Peanut Butter Cups (Trader Joe’s Copycat)
You know those foods you tend not to buy because they’re just so good, you can’t be trusted alone with them? You know, the ones you pass by in the grocery store, pause to think about, but ultimately stick back on the shelf because they’re just too dangerous?
For me, those are the dark chocolate peanut butter cups at Trader Joe’s. I can list quite a few items that I consider incredibly addictive from Trader Joe’s, but the peanut butter cups definitely top the list.
I just adore peanut butter and find it highly addictive in whatever treat I find it in. Whether they’re peanut butter stuffed pretzels or peanut butter white chocolate bark, if it’s got peanut butter in it, then it’s got my name on it.
The great thing about peanut butter cups are that they not only have peanut butter in them, but chocolate too. Double the deliciousness!
In fact, I can’t even imagine a peanut butter cup without the chocolate; they’re two peas in a pod!
As fantastic as peanut butter cups can be, however, their addictive quality isn’t the only reason I avoid buying them from the store. The store-bought version tends to have a lot of extra ingredients I can never pronounce, which kind of ruins the fun of splurging on something so good.
So to remedy that, I’ll usually make a small batch of them at home, since they’re incredibly easy to make. And if you thought the store-bought stuff was good, just wait until you try homemade peanut butter cups.
They’re super rich, so usually one peanut butter cup does the trick for me, making me a happy camper for the rest of the day. Best of all, I know exactly what goes in them, which makes me feel a lot better about indulging in one of my favorite treats.
Peanut Butter Cups
Bite-size, 3-ingredient peanut butter cups just like the ones sold at Trader Joe's.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup natural creamy peanut butter
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 6 oz. 72% dark chocolate, or milk chocolate, if preferred
Instructions
- Melt the peanut butter in a microwave-safe bowl for 30 seconds. Stir in the powdered sugar until you get a cookie dough-like consistency.
- Scoop 1 heaping teaspoon of the peanut butter into the palm of your hand and roll into a ball. Flatten out the top to create a chubby disc shape, then place on a wax paper-lined plate. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Melt the chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl for 30 seconds. Stop and give the chocolate a stir. Melt for another 15 to 30 seconds, stirring each time until the chocolate has completely melted.
- Line 10 mini cupcake molds with paper liners. Remove the peanut butter discs from the fridge. Pour 1 teaspoon of melted chocolate into the bottom of each prepared cupcake mold, then follow with a peanut butter disc. Top each peanut butter disc with 2 teaspoons of melted chocolate.
- Refrigerate the peanut butter cups for at least 30 minutes, until set.
Notes
While the peanut butter cups can be safely stored at room temperature, it's best to keep them in tupperware in the fridge to prevent the chocolate from smearing and making a mess when eating.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 9 Serving Size: 9 ServingsAmount Per Serving: Calories: 167
These are so good! I don’t live near a Trader Joe’s so I’m super happy to have this recipe!
Hi Briana! So glad you agree and enjoy this recipe. I find them so yummy too! <3 Thanks for the comment 🙂
It’s ridiculous but I go to TJs at least once a week. I always have the dark chocolate PB cups and the salt & turbinado dark chocolate almonds on hand. So dang good and so dang addicting. I have a mini silicon mold to do chocolates so making your recipe and I may even try to do a homemade version of the salt & sugar ones too. Yay to chocolate!! 🙂
Oh my, those dark chocolate almonds are so irresistible too! If you make any chocolates, please take pics – I’d love to see!! Thanks, beautiful! XO
Hahaha yes I DO know those foods! And I buy them ALL THE TIME. These peanut butter cups look awesome! And completely irresistible!
Thanks so much, Jess. Coming from a dessert queen like yourself, I’m very appreciative of the kind comment! <3
I’m the same way – peanut butter cups are an absolute weakness! I was almost mad at Theo when they came out with their version of them a couple of years ago. 😉 I love everything about these, Beeta. 3 ingredients, yay! And you’ve made them the perfectly petite treat size. Making these pronto!
Oh I will so have to try theirs!! I love their chocolate that you sent me, so I’m sure I’d love their peanut butter cups too! Thanks so much, Marissa <3
I am actually working on a homemade peanut butter cups version myself…those darn things are so DELICIOUS! It’s practically evil!
They are totally evil! lol I’m sure yours will be deliciousss! Thanks my dear 🙂
Love your redesign, Beeta! SO pretty and easy to navigate. These little bites too! I’m all heart eyes over here! Our nearest TJs is over two hours away.. but then, I gotta say, when I visited one in Pacific Grove (my first visit), I wasn’t inspired. EVERYTHING is in packaging – things that shouldn’t be like fresh fruit and veggies. What is that? Anyway, I’m all for homemade peanut butter cups and I love how you’ve used dark chocolate! Hooray!! These are the perfect little snacks !
Thanks so much, Traci! That’s so ind of you to say! You’re definitely right, there’s lots of packaged goods there. I’m more of a big fan of the fact that I can get great cheeses, oils, and wines for really great prices there. And even though I don’t buy a lot of their treats or snacks, they provide inspiration for homemade versions, like these! 🙂
So I have never been to a TJ’s… crazy right?! They opened one near me in Orlando right before we moved but I didn’t have a chance to go.. too much crazy moving nonsense. And there definitely isn’t one here where we live now… so now TJ’s for me. Anyways, peanut butter is definitely a weakness of mine, so I KNOW these cups would be crazy dangerous!! Lucky for me I’m allergic to cocoa. lol. Totally going to have to make these for Boy, though! I know he will gobble them up! I bet they put TJ’s PB cups to shame! 😉 Cheers, dear!
Thanks so much, Cheyanne! And I’m not too surprised to hear that TJ’s isn’t close by because it’s still a pretty small chain store compared to some of the big giants. But don’t worry, you can make Boy these at home super easily! <3 XO