UPDATE: This post was updated on April 7, 2025 to include conversions for metric measurements and nutrition information.
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!
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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!
How to Make Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
Line your muffin tin with paper liners and melt half the chocolate in a double boiler. Divide the chocolate evenly among the cups and use the back of a spoon to pull the chocolate up the sides of the cups.
Add a pretzel to each cup while the chocolate is still soft. Transfer to the freezer for 15 minutes.
In a small bowl, mix the peanut butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract.
Spoon the peanut butter mixture into each cup (you want this to be relatively flat). Melt the remaining chocolate, then pour over the peanut butter in each cup, covering the peanut butter completely. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt and freeze for at least 30 minutes before serving.
Expert Baking Tips
- 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.
- Spread the peanut butter mixture evenly. This will make it easier to cover with the final layer of chocolate!
- Add the flaky sea salt while the chocolate is still warm so it sticks to the peanut butter cups.
- 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 pan 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.
kitchen essentials
My Favorite Muffin Pan
Perfect for muffins, peanut butter cups and more!
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.
Recipe FAQ
Yes! This recipe is written using dark chocolate, but you could easily substitute that for milk or white chocolate.
No! If you'd rather omit the pretzels, or add something else (like a layer of jam), you certainly can!
Yes, I recommend it. They give you the classic peanut butter cup ridges, but they also make it easy to get the chocolate out of the muffin pan.
Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups
Ingredients
- 9-12 ounces dark chocolate* chips or coarsely chopped
- ½ cup creamy peanut butter
- 2 Tablespoons powdered sugar
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 12 mini pretzels
- flaky sea salt for topping
Instructions
- Line a 12-cup muffin tin with 12 liners.
- In a double boiler, melt half of the chocolate*. Divide the chocolate among the 12 lined cups and use a small spoon to pull some of the chocolate up the sides of each cup. This only needs to be to the height of your peanut butter cup, so about halfway up the muffin liner. While the chocolate is still warm and soft, place a pretzel in the bottom of each cup. Place the muffin tin in the freezer for 15 minutes to chill.
- In a small bowl, combine the peanut butter, powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Stir until smooth.
- Remove the muffin tin from the freezer and evenly divide the peanut butter mixture among the 12 cups. Use a spoon to spread the peanut butter mixture so it's relatively flat in each cup (this will be easier to cover with the next layer of chocolate).
- Melt the remaining chocolate in the double boiler, then divide evenly among the cups, covering the peanut butter layer. Gently shake the pan to help level out the chocolate. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt and freeze for 30 minutes or until chocolate is hardened.
- Remove the peanut butter cups from the muffin tin, peel off the paper liner and enjoy!
Jessica Vogl says
Like a Reese's but even better! The combination of the dark chocolate, peanut butter, crunch from the pretzel and the bit of flaky sea salt... amazing!