings 10 candies

Ingredients

  

• 2 tablespoon (28g) salted butter, softened
• ¾ cup (180g) regular creamy peanut butter (the no-stir kind - not natural peanut butter)
• ½ teaspoon honey (optional, but it keeps the filling nice and soft)
• ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (120g) confectioners' sugar
• 7 oz (200g) dark chocolate  (I love these couverture chocolate chips)
• sprinkles or flaky sea salt for topping

Instructions

 

• Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.
• Make the peanut butter filling. Add butter to a medium bowl and whip with an electric handheld mixer or mix it in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on medium speed for about 1 minute until it is smooth and very creamy. You can also do this by hand using a spatula or wire whisk. Add the peanut butter, honey, vanilla and salt and mix until combined, about 1 minute. Add the confectioners' sugar and mix on low speed for 2 minutes until everything is combined. The mixture will be a little soft and crumbly. If your powdered sugar is very lumpy, you can sift it first.
• Use a tablespoon measure or a large spoon to portion out 1 ½ tablespoons (about 1 ounce) of the peanut butter mixture. Roll it into a ball and then flatten the ball between your palms and use your fingers to form it into an oval, and then shape it so that it looks like an egg with one end tapered slightly. The egg should be between ½ inch and ¾ inch thick. Place it on the prepared baking sheet and repeat until you use up the peanut butter mixture. If you notice it becomes too soft to handle, place it in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes to firm up. Place the tray with the peanut butter eggs in the freezer for 30-60 minutes until fully chilled and solid.
• Meanwhile, melt the chocolate. You can melt it in a double boiler or the microwave, and the quickest way is to use the incomplete tempering method for which the instructions are on this post. You simply melt the chocolate very gently with constant stirring in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan with a bit of gently simmering water only until it is 75% melted. Then, remove the bowl from over the heat and stir to let the residual heat melt the remaining chocolate. This ensures you do not break the temper so that it sets up with a glossy sheen and firm snap. If using the microwave, melt in 20-second increments, stirring after each increment, until it is mostly melted, then continue stirring until the residual heat melts all of the chocolate.
• Remove peanut butter eggs from the freezer. I recommend working with 5 at a time so that they stay cold. Place one into the melted chocolate and use a fork to submerge it, turn it over and then carefully lift out. Tap the fork gently on the side of the bowl and scrape it over the edge to remove excess chocolate. Use another fork to help slide the candy off and back onto the lined baking sheet.
• Once the chocolate coating sets on the eggs, drizzle leftover chocolate over each one (reheat it gently if necessary) and sprinkle with pastel non-pareils or flaky sea salt.
• Refrigerate coated candies for 30 minutes or until chocolate has completely set before serving and enjoy!