Emergency Super Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup

by Barry Lewis

Ingredients

800g good quality milk chocolate

Pinch salt

1tbsp smooth peanut butter (optional)

800g Crunchy peanut butter

5tbsp icing sugar

1tsp vanilla extract

The emergency super peanut butter cup! Have you ever been in a situation where you needed to have a giant peanut butter cup in a hurry? Be that a last minute Birthday cake alternative or something to give to the in-laws for Christmas and you need it in a hurry? Well, that’s where the emergency peanut butter cup comes in – using just standard tins, making a super size chocolate in a flash! You guys loved the concept of the super snickers loaf so much, I figured I’d keep this going with the peanut butter cup. Hope you give it a go!

First things first get yourself a loose bottomed flan tin, ideally with the ridges on the side that you would see on a reeses peanut butter cup – basically like an oversized cupcake case. The loose bottom will really help getting out easier. If you don’t have a loose bottom one, it should work all good as the weight of the chocolate once set will make it drop out anyway. If you want you could line it with baking parchment though.

For the time being place the tin into the fridge to keep it cool, this will help with setting the chocolate later.

First up get a large mixing bowl and add the crunchy peanut butter, place in the microwave for 30 second blasts mixing in between. It’ll probably need 60-90 seconds. What we want to do is make the peanut butter a little more loose an spreadable. Add the icing sugar and vanilla extract, mix well, then leave to one side!

Now melt the chocolate. Break up ¾ of the chocolate into a microwave proof bowl and with the remaining ¼ you need to finely grate it up and leave out in a separate bowl. Microwave the ¾ chocolate in 20 second blasts stirring in between (or melt over a pan of simmering water) until smooth. Then add the other chocolate that you grated and stir through so it melts into it and leaves you after a few minutes stirring with a lovely smooth chocolate.

Pour some of the chocolate into the base and using a spatula spread out evenly to completely cover the bottom. You don’t need to have too thick a layer here. If you wish you can scrape some up the sides too to form a wall.

Now carefully add the peanut butter mixture to the centre and spread it out evenly, ensuring you leave a gap between the tin edge to add chocolate in. With the peanut butter in the tin and spread but it not fully touching the walls of the pan, pour over the melted chocolate around the sides and the top to fully encase the peanut butter inside of it. Tap down a few times gently to release any air bubbles, smooth over if needed with a spatula, then place in the freezer for 30 minutes to firm up if in a hurry. Or in the fridge for around an hour minimum.

Once done, lift out the tin, slice up and share. A super speedy birthday cake alternative!