Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups

Sometimes you just need a good peanut butter cup, and if you can make it with dark chocolate, flaky sea salt, and a crispy pretzel, even better! These Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups are a tasty afternoon treat or dessert with a salty and crunchy kick from the pretzels and sea salt! Plus, you can keep them in the freezer and enjoy them whenever you want!

If you're looking for other dessert recipes, try these Candied Orange Slices, Candied Lemon Slices, and Chocolate Covered OREOs. You might also like these Chocolate Espresso Cookies!

Why you'll love this recipe

• This is an easy, no-bake recipe that comes together in just 15 minutes of hands-on time!
• You can easily adapt this recipe to include different pretzel shapes, or even a layer of your favorite jelly or jam!
• These Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups are great to store in the freezer so you can enjoy them any time.

Ingredients

There are only a few key ingredients you'll need to make these Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups.

• Dark chocolate: You can use bars or chips here, whatever your preference! I like to use Lindt 78% dark chocolate. Also, the recipe is written with a range in the amount of chocolate you use. If you want less chocolate (thinner chocolate layers), then use 9 ounces, and if you want more (thicker chocolate layers), then opt for 12 ounces!
• Creamy peanut butter: Creamy peanut butter works best here.
• Powdered sugar (confectioner's sugar): You need just a bit to mix in with the peanut butter.
• Pretzels: I like to use mini pretzels since they're the ideal shape to fit in the bottom of a muffin tin. You could also use a different shape, but ideally you want to choose one that can fit whole into the bottom of your tin.
• Flaky sea salt: For that salty sprinkle at the end! I like to use Maldon Sea Salt.

See full recipe below for detailed directions.

Substitutions & Variations

This is a very adaptable recipe. Below are a few easy substitutions and variations you can try.

• Use a different kind of chocolate - This recipe is written using dark chocolate, but you could easily make it with milk chocolate or even white chocolate!
• Add nuts - You can easily replace the pretzels with chopped nuts or another layer of your choice!
• Add jam - Replace the pretzel layer with a layer of jam to make peanut butter and jelly cups!
• Use a different nut butter - This recipe uses peanut butter, but could be made with any kind of nut butter!

I have not tested this recipe with other variations, but if you do, let us know how it turns out in the comments! I always love to hear how you're adapting these recipes and use those as ideas for future recipes as well!

Expert Baking Tips

1. Only melt half the chocolate at a time. This way, you won't use too much chocolate for either the tops or bottoms of the cups, and your chocolate won't harden while the treats are cooling in the freezer.
2. Spread the peanut butter mixture evenly. This will make it easier to cover with the final layer of chocolate!
3. Add the flaky sea salt while the chocolate is still warm so it sticks to the peanut butter cups.
4. Let the Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups freeze until completely hardened. After that, you can trim the edges of the paper liners, if you like!

Equipment

You will need a 12-cup muffin tin as well as paper muffin liners. You'll also use a double boiler or a small saucepan to melt the chocolate, and a spoon or spatula (I recommend these GIR Spoonulas) to spread the chocolate in the cups.

Storage

These Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups are best stored in the fridge or the freezer.

Refrigerator Storage: Once fully cooled, transfer to an airtight container or bag and refrigerate for up to 7 days.

Freezer Storage: Once fully cooled, transfer to an airtight container or bag and freeze for up to one month. You can eat the treats directly from the freezer without thawing.

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