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Chocolate Peanut Butter Eggs (Reese's copycat)
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.
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!
